a Good Book and a big day

ok seriously. i've been such a terrible blog owner. it makes me laugh everytime i see that i actually have "followers" cause, honestly, we ain't going nowhere fast right now, my friends. :)

there are so many topics/issues on which God is dealing with me right now that i can't even begin to choose one to write about. heck, i sat for 2 full minutes trying to think of a name for this singular blog post.

laaaaaame. :)

i have felt for the past few months that i am in a holding pattern of sorts and that is so hard for me. we've made some pretty bold choices in our family lately that have and will change the trajectory of our daily lives - i'm both excited and nervous as heck about those choices. knowing God has ordained each one but praying that i, in my flailing humanness, won't completely screw it up along the way. :) i know He will be faithful to complete the good work He has started in me (and you! phil 1:6) but it's the limbo, the waiting, the anxious anticipation of what comes next, that always gets me.

i have been listening a lot to my new favorite pastor, mark driscoll. (by the way, NOT affiliated with rob bell's mars hill.) in fact, it was this whole "controversy" (among others) that really made me start to think about what i TRULY believe and why. there are differing "opinions" out there, even amongst "christian" teachers, that make lies seem like truth and have the potential to lead people away from the faith. (hmmm. can we say "end times"??) i have always loved books and i love reading what Godly authors have to say about certain topics but God has really convicted me lately that there is only ONE book, ONE author who should dictate what i believe.

the Holy, Sovereign, inerrant, ever-timely, all-encompassing Word of God.

because ALL scripture (not just the verses that make you feel good.) is God-breathed (2 tim 3:16), i can trust it to be TRUE. because the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword (hebrews 4:12), i can trust it to apply to me, today. THIS is the book to which i should devote the majority of my time. THIS is the book i should dive into in times of need, confusion, frustration, and desperation. there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with reading Godly books by God-seeking people (but be sure you do your research first. there are a lot of goats out there, too. yikes.) but we need to make sure the Book that is most quoted, most worn out, most accessible, and most read is God's perfect Word.

so i will keep reading books. :) but whenever the Holy Spirit pricks my heart or i sense that check in my spirit i will immediately line it up to compare it and contrast it with the Word of God. and if something's off... i'm done.

*changing gears*

all that said, tomorrow's a big day in the crane house. it's our first day of homeschooling. mom's a little freaked. :) but excited. i equate it to impending childbirth... you know this is God's plan for you, you think you're ready, you're way so excited picking out stuff for the BIG DAY, you get a little nervous, you feel a little better, you have a complete meltdown in the car, and most days you just wish it would GET HERE ALREADY! :) well, it's tomorrow. the girls have asked what we're gonna do on the first day. i told them we'll hand out books and workbooks, take some time to get to know our classmates, i will need to learn all the students names, etc. :) they thought that was hilarious. :| "no, but moooom, what are we gonna learn first??"

the first thing i would like for them to learn is that God loves them with an everlasting love (jer 31:3) and that He has a super awesome plan for their lives.

the second thing i would like for them to learn is that their mom and daddy love them more than the air we breathe and we will do everything within our power to prove that to them and help them discover God's super awesome plan for their lives.

and then we'll learn math. :)

i hope.

i would be honored, sweet friends, if you would whisper even the slightest prayer for me and my girls tomorrow. i am eagerly anticipating a year of learning, laughing, and loving, peppered with some craziness, floundering about and a little ugly-crying. (and that's just from me. lol) can't wait to see what God has in store for ALL of us this school year and into 2012.

love you so much,

jen