From the Heart

I started a new book yesterday; Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. I'm four chapters in and it's proving to be full of biblical child-rearing knowledge.

The first three paragraphs of the book struck me immediately and profoundly as this author reminded me of something that applies to all of us: we are sinners. And as I share his words, you'll see by what I was drawn. Some choose not to guard their hearts against the things of the world and the flesh, and some, who are still sinners, do.

Tripp writes:

The Scripture teaches that the heart is the control center for life. A person's life is a reflection of his heart. Proverbs 4:23 states it like this: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

The word picture here is graphic. The heart is a well from which all the issues of life gush forth. This theme is restated elsewhere in the Bible. The behavior a person exhibits is an expression of the overflow of the heart.

You could picture it like this. The heart determines behavior. What you say and do expresses the orientation of your heart. Mark 7:21 states: "...from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly." these evils in action and speech come from within - from the heart.

What do my actions say about me? What do your actions say about you?

Music

Andy's older brother, Eric, is a pastor up in Cedar Rapids. I knew that he enjoyed writing his own hymns, but had never heard any until now. I need to share. Here is what he wrote:

As many of you know, I collaborate in song-writing with David Ward (and others) through the ministry of Reformed Praise.

This month we released our latest album, Merciful to Me. It was co-produced by David Ward and Steve Cook (of Sovereign Grace Music). It contains the vocals of Devon Kauflin, Shannon Harris, Jake Armerding, Lucia Newell, and others, as well as a host of great instrumentalists from around the country. The 13 tracks are an eclectic mix of styles, including bluegrass, pop, classic jazz, driving rock, and orchestral arrangements.

I finally got a chance to listen to the album and liked it immediately. Why? The first song was bluegrass and I love bluegrass! Am I a nerd? I grew up listening to bluegrass and when I hear it, it makes me wanna hop around and learn how to play the mandolin. But I'm getting off track.

The album is very easy listening; one that's good for the road. If you only like Switchfoot or Skillet, this isn't for you, but if you don't mind a good pepped up hymn, this is perfect. It's full of Biblical and wholesome Christian lyrics, it's very sing-alongable and the diverse range of style kept my interest throughout. Check it out at:

http://www.reformedpraise.org/store/albums/merciful-to-me/

Now the only thing I have to figure out is which ones are Eric's...

Conversation With an 18 Mo. Old

Me: Do you want to go shopping with some friends today?
Georgia: No.
M: So you don't want to see baby Ollie?
G: No.
M: Do you just want to stay home?
G: No.
M: What do you want to do?
G: No.
M: You don't know what you're talking about, do you?
G: No.

Christmas in September

Last week I made dinner and had it all ready to go in the oven. After about 15 minutes of allowing the oven to preheat, it was still stone cold. Dang. I tried the process again and it didn't work, so I called Andy who told me to call some friends. I made a proposition to them: if we could use their oven, we'd feed them dinner.

HOWEVER, that meant it was time to start looking for a new oven. At first I was bummed because I didn't want to spend the money, but then I started thinking....hmmmm, a new oven might be nice. Last weekend Andy and his step-dad made a trip out and found a great deal for us. It was marked down $250 because someone had returned it not liking the color. All I had told Andy was, "I totally trust your judgment, but I really want it to be white." It was perfect.


And this bad boy was a surprise gift for us. I'm sure that some of the dirt we've picked up since using it is about 5 years old...I love this machine!


I guess this means no excuses for not cooking or cleaning.

Birthday Surprise

Last week Andy's mom turned 60 and we took a whole week to celebrate it! We kept everything a secret so each day was a surprise of it's own. Here are some pictures from two of our excursions; the apple orchard and the zoo. I think it's pretty safe to say she really enjoyed herself and all of her time with the kids and grandkids.

Claire, Ella, and Georgia

Nana and Georgia at the orchard

Eating an apple

Always behind

Elephants

Feeding the fish

Seeing ducks up close

Little monkeys - Georgia and Claire

Chickens

Josiah's and Micah's pony ride

Petting a zebu

Cute cousins

Elijah makes Georgia laugh

You Might Be a Pastor's Wife If....

....people think your husband only works three hours a week.

MOPS

Another year of MOPS has begun and we are so excited! For those of you who've not heard of MOPS, it's a Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers program that churches nation wide put on at their churches. Moms can come and let volunteers watch their kiddos for a couple of hours while they enjoy a yummy breakfast and time to chat with other mothers. Needless to say...we love it. Here's to a great year!

Mommy and Georgia's first day of MOPS.

Emma Annette

The newest addition to the Schumacher family! We finally got a chance to meet this precious niece/cousin of ours and she is a beauty. She looks just like her big sis, though she weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs and 3 oz compared to Claire's 5 lbs 15 oz. Mom and baby are getting along great.

I selfishly held Emma the whole time we visited. I needed to remind myself what it's like to hold a newborn babe...and it's just as sweet as I remember. Georgia seemed more interested in toys (and Claire) than the baby, which kind of surprised me. She's enamored with her little baby friend, Ollie and so I'm undecided at how she'll behave when her new sibling arrives. Guess we'll see.

Home Projects

Recently Andy's dad asked us if we had done everything we wanted to make our house our own. We rattled off a few things, but later on had quite a conversation about what we would still do if we could. After time passes it seems like there is always something you can do to improve your home.

As you know, I like lists. These are a few of the things we'll do when the timing (and money) is right:

*New windows. This is our top priority. There is a great deal out there - purchase and install energy efficient windows in 2010 and receive a 30% tax credit.
*New front porch. Ours is very small and we're not really trying to make something new, but the wood is old and we're missing a few nails and too soon it won't be very safe.
*New bathtub. This is my dream. Ours is old and difficult to clean and always needs to be re-caulked.
*Room redecoration. We're currently in the process of redoing a guest room for Georgia so the baby can have the nursery. Not much is required there. However with the overflow of all the toys we've received and will receive, we've decided (with inspiration from Andy's brother and his wife) to finally turn a downstairs room into a play room. We need to paint and add some shelving.
*New carpet and flooring upstairs. Another dream of mine. Andy thinks it's unrealistic since we'll have small children for a while, but I did say it was a dream.

Andy and I like having projects to improve our home. We have no time line (well, maybe the windows) and are in no hurry, but we have some goals. We could live in our house just fine the way it is and still be perfectly happy, but I'll say it again....it's fun to dream.