Nature Journaling 101
The blank page.
For some of us, filling a blank page is a wonderful opportunity—like the challenge I always felt as a kid to be the first to step into the perfectly smoothed, white lawn after a new-fallen snow. I always wanted to get there before the squirrels. For others, filling a blank page can be a daunting task or source of uncomfortable embarrassment.
Years ago, when we began to study nature with a group, we were all beginners (both teachers and students). In our inexperience, we shared little direction for how to approach those blank pages. We just didn’t know. At first, we noticed the kids sloppily rushing through completing their entries—eager to get on to playing with friends and the snacks that awaited those who were finished. So for a season, we added some time constraints, by setting a timer—students needed to spend at least 20 minutes on their entries and get their parent’s go-ahead before they were free to play and snack. We also came up with one more directive: each child must draw one picture and then add as many facts (in words) to match their grade level—so, for example, a third-grader needed to share at least 3 written (or orally narrated) bits of information they had learned from the day’s lesson. Mothers also began to take part by modeling this journaling practice. It wasn’t long before we no longer needed the timer or the fact-to-grade-level rule. We have seen our students grow and develop wonderful observation skills, and accurate, even beautiful, recordings. But sometimes our group members change—students graduate, families leave, and new students and families join as beginners. It can feel uncomfortable to start or share a journal entry as a beginner if just over your shoulder you see and compare your own entries with those more experienced and polished. I wanted to share a few tips to filling those blank pages for beginners—to cut down on newbie discouragement and build a gentler growth mindset. Here are two principles which are important to keep in mind, and 10 entry tips which we have learned along the way that would have been helpful at the start:
First it is important to clarify our purpose. The nature journaling we are doing is not an art class or primarily about making beautiful pictures. Our group’s purpose is to learn about, observe, and appreciate some aspect of God’s creation, and our journaling time is meant to accurately record on paper the observations we have seen and experienced through our nature lore teaching and hike. Obviously we wish to have each student put forth their best efforts, which will in turn produce beauty (since most of what we observe in nature is beautiful), but that is not our main purpose. As adult leaders, it is helpful for us to be mindful of this and refrain from commenting so much on the beauty of a picture and more on the accuracy of student’s drawings. I think it is especially important to hold a policy of not self degrading your entries or belittling or comparing your abilities to others. Everyone can be successful in this practice and we are all growing and improving over time and with practice. If you as a student feel intimidated by the task of drawing “lovely pictures” in your nature journal, think about approaching your journal more as a scientist than as an artist—add in notes and numbers and labels and diagrams. The wonderful thing about this, is that regardless of whether you approach your drawings as an artist or as a scientist, as you practice, your drawings will improve—both in accuracy and in beauty.
Second, it is important to emphasize paying attention. All learning hangs on this core skill. Paying attention is fortunately a skill we can all develop through practice. Nature journaling is an especially fun and refreshing way to practice paying attention, because so much of nature study and nature journaling requires attention to detail. How many leaves are on that plant? How many stripes are on that animal? Or which type of song does that particular bird make? Both scientists and artists must pay attention. One of my favorite artists, Pissarro once said, “Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” Nature study, like art, requires attention—noticing. And Charlotte Mason would say, when we begin to notice and pay attention to something in nature, we begin to form a connection, a kind of relationship. And education, she says, is the “science of relations”. ‘When we record those connections through nature journaling, these new connections are not quickly lost or forgotten.
Here are 10 suggestions of things any student can easily add to their nature journals to fill up those blank pages:
1-Write the date of your entry (I recommend in the top corner).
2-Write the common and scientific names of the species you are studying (again, I recommend this to be put somewhere toward the top of the page).
3- You may also wish to write the location of your hike somewhere on the page along with any notable experiences you had or saw during the hike.
4-Include a picture (or pictures.) Including zoomed in close-up drawings of smaller sections or portions of your species can be a fun help to vary your entries.
5-Include numbers somewhere in your entry. For example, describe how many petals, claws, eyes, legs, eggs, etc. the species has.
6-Include examples of your species over time. For example, you could draw various stages in the species’ life cycle. Or if they experience seasonal changes, could you show or tell the differences in your journal entry?
7-Record observations you noticed or information you learned during the lesson either at the bottom of your page or throughout your drawings in diagrams or bullet points.
8-Ask questions. What do you notice that you’d like to explore further? Is there anything that sparked your curiosity that you’d like to know which wasn’t answered in your lesson? Mason calls curious questioning “key” to lasting learning. So write your questions down!
9-Make connections. Charlotte Mason always encourages learners to make connections throughout life. Maybe this hummingbird reminds you of a helicopter, or that leaf you are observing looks like a heart to you. Write those connections down!
10-Add a quote, verse of scripture, or piece of poetry somewhere throughout your entry. This is another way to bridge connections across subjects and to add beauty and meaning to your entry—not through pictures, but through words.
I hope these suggestions help ease your beginner’s minds and give plenty of ideas and helpful direction for how to potentially fill those blank pages with meaningful and memorable content. May you enjoy the process while appreciating more clearly the glory of God through His creation.
Warmly,
Anne
Aspiring to Inspire
Developing An Intrinsic love of Learning; 12 Thoughts to Consider
Somehow we’ve turned the corner into October, and as teachers, we already know which subjects and resources are either hitting the mark of inspiration, or crushing our student’s interest. If you find your students groaning when you pull out a certain book, or notice a student regularly staring off into space when you ask for a narration, or perhaps find yourself dreading a particular curriculum choice you once thought you’d love, this message is for you.
Recently, after struggling to spark that beautiful and desired intrinsic love of learning in my children, I began a deeper search to figure out why. Some of my students seemed to be thriving, while others were unengaged. I read all about (and loved) Charlotte Mason’s philosophical tools and her words describing education as “an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life”. But I was looking for just a few more specifics for those beautiful lofty principles, because in practice this wasn’t always my experience. In my search, I found at least twelve things which play a role in inspiring an intrinsic love of learning in children. I do believe that when our children are flourishing, with a genuine love of learning, one or more of these twelve areas is being applied well. If a child is struggling to enjoy a particular subject or resource (or learning in general), this list has been helpful to pinpoint particular areas which may need my attention.
These ideas come both from my own experience as well as my understanding of Mason’s philosophy and methodology. I have been working to condense related ideas on this topic from throughout her volumes as I try to promote (and not get in the way of) a genuine love of learning with my own students. I also recently hosted a gathering of seasoned home educating mothers sharing in a panel discussion on this very topic. The following are among the most important and prevalent ideas I have to share:
1-Depend on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our child’s ultimate teacher in all subject areas. He is also the teacher of teachers, so don’t forget to pray and depend on Him first and foremost. Because yes, even godly parents sometimes jump straight to worry and forget to pray.
2-Create a positive learning atmosphere. Is your home learning atmosphere respectful, caring, loving, safe, comfortable, and welcoming? Or, is it distracted, critical, or in some way unpleasant? Work hard and immediately to resolve any negative atmosphere concerns, or any relational issues impacting the learning atmosphere, to the best of your ability. The home atmosphere may seem inconsequential, but it is actually primary. Pay attention to your home’s learning atmosphere for each child.
3-Create a sense of anticipation and relevance for what will be learned. Share your excitement for the topic, why you chose the book, topic, or resource and what you are hoping to gain. Let your child in on that excitement and reasons for anticipation - both as you begin, and as you continue. Give students a vision for the relevance and value of the topics and ideas to their own lives and the lives to which they aspire.
4-Refrain from offering button and sticker rewards for learning efforts. I believe it is important to avoid rewards or bribes, coercion, or other forms of manipulation either as you set up your school year, or when you see anticipation or motivation waning. Though tempting, these only complicate and worsen things over time, distracting and detracting from the pure love of learning, which our children’s inquisitive minds naturally crave. Celebrate accomplishments and feel free to spice up lessons on occasion (adding in a fun game or perhaps a sweet snack), but avoid button and sticker reward systems. For more on this, see Mason’s thoughts in her 6th Volume, A Philosophy of Education, (particularly between pages 89-99). Alfie Kohn’s well researched book, Punished by Rewards also addresses this topic in great detail. Both Mason and Kohn discuss the effects of using external rewards to attempt to “motivate” children to want to learn. [Spoiler alert: They don’t work. In fact, they work against the goal of any intrinsic desire to learn].
5-Hold high expectations, yet with openly shared respect and confidence in your child’s personhood and ability to reach those expectations. Throughout her volumes, and within her top 20 Principles of Education, Charlotte Mason always promoted holding high respect for all children. She saw this as foundational to both teaching and learning. A more recent Stanford educational study by Geoffrey Cohen, published in 2014*, showed the positive impact teachers provided when they merely shared the brief feedback, “I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know you can reach them.” These simple words served to powerfully support the child’s own confidence and motivation to strive harder and longer in their learning efforts. Just knowing the teacher respected them and gently indicated an “I believe you can do this well” attitude, dramatically encouraged the child’s own intrinsic sense of agency, capability, and drive. Though we don’t want to persuade children to learn and/or work on their studies merely to please us, we do want to communicate, in some measure, that we respect them and have confidence in their abilities.
6-Let your students know you are committed to their success. Speak this aloud, and then be so; find ways to support them in the learning process. Be sure they know they are not alone and that you are available and eager to help them. Home-schooling does not mean alone-schooling. If they or you need help in a certain subject area, don’t be hesitant to look for outside sources and resources. Ask around and pray (as mentioned in list item #1). There are others who can help; seek them out. It is perfectly respectable and sometimes necessary to outsource a subject in which you struggle.
7-Foster curiosity and wonder - promoting their questions, active discovery on their part, and their thoughtful engagement, rather than just handing down dry facts from your research or textbooks. Teachers love to ask students questions (usually to discover what their students may have missed from the material); instead, let your students do some of the asking, topic digging, and discovering. Teach your students how to ask good questions themselves. Mason claims an engaged and questioning mind is key to lasting learning. If this is true, we ought to spend at least some time learning how to ask good questions. So take time to discuss models such as Bloom’s taxonomy of questions or Aristotle’s 5 topics, and learn how to lead your student’s minds toward deeper learning through active questioning.
8-Use the best, life-giving resources, opportunities, and topics available. We all have various limits given our specific circumstances, family, community, budgets, etc. Still, seek to find the best resources you can, keeping in mind that the scope you currently imagine may be broader than you think. Also realize what sparks interest in one child, may not in another; this isn’t a one-size-fits-all store. Feel free to scrap and replace the pricey, dull-as-bones curriculum that your best friend’s kids loved, but seems to be squeezing out every ounce of joy in the subject with your students. It takes discernment to decide when to quit a difficult book, but perseverance is not always the answer. You may need to find one that works better for you. This is one of the beauties of home education.
9-Share the subject matter in an age appropriate and engaging way - using resources, experiences, and “living” books, as Mason calls them, from authors that engage the senses and speak to both the heart and the mind. Find sources, (even additional sources from your main/spine resource) which include captivating stories whenever possible. Vary the day’s topics to engage different parts of the brain throughout the day (i.e. math, then music, science, then exercise) and keep lessons brief enough to fully hold your student’s attention. I often group some of our family subjects together across ages for things like picture studies, poetry, literature, etc., but sometimes this has resulted in reaching too far across the gap. If books are regularly over one child’s head (or too much below another), that child can easily develop the bad habit of tuning out. Make sure when combining, there is enough variety for everyone to feast - both young and old. Sometimes it is better to reach up to stretch imaginations, and often well done younger resources are captivating to all ages, but consider as you combine if you are reaching too high or too low too often.
10-Develop good study and learning habits. These would include developing the habit of attention, the habit of neatness, or the habit of following a regular routine and schedule. Careless attention, careless work, and irregularity can limit positive growth and intrinsic motivation to press on in nearly anything. So work on developing good habits of attention, best-effort, and consistency.
11-As a teacher, model before your students a love of learning yourself. This is truly contagious. But, so is its counter - if you hate math or writing or biographies (or whatever topic), and you make that attitude known, they will more often than not follow your example. As mentioned in point #6, find someone who excels in the areas you struggle to enjoy, and let their enthusiasm and knowledge carry your child forward more positively. But still, let your children see you enjoying learning regularly. Share with your children what is sparking you to learn and grow, remembering we don’t have to be experts in a subject to still enjoy further learning.
12-Nurture relationship. Our children will respond to our teaching and learn best when the parent/teacher/child relationship is generally healthy, positive and secure. When children feel safe and secure, they are able to comfortably reveal what they don’t know, ask questions, and risk vulnerability to make mistakes and actually learn. If the relationship is strained, the learning will be also. If this is the case, spend time outside of your teaching and learning experiences, working to shore up your relationship. Even small efforts can be powerful - play checkers or go for a walk together but do what it takes to mend and strengthen that bond. Miss Mason has famously expressed education as “the science of relations” seeing all subjects connect and interrelate, but the solid parent/child relationship is where it all begins.
As you’ve rounded the bend into this new month, I hope and pray you find this list a helpful gauge for evaluating and realigning - to find a more positive and captivating learning experience ahead for your family. If you have any further suggestions for this list, I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts!
Warmly, Anne
*https://ed.stanford.edu/in-the-media/how-motivate-students-work-harder-cites-research-geoffrey-cohen
Beauty Sense
Typically, when you think of God, what qualities come to mind? Perhaps you think, “all-knowing, wise, forgiving, loving, powerful, or full of truth”. But do you ever spend time thinking about God’s beauty?
Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” David wanted more than anything to gaze upon God’s beauty. As humans, we are each created with a built-in craving for and attraction to beauty. We love to see mountains or colorful butterflies, sunsets and waterfalls, we love beautiful music and art, beautiful homes, cars or clothes, beautiful people, beautiful oceans and gardens and the list goes on. We are startled by and drawn to beauty. WHY?
I believe we were made by God to be drawn to beauty, because beauty in creation is God’s invitation for us to recognize and delight in Him. Charlotte Mason calls this built-in appreciation and desire for beauty that we all have, our “Beauty sense”. She says, “There are few joys in life greater and more constant than our joy in Beauty, though it is almost impossible to put into words what Beauty consists in; colour, form, proportion, harmony – these are some of its elements…But beauty is everywhere – in white clouds against the blue, in the gray bole of the beech, the play of a kitten, the lovely flight and beautiful colouring of birds, in the hills and valleys and the streams, in the wind-flower and the blossom of the broom.” (Ourselves, p.41-42) We can see, though, that “beauty” is difficult to define. How would you define beauty? What is beauty? And have you ever considered WHY did God create us with an attraction to beauty?
The dictionary generally defines beauty as a combination of qualities present in a thing or person such as shape, color, sound or form, that brings deep satisfaction to the aesthetic senses, especially the sight, but may also include bringing pleasure to the mind or spirit. We often think of beauty as something visually attractive because of the beautiful thing’s brilliant color or form. But if beauty is merely visual, how can our invisible God be beautiful? Is there a beauty which cannot be perceived merely by the eyes? And WHY is nature so beautiful – beautiful and not merely functional? God could certainly have created all the flowers in one color. Or made only one season. Or one kind of butterfly or bird. Why is nature SO lavishly varied, colorful and beautiful, not merely functional? Why?
The Bible says also that humans have beauty. But there is a human beauty which is vain (Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Prov. 31:30) and a beauty in nature which perishes (James 1:11). Though God created and sees outward beauty, we are told his greatest interest in us is in the beauty of our inward hearts (1 Samuel 16:7 …For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart). There is an inward human beauty which pleases God and which the Bible says is imperishable, spoken of in 1 Peter 3:3-4 (…but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious). So we see not all beauty is external.
A friend of mine posted a story not long ago, with pictures online of a young bride-to-be who was going to be married soon, but her beloved grandmother was too old and frail to come to the ceremony. The young bride decided to take her wedding dress (before it was even altered) on a plane and visit her grandmother. She planned to put it on and show her grandmother and take some pictures together, so her grandmother could at least participate in that small but significant way. The grandmother was 103 years old at the time (and died less than a month afterward). Who do you think was most beautiful in the photos – the young bride in her wedding dress, or the 103 year old grandmother? When you look at the pictures of the bride, you would see that she is gorgeous and her dress is beautiful. But there was one picture which nearly took my breath away. It is of the two women together, but it was the grandmother’s face which struck me. She is stunning in the picture. Not because she has gorgeous outward beauty (she has an old body with grey hair and wrinkles galore), but her smile and her eyes show a striking, almost holy beauty of love and joy. Not all beauty is external in nature or physically perceived, some of the best beauty is of the heart, reflecting inward character qualities of God, and God says in 1 Peter that beauty of the heart is “imperishable”.
One place we see beauty constant and everywhere is throughout nature – we see beauty in nature day and night, we see it every day and in every season, and we see nature in every country and can appreciate beauty regardless of how much money we have or what language we speak. Sam Storms once said, “Glory is what you see and experience and feel when God goes public with his beauty.”
Since humans fell into sin, however, we have failed to see through the beauty of creation to the beauty of God – the beauty of His kindness, love, power, creativity, wisdom, generosity and so on. Because of sin, people have either become dulled to the beauty around us – ignoring or taking it for granted (we probably all to some extent do this every day), or we have simply stopped at the beautiful thing, appreciating beauty merely for itself rather than seeing it as a gift from God. Some people have turned to actually worship the created beauty they see, rather than its source. Without faith, people are blinded and deceived into thinking there is no God, or thinking there is something better than God. Without faith in God we don’t see his glory or beauty, and our brokenness of sin and our obscured vision causes us to miss beauty’s intended purpose – that of leading us to Him.
The good news is that because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, he has made a way, so that we can turn to God in faith, and when we do, that veil of unbelief is removed and we can actually see God in and through all of life and creation. Mason says however (and I agree with her), that still, “We all have need to be trained to see, and to have our eyes opened before we can take in the joy that is meant for us in this beautiful life.”(Ourselves p. 43) The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to God’s beauty when we turn to God in faith, but we also can work to train our eyes and hearts to see him in everything. Studying God’s word is the best place to find this beauty and see God’s character revealed. Nature is another place where we take in this joy.
I have had the privilege of regularly studying nature with a beautiful group of individuals over the past ten years. Some have come and gone, and new families have joined us, but one family has remained constant throughout. I have watched with marvel at how the children have grown and flourished and developed their “beauty sense” to such a high degree as they themselves have now grown, and are developing into incredibly gifted adults. They are wonderfully observant and knowlegeable. They see and capture on paper things the rest of us miss. One of those students in particular, Elliana Kissinger, I have roped more than once now into helping me with various projects. A few years ago I had a naturalist capstone project to do for the Kelly Creek Preserve. The topic was prairie plants, and she developed gorgeous posters of the plants for educational display. It took her minutes. This year I asked her to draw some biblical foods with black and white botanical drawings for the corners and other detailed areas of my book, to coordinate with the feast theme of the book’s title, “Feast Of Inquiry”. It is with great appreciation that I was able to include Elliana’s artwork to add a touch of beauty to the otherwise dull-looking text. What a gift.
My encouragement to you all (and myself) again this year, is to read God’s word. Look for the beauty of God that He reveals within its pages. And get outside. Begin to train yourself to see in God’s creation those things in nature so abundantly beautiful and attractive, and let them draw your thoughts to God – taking delight in His goodness and beauty with praise and thanks and worship.
For the love of God,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post 2023
12 Quick-Start Questions for Bible Study Discussion
The Bible is an ancient book, so sometimes we need help discerning it’s message, especially when we are new to the practice of reading and discussing its pages. But it is also a powerful living book, unlike any other. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” It’s the place where the Holy Spirit reveals the truth, goodness, and beauty of God with unique power and perfection. We always want to approach the Bible prayerfully, asking for The Spirit’s help. But we do want to come. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
For Bible study learners looking for some direction, I have found the following questions to be helpful, either for my own personal pondering, or for group or family discussions. Included are a dozen variety of observation, investigation, and application questions to get started in considering and discussing any passage of scripture:
1 – Who was the author of this text and who was this author writing to (research the context)? For what purpose and/or with what type of tone is the author writing?
2 – What from this text do I not understand and wish to further explore?
3 – From this text, what can I learn about who God is – in His character, work, or purposes?
4 – In this passage, is there a promise from God to trust or depend on in my own life?
5 – Are there any repeated or emphasized words, phrases, or ideas? Are there any if/then conditional phrases? Are there any “therefore” or “in order to” or cause and effect relationship phrases included in this passage to note? If so, what might be their purpose or meaning?
6 – What seem to be the main ideas being communicated in this text?
7 – Are there any other biblical texts which particularly pertain to this passage, and if so, what are they and how do they compare or contrast?
8 – Does this text contain a command to obey or some type of call to action? If so, how might I take action to apply it in obedience toward my particular life circumstances?
9 – Is there a sin mentioned in the passage which needs to be fought or possibly confessed, repented of, and yielded to God?
10 – Would any part of this passage help in fighting sin or in encouraging godly living such that it would be helpful and appropriate to memorize?
11 – Does anyone come to mind who might be helped by sharing this passage?
12 – Can this passage be turned into a prayer or is something mentioned for which to thank/praise God in worship?
For the love of God,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post April 2023
When Motivation Mimics Manipulation
“How do I motivate my child?” is a common question parents ask. It has become a topic of concern and conversation within the church as well.
My first experience with this concern came years ago, when back in the 90’s, my family participated in a program with a multitude of other families around the country. It was organized by a well-meaning business hoping to encourage reading and literacy among youth – a very worthy goal. It offered free personal pan pizzas for children who completed reading a certain number of books (I believe it was something like 10 books) every month. It seemed like a lovely opportunity – we got some free, yummy pizza with friends, and our children read more books. Win-win, right?
For those moms in our group however, we saw the program appear to over time actually have a back-firing result. Our children started fairly quickly to lose interest in reading, having even less interest than they did when they began the program. They started asking to “count” books which were easier and easier toward their required ten books list. “Can I count this picture book?” Previously proficient and capable readers were asking, “How about this little (pamphlet) book, can I count this one?” Where they had been reading chapter books, they began to choose the easiest, shortest, simplest books they could get away with to add to their list. They wanted the social time out and the pizza, but reading? …not so much. As moms we were having to push and prod and threaten. Previous to the program, this wasn’t the case. But now they began to view reading as the unpleasant chore and hurdle to the real reward…of pizza. After all, their parents had to bribe them to do it. Needless to say, we ended our participation, but too late in my opinion, as a fair amount of damage had been done by then. I don’t know if you have tried and experienced any similar outcomes to attempts to incentivise children, but this has been my experience, and from my research on this topic, it appears to be a fairly universal outcome to this type of “motivation” program.
Charlotte Mason addressed this concern regularly (and how to counter it), even 100 years ago, in her volumes on educational thought and practice. “But so besotted is our educational thought that we believe children regard knowledge rather as repulsive medicine than as inviting food. Hence our dependence on marks and prizes, athletics, alluring presentation, any jam we can devise to disguise the powder.” (Mason, The Philosophy Of Education, Volume 6, p. 88-89). Mason saw the use of prizes as a “stumbling block” (p. 11) which eliminates and distracts children from the hunger of learning and curiosity which they naturally posess.
As parents, teachers, and Sunday School leaders, how then do we rightly inspire others to learn in a lasting way and encourage genuine growth and change? How do we encourage students to keep their levels of motivation toward learning high, without falling into ineffective manipulative bribes or other coercive measures?
Mason taught a different way. I believe there are things we can do to cultivate learning and raise intrinsic motivation. In the Christian home and church, these positive elements include a dependency on the Holy Spirit both in attitude and in prayer. We can also work to create a positive learning atmosphere – the best conditions for learning; an atmosphere that is respectful and valuing of the personhood of each child – one that is cheerful, caring, loving, orderly, comfortable, safe, accepting, welcoming, etc. We can also create a sense of excitement about what is coming, an anticipation for what will be learned. We can create a sense of curiosity and wonder – promoting questions, active discovery, and thoughtful engagement with the important ideas and truths shared. And we can do this through the very best in life-giving resources that we can find – resources which present the whole counsel and truths of God in the best possible and most engaging way. Knowing God is an experience of wonder, and wonder is contagious. Our own wonder and enthusiasm for a topic (in this case, God) is one of the most effective learning inspirations. We can also help students see the relevance of the ideas and topics we share, relevance to their own lives, and to the lives, character, and identities to which they aspire. In addition, we can provide opportunity, modeling, encouragement, and teaching or training in the development of habits and the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible reading, memorizing scripture, gathering for worship, learning, discussion, and serving etc. This is where it is especially important for our churches to be also training, equipping and supporting parents to continue these practices as habits in the home.
I believe there are also things we cannot and/or should not do as teachers wanting to share the truths of God with children however.
We obviously then ought not provide a poor atmosphere – one which is unwelcoming, harsh, chaotic, etc. Nor should we lecture long using dull, boring materials and ideas with a lack of relevance, wonder, curiosity, or active participation, spoon feeding children’s unengaged minds. We also should not talk down to children, seeing them as inferior and unvalued, with little to contribute. God holds the souls of children in great regard, and so should we.
But we must also recognize that we cannot create heart change, only God can do that. God can call us to obedience, but He and only He can also create the intrinsic desire for holiness, where we cannot. We can say to a child, “you should” do this or that, and we can try to help students see how something might benefit them in the future. We can also try to show them how doing this activity or learning that information or practice has some benefit and relevance to their lives, but we are still limited. We cannot make children want to do anything. Buttons and sticker rewards do not accomplish this inward heart change or desire toward the external behavior.
I have three lingering concerns with using if/then external rewards particularly when used with children for spiritual practices. First, these rewards may send the message that the inward heart change is irrelevant to the reward. Perhaps worse, extrinsic rewards may send the message to students that the topic to be learned or spiritual practice we are trying to encourage is something clearly undesirable since (as in my book-reading example) the adults around think I need to be bribed to do it. We want our children to know Christlikeness is a desirable goal, and relationship with God is the desirable reward, not the hurdle to getting some other desired reward. We want our children to clearly see Jesus, in all His beauty, love, power, and glory, and fall in love with Him. God ought not be seen as a stepping stone to the joy of trinkets, toys, buttons and stickers. I don’t think we ever want to confuse this, and find later, when we remove the rewarding incentives, our youth have actually zero interest in God Himself.
Second, we also don’t want to confuse children with ideas of earning things from God through our spiritual practices (by giving buttons and stickers rewards). As Jonathan Worthington explains in The Gospel Coalition article titled, Deep Motivation In Theological Education, grace is not the enemy of effort, but it is the enemy of earning. I believe giving if/then rewards for spiritual practices of coming to God is confusing this message of grace and genuine faith. We can certainly gently affirm and celebrate the accomplishments of children, but I believe it is not appropriate (but rather manipulative and concerning) to offer if/then rewards to children for spiritual practices or obedience to God (as in, “if you pray or read the Bible X times this week, I will then give you a reward of money or a toy”).
Finally, I would add that God always only wants heart-felt, sincere obedience. He may offer extrinsic rewards, but He does not offer extrinsic rewards for merely outward behavior that is not matched with heartfelt, inward desire. Nor does He ever encourage mere outward obedience. Rather, He sternly rebukes this, as when Jesus rebukes the Pharisees in Matthew 23:26. Attempting to incentivize children to practice spiritual disciplines (children who may or may not have that inward desire) is concerning, as it can lead to potentially normalizing and rewarding this hypocritical external conformity, without the accompanying sincere heart attitude God desires. God offers such things as escape from hell if you come to Jesus, but if you don’t genuinely treasure Jesus by faith, but merely want the reward of escape, you have missed the point (and the reward) entirely. God is not a means to another end. Relationship with God IS the reward.
I know this is an extremely popular cultural trend (incentivising children for desired behaviors), which has been ongoing for some time, and it is often well meaning. But it seems to me to have serious and particular concerns, especially when related to spiritual practices. And I think we as parents (and churches especially) need to examine more closely what offering these external motivators is actually producing. Are they producing inward heart change? Are they truly positively impacting our children over time? Or might they be contributing over time to a decrease in interest in the things of God, or to a false or disingenuous spirituality and entitlement attitude in the next generation of Christians?
Daniel Pink’s book, Drive, which was written for adults in secular adult work settings, reminds us that working adults must be rewarded with pay for their jobs, as pay for work is necessary for people to live. We cannot do away with all external rewards. However, I think the point was also made that pay offered for a job ought to be fair, so it then becomes less or (perhaps entirely) removed as a distraction to the performance of the job. Beyond this, even with adults, extrinsic rewards (such as the type we are often providing in our schools, homes, or church children’s programs) are only ever of minimal benefit and those only exist when used in very limited circumstances. This would be, for example, as when a task is always dull, unengaging, and monotonous, or in the case where a dull task must be completed in a time-sensitive frame and under unusual circumstances – like when the company printer breaks and now there is a need to collate pages for tomorrow’s seminar. In this case, a short incentive might speed participating workers to finish the job more quickly, but it is not a lasting solution to long-term motivation. Those workers don’t grow more in love with collating because you just rewarded them to do it.
From what I have read and researched on this, using these if/then reward methods in other circumstances were actually always harmful to inspiring intrinsic desire toward the desired activity or goal. If this is true, it is concerning if we are attempting to mimic this method of manipulation with children for the purpose of prodding them to follow God. The book Punished By Rewards, by Alfie Kohn, covers this topic of incentivising children much more extensively, but is also a secular book. As mentioned earlier, The Gospel Coalition offers a related article which I highly recommend. The article speaks to this topic of motivation from a Christian educational perspective. The article is again titled, Deep Motivation in Theological Education, by Jonathan D. Worthington. Worthington explains that we can’t really externally “motivate” another person to want to do something. I do believe we can encourage children to develop their own motivation using the tools I listed in the beginning of this post, (providing a positive atmosphere, life-giving resources, etc.) but if we try to help students to be motivated with the wrong type of motivation, we may actually be harming our student’s in their walk with God, and in their path of growing in that Christ-like transformation we so earnestly desire.
For the love of God,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post February 2023
Timeless Influence
Motioning toward the fenced exit, the man called out to us, “I’m heading out now, but with all the construction, I wanted to be sure you knew to leave through the side gate!” Perhaps he was the cemetary groundskeeper, or maybe he was the church pastor. I unfortunately will never know. But I am profoundly grateful for his help.
Hours earlier, my sweet husband, (who had arranged this trip) had joined me in visiting the Armitt Museum in Ambelside, England. What a joy it was to see the beauty of this quaint area, lodge and hike on some of Beatrix Potter’s trust land, and then visit Mason’s old church and graveyard. But I had no idea where exactly the site of her grave stone would be, I just hoped that the stone of such a wonder-of-a-woman would surely be somehow clearly marked. I was wrong. We found thousands of old gravestones (it was England, after all), but no indication of where her’s might be located. We’d been scouring the yard for a long time, ready to call it a loss and head back to our room, when the mystery man called out to us. Just after acknowledging his insructions, it dawned on me that he perhaps might know it’s whereabouts. Sure enough, he of course knew and led us to the place. It was a precious moment, seeing her grave. It felt almost like I was meeting her, this woman who had made such a powerful, impactful difference in my life. It was a sweet foretaste of heaven.
Several times in my life, people who find out how much I love Charlotte Mason and the ideas and edcational methods she affirms, have asked me to describe who she is, and what distinguishes her philosophy and methods. Mason herself took six significant volumes to unfold her educational and parenting views, so I can’t pretent to summarize them well in a page or two, but I have made an attempt here, on the 100th anniversary of her death, to share a general description of her beautiful, life-giving philosophy. They have shaped and blessed me more than I can say. For those wishing to know more, I highly recommend reading “For The Children’s Sake” by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, or “In Vital Harmony” by Karen Glass, or better yet, read any of Miss Mason’s own volumes – they are well worth the effort.
Who is she, and what is “The Charlotte Mason Method”?
Charlotte Mason grew to become a revolutionary educational philosopher. Born in England in 1842, she lived for 81 years, dying on January 16th, in 1923. She was herself, primarily educated at home, and was orphaned at the age of seventeen. At this time, Charlotte dedicated herself to making education her life’s work.
She was a devoted Christian, who saw The Holy Spirit as the source and supreme educator of all true understanding. She believed this was true in every subject area, with no separation between the sacred and the secular. In addition, she believed that a “personal relationship with God was the basis of all joy in living.” (In Memoriam of Charlotte M. Mason, p. 77). She had a deep love and respect for children…all children. Charlotte’s valuing of the education of both male and female children, as well as the disadvantaged, was a revolutionary idea in her day and culture. Her love for all children, along with her educational insight and experience, led her to some innovative, reformative ideas. She taught within an age and culture where children and financially disadvantaged people were not highly regarded, and where education was often seen as little more than a means to a job.
After compulsory education had been established in England in 1880, parents had to choose between private or public day schools, or boarding schools. Many of those schools emphasized dry, memorized facts in strict, harsh environments. Parents in England at that time, often chose governesses to educate their children at home as an alternative. For various reasons, many parents did not wish to send their children to the public schools, but could not afford to send them to private schools, or hire governesses, and chose instead, to home educate their children themselves.
Charlotte’s philosophy, principles and methods were seen as a radical breath of fresh air.
After years of teaching experience, Charlotte eventually began to share her insights in lectures and writings. She also developed some geography books and wrote her first volume, “Home Education”, both of which were well received, and became popular educational resources. Readers who resonated with Charlotte’s ideas began to inquire from her how to obtain a teacher, school, or governess for their children who understood her philosophy and methods. Other parents wanted to better understand how to implement her methods in their own home schools. These inquiries led Charlotte to establish a training college for governesses and school-teachers in Ambleside, England, at what became titled, The House of Education. Along with this, an organization of parents, called the Parent’s National Education Union (PNEU) was then established. The PNEU grew and eventually established a number of schools using Charlotte’s philosophy, hiring her trained pupils as their teachers. Charlotte also began to oversee home schools in England in a correspondence-style. This is why she has often been given the title, “the founder of the homeschool movement.” In an effort to support and keep parents and graduating teachers up-to-date with the most recent discussions in education and subjects relating to the education of children, Charlotte Mason developed a monthly magazine filled with pertinent articles, called The Parent’s Review. Collections of these articles can still be found online or bound at either the Library of Congress or at the Armitt Museum in Ambleside, England.
Summarizing Mason’s rich philosophy, which took her six significant volumes to articulate, is beyond me. I will say first that her method was based on 20 sound educational principles which I believe are timeless. They are laid out and left for us to apply to our own time and culture. Second, I would point out that her method has been enduring. The organizations and schools she founded continued long after her death. Schools and homeschools around the world today continue to use her method. Susan Schaeffer Macaulay took up the baton in sharing and summarizing Mason’s ideas in her highly recommended book, For The Children’s Sake, written in 1984, sparking the American homeschooling movement, which exploded in the 1980’s and 90’s. Mason’s ideas of best learning practices have been proven throughout the years, and even recent scientists and neuroscientists such as authors Terrence Sejnowski and Barbara Oakley have confirmed (though titled differently) many of her methods in their book, “Learning How To Learn”.
Charlotte Mason’s method however, distinctly emphasizes a reliance upon the Holy Spirit, and speaks of education as the “science of relations” meaning that a child, as a person with a soul, makes mindful connections and forms a relationship with each new idea, topic, person or subject studied. She believed children have a natural love of learning, and our role is to foster, and not kill that love by helping our students to establish positive relations with all kinds of knowledge, with the chief knowledge being the knowledge of God. Teachers are encouraged to avoid the excessive talk, continual evaluation, multiple-choice worksheets, and dry facts which often mark traditional methods. Instead, her method encourages teachers to rely heavily on giving students direct contact with well-chosen, worthy “living” books. Among others, this would include the Bible, stories from history, poets, artists, composers, and scientists. Charlotte saw wonder and questioning for discovery as key to lasting learning. And she supported the practice of having children spend plenty of time enjoying, observing, and journaling about God’s creation in nature. Oral and written narrations – sharing what a child has truly learned, replaces the typical multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, or comprehension questions and workbooks used to determine what information a child may have missed. Those narrations, along with copy work and dictation from great author’s writings, provide the foundation and natural, organic environment for students learning to communicate through writing.
Charlotte saw education as not simply filling a child’s brain with information, but bringing a child to a place to encounter knowledge in a way that changes and inspires them to care and act, so that education also becomes a means toward the primary objective of virtue and the development of character. In addition, Miss Mason saw our aim in education not merely as an avenue for preparing a child to make a living, but to enable a child to live a full life. One of my favorite passages is taken from page 170 of her third volume (which, incidentally, includes the words where this blog is titled, and from which my book discussion group’s Large Room Gathering name was acquired, referring also to Psalm 31:8 ) which says,
“Our aim in education is to give a full life. We begin to see what we want. Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. ‘Thou hast set my feet in a large room,’ should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking— the strain would be too great— but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest. We cannot give the children these interests; we prefer that they should never say they have learned botany or conchology, geology or astronomy. The question is not, — how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education— but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? And, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?”
As we remember today (January 16, 2023) the 100th anniversary of her death, I hope some of Charlotte Mason’s timeless philosophies resonate with, interest, and inspire you, as both a teacher and/or life-long learner, to rely on the Holy Spirit and see with curiosity and wonder the large room God has set before you and the children in your care.
With a grateful heart, in honor of Charlotte Mason – a kindred spirit and great teacher of teachers, who has taught us all to rely on the Greatest of Teachers, God Himself,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post January 2023
Courage: A Word Study
Courage, by Sister M. Eulalia, RSM
“Courage is a fabric,
So woven of the soul,
It shrinks with fear, stretches
When straining toward a goal.
But when in eyes it glows
Awaiting tyrant’s rod,
It is of mystic birth,
Holding a tryst with God.”
This poem has returned to my mind regularly throughout the past two years. Certainly I have seen the need in myself and in our culture for a reminder of the importance, availabiltiy, and power of courage. Every year I have tried to choose a Biblical word to study and mark the year. I typically approach my time of study by asking three simple questions: What is it? What produces it? And what does it produce? God has always met me when I have come to Him with sincere questions, and today I share with you a small piece of the fabric from my soul on the topic of courage. In answering the first question, “What is courage?” I found that the Greek word translated “courage” literally means “boldness and confidence”. The dictionary defines courage as “the ability to do something that frightens one”, or “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, pain, grief, or difficulty”. After reviewing a number of definitions, I settled on defining courage as a mental and moral strength to choose (by one’s will) to firmly focus upon a decision which enables one to act in the face of danger or difficulty, hardship, or opposition. A synonym could be bravery, and the opposite of courage would be to cowardly shrink back in fear. The dictionary is helpful in defining courage, however it doesn’t share how we get courage or where it comes from. When I was researching this word and the idea and actions of courage, I found a number of different types of couraged discussed. The first three frequently listed were broad categories mentioned in many places, and then I also found at least half a dozen more specific, (though sometimes overlapping) types. A number of these specifics are mentioned in Charlotte Mason’s book, “Ourselves”, as she discusses the topic of courage and its various manifestations. Altogether I came up with the following list for a total of 10 categories to consider:
1. Perhaps first in importance is what we typically call “moral courage” – standing up to injustice and/or caring for the vulnerable. Mason refers to this sometimes as the “courage of attack”, describing this as a type of courage demonstrated through those mama-bear-like acts of moral courage done to protect the young and vulerable.
2. Second we have what I would call “intellectual courage”. This is the courage to stand up to or challenge wrong thinking or wrong ideas best done from a well-informed yet humble attitude.
3. The third broad category is commonly called “physical courage”, which is the courage to remain steadfast in the face of some physical opposition, danger or trouble, fear or distraction. This would somewhat overlap with what Mason calls the “courage of endurance”. Biblically speaking, this is also the courage which keeps a person going by faith, trusting God in the face of an of adversity (not shrinking back, as Hebrews 10:32-39 describes).
4. I found the idea of having what Mason calls the “courage of serenity” especially significant. She describes this as the courage to meet pain or trouble with calmness and fortitude – in order to be of some use to others in a difficult or frightening situation. Biblical examples of this would be Joshua 1:9 or 2 Samuel 10:12. We all know those who emotionally break down at any sign of danger, and become useless to help, and instead actually worsen the situation. But those individuals who keep calm in the face of an upsetting circumstance become the most useful and beneficial to help others. This is certainly a worthy goal to recognize, practice, and pursue.
5. The next type of courage Mason describes is titled the “courage of affairs” and denotes the courage to attend to daily tasks and not become anxious over concerning future outcomes, as Psalm 112:7 instructs. One of my favorite prayerful quotes from the book, “Valley of Vision” inserts the words, “Teach me the happy art of attending to things temporal with a mind set on things eternal.” This is definitely a beautiful art.
6. Mason also adds the “courage of opinions and frankness” to the list. This is the courage to thoughtfully share the truth in love, though again ought to be shared from a well-informed, yet humble posture.
7 & 8. The courage of “reproof” or “confession” includes the courage to give or receive correction rightly, and to correct or confess sins and failings with humility. In these two forms of courage, we decide, despite the embarassment or opposition we may experience, that it is the right thing to do.
9. “Courage of capacity” is the courage to face the opportunities God has put before us to do – not looking at our own inadequacies (or abilities), but trusting in His power and direction to work in, for, and through us.
10. This final type of courage is one I did not find listed with any other source, but found it mentioned again and again in the Bible. This is what I call the “courage of waiting”. As in Psalm 27:14, the Bible regularly talks about the hard but significant task of trusting God with courage as we wait upon Him.
Courage is a strength or ability, but it is typically considered a derivative quality – meaning it comes from something else. But from what, where, or when does it come… and how? This leads to my second question. After defining courage. I simply ask “What produces courage?” Charlotte Mason would say, on page 112 of her book, “Ourselves”, that “we all have courage”, meaning as human God-image-bearing persons, we have been created WITH this quality and at least with the potential ability to courageously think and act. As human beings, by God’s design, we can choose to act not merely out of instinct (to run from fears and opposition, as an animal would). We at least have the capacity to face fear or danger by an act or decision of the will. Courage is not out of anyone’s reach. It is not something only some people posess and others don’t, though we have perhaps developed this quality as individuals to varying degrees. But then comes the question of what exactly causes or helps us to make courageous decisions which move us to courageous action? In nearly every case, when God calls us to “fear not”, he gives us a reason to strengthen our courage by putting our confidence in Him. I’ve developed an acronym to remember 5 things to bolster our courage. I encourage you to look up the related. listed passages.
My acronym is a plural fruit, PEARS:
P = Promises (Deut. 3:22, Ps. 56:3, Ps. 23:4, Is. 41:10) We develop courage when we trust God’s promises/His word. When we have confidence in God, and what He says about His sovereign care and good purposes over His children, we can have courage to face trials.
E =Eternity (Heb. 10:34-39) As believers, we strengthen our courage when we cultivate reverent mindfulness of God and the eternity with God awaiting us. With this confidence we can face trouble with courage, knowing our souls are safe forever.
A =Abide (1 Jn. 2:28) We develop courage by “abid[ing] in him” through prayer and His word.
R =Remember (Josh. 1:9, Daut. 8:2) We develop courage remembering who God is, and that He is with us in and through our trials, and by remembering past trials and how God sustained us in those. The Bible uses the word “remember” over 240 times. We are a forgetful people.
S =Spirit (2 Tim. 1:6-7) We develop courage and freedom from fear by depending upon His Spirit who is within every child of God, surrendered to God by faith in Christ.
My final question then is, “What does courage produce?” And my answer would be this:
Courage produces women (or men or children) who are willing to stand up to injustice and protect the vulnerable (like the midwives in Exodus).
Courage produces women who are powerfully fearless in challenging wrong thinking, and who remain steadfast in the face of opposition or trouble (like Abigail, who negotiated with David when Nebal insulted him).
Courage produces women who will have the wherewithall to meet pain or trouble calmly, praying and trusting God so as to actually be of use in a crisis (like Esther in the face of death and genocide) because they know they HAVE courage, and the abundant source of courage through Christ IS accessible to them. -
Courage produces women who can fearlesssly attend to their daily tasks without being overly anxious about the future (like Abraham’s wife Sarah…and the Bible says we are her children if we also “do good and do not fear anything that IS frightening” 1 Pet. 3:6 – which is perhaps my favorite Bible passage directed to women). Notice the verse does not ignore or downplay the severity of any fearful situation, yet still calls upon us to rise up and continue to “do good”.
Courage produces women who can wisely and firmly share the truth in love (like Deborah with Barak in the face of war, in Judges 4).
Courage produces women who quickly repent of and confess sin, to love Jesus without fearful regard for what others may think of us (like Mary, in repentance, washing Jesus’ feet with her hair and tears in Luke 7).
Courage produces women who can peacefully wait on God in humble, obedient service (like Ruth with Naomi), trusting He holds the outcome.
Courage produces women who will work hard and bravely share the truths and ways of the gospel (like Priscilla who worked and ministered with Paul and her husband Aquila, Rom. 16:3).
As this tumultuous year progresses, I am asking God to help me to choose courage – like Priscilla and Ruth, Mary and Deborah, Sarah, Esther, and Abigail. We will not be kept from all current or future dangers, griefs, difficulties, or opposition, but we know God is sovereign over all. Nothing can touch us without His permission and through which He will not be with us and use for our good (Romans 8). Ultimately our souls are safe in Jesus. We can face fears when we rely on (PEARS) – His Promises, keeping a view to Eternity, Abiding in prayer, Remembering his past and present faithfulness, and depending on his Spirit. We already HAVE courage. May we find in the day to day or monumental moments arising, where courage is called upon, they are truly opportunities to hold a tryst with God.
Warmly,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post March 2022
Simple & Clear: a 2020 Thanksgiving
Every morning, I make the bed. It’s always been my one, sure daily homemaking accomplishment. Raising 9 kids can bring a host of chaos and opportunity for a day’s derailment. Making the bed just seems a simple and clear habit which puts at least one thing on track from the get-go.
If only the remaining moments of my days were as simple and clear. Sometimes the list of basic tasks seems overwhelming and then there’s the higher desire to glorify and serve God well. So easily, and without meaning to, I can slip into seeing my relationship with God as a means to helping reduce the chaos or to making better life decisions or improving myself. Recently my church’s small-group missional community of women read and discussed the book, “In His Image.” Early in this book, author Jen Wilkin asserts that “God is always more concerned with the decision-maker than he is with the decision itself,” and suggests the Christ-follower who wants to know God’s will for her life should shift from asking God “What should I do?” to asking God, “who should I be?” I’ve been considering this question more intentionally ever since – who should I be and how can I glorify God in who I am? While reading over Psalm 50 recently, verses 14-15 hit me equally hard. “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Did you read that like I did? So often I think of glorifying God with a longer to-do list, but this list includes three very simple things: giving thanks to God, doing what I say I’ll do, and calling on God in the day of trouble. The result? “And you shall glorify me.” There it is. Calling on God in the day of trouble glorifies God. Doing what I say I’ll do, glorifies God. And God says, simply giving thanks to Him is one way to glorify him. Simple and clear. Romans 1:18-25 teaches that not giving thanks or honoring him as God is why God gave the people over to a debased mind and dishonorable passons. Those are some strong words and consequences for a thankless, unappreciative, grumbler to grapple with. Day to day, I tend to think of thanklessness as a rather minor offense, if any offense at all. I certainly do not usually consider it to be in the same category as lying, adultery or stealing. But in reading God’s word, it is easy to see he is pretty severe in his judgments against the sin of thankless grumbling. Deuteronomy 28, for example, is filled with blessings God promises to those who faithfully obey him, but then he states in verses 47-48, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything.” Refusing to serve God with joyfulness and a glad heart led the Israelites at least, into being forced to serve an ememy – for the greater purpose of helping them to recognize the difference between the joy of serving God and the misery of living without his blessing.
Throughout this infamous year, which will certainly be written much about in future history books, this passage has come to my mind again and again while I have wondered what God has been up to throughout this problematic pandemic. So many blessings which were previously taken for granted, have been removed. We have all been reminded of how little we’ve appreciated God’s goodness in the simple pleasures of things like gathering in groups, gathering with family, watching a concert, or joining in corporate worship.
God has made it clear that he wants me to serve Him by simply being a person with a joyful and glad heart. On this 2020 Thanksgiving, as I reflect on the past year and move into the new, I pray we may all realize the significance and simplicity of the daily habit of being thankful to God on the other 364. Even more than making the bed.
Warmly,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post November 2020
12 Principles for Resolving Conflict
“I accept your apology,” she would announce, with that ready, wry smile. It was my mother’s way of ending a conflict where she knew she had been wronged but where an apology apparently was not quickly, or perhaps ever, forthcoming. I learned early that conflicts don’t always end in a neatly tied bow. Sometimes apologies are never offered nor forgiveness ever granted, and the healing of wounds takes time, but I am forever thankful for mom’s humor and grace in those moments.
I’m not quite sure where ever I got the notion that conflict would be rare within the church or Christian family. I guess I thought a truly godward church or truly godward family would be more immune. Christ followers are to be set apart in many ways, though the absense of conflict is not necessarily one. We do have clear directives regarding how we are to address those conflicts however. I’ve spent considerable time pouring over Paul’s letters to the churches in scripture in the past couple of years, only to be astonished afresh at how transparently and shamelessly he addresses continual, (sometimes rather shocking) conflicts within each fellowship. No matter how godward in some areas we become in this earthly, Christian life, none of us gets to graduate to what my daughter, Mary, jokingly refers to as, the Christian “varsity team.” For, as she reminds, there is no varsity team. Clearly today, we continue to struggle with the same enemies Paul addressed, both of inward, individual sin and spiritual forces without.
A gathering of humans cannot coexist without inevitable, regular conflict, though most of us hate the pain, anger, hurt or rejection conflict invariably accompanies. In those vulnerable moments, it is hard to see how such painful things can ultimately make us more fruitful. But in all honesty, when I reflect on past experiences, I see that well-resolved conflict has brought growth of many sorts, deepening my own ability to forgive, practice humility, trust and Christ-likeness. Our large family of once eleven, (now twenty) has had its share of conflicts. At one point, while struggling with my conflict anxiety and grasping for some direction from God, I wrote this list of a dozen principles. Numerous times I have read it over to myself before entering a conflict discussion. On several occasions I have even read it aloud to opposing parties, before moderating a conflict. Reviewing these principles and taking them to heart has helped me to rightly orient and renew my mind when faced with a new, looming conflict conversation. The reality and weight of divisions and conflict within our churches, families and culture seems at an all time high, which leads me to share this list here today. I realize people write books on this topic, so I’ve nothing earth shattering, but a few solid bits of guidance from God’s word I’ve found helpful. Perhaps you, as well as I, could use their brief reminders in the coming week.
1-Pray for God’s perspective, while meditating on His word. Make sure your purpose in pursing discussion over a conflict is restoration, not condemnation. Take care to ensure that your purpose in meeting and discussing a conflict is to bring about what God would desire. Keep in mind God’s sovereignty over your story, and also the place you have in His bigger purposes, through the situation, beyond this moment and particular conflict. Define and state your purpose as you come together to discuss your conflict. Do you desire to better understand or love the other person? Is your purpose to be enabled to forgive? Is it to bring reconcilliation and Christlikeness? Or are you just hoping to express your anger and frustration? (Romans 8:1,28, 12:1-2)
2-There is no one-sided winner or loser in conflict resolution. You either both win or both lose. Holding a win/lose mindset is not helpful or true. Think back to any time you felt you “won” a conflict by crushing your opponent (perhaps a spouce, sibling or friend), did those feelings of victory truly last? No, affirm the relationship (“you matter to me”) and seek to win-win.
3-Refrain from words like “you always” or “you never.” Those are unfair and untrue phrases. (Eph. 4:15)
4- Deal with one situation at a time. Conflict is complex. Bringing up numerous topics or shifting topics mid conversation makes resolution of each more confusing, frustrating and complicated.
5-Deal with any offense in a timely manner. Often it is best to overlook an offense and move on (with forgiveness), but it is unblibical and unChristlike to hold onto a growing list or record of wrongs, and gives Satan a foothold into your life and relationship. If someone has offended you and you are unable to overlook it, but need to discuss the offense in order to forgive, do your best to speak to them soon. The same is true if you recognize you have offended another person…go to them immediately to apologize, ask for forgiveness and resolve it. The bible says that when we are angry, we should talk it out “before the sun goes down,” which means that day or as soon as possible. If it is late in the day, you may need to simply say, “We need to talk about [XYZ] tomorrow when we’ll both be calmer and rested and able to talk more rationally. I care about you and am eager to resolve this with you.” Then set a time to actually discuss it. (Eph. 4:26, Prov. 19:11, 1 Cor. 13:5)
6-Fully forgive. Sharing forgiveness is one of the most God-like characteristics you can emulate. Remember Jesus? He forgave his enemies, while hanging on the cross, before any repentance or apologies were made. Remember him, and what he has done for you, and how you didn’t deserve his forgivness either. Forgiveness does not require the other person to apologize…reconciliation does, not forgiveness. Granting forgiveness is for your own emotional and spiritual health and freedom as much as the one needing your forgiveness. Once a conflict has been resolved, where both sides have gained understanding, apologies were made, and forgiveness sought and granted – do NOT bring those past offences up again, either in your mind or conversations or future conflicts. They are resolved and forgiven. You may need time to rebuild trust, but not bring up past, resolved offences. When tempted to rehash old offenses, instead, rehearse God’s goodness to you. Take the opportunity to shore up and strengthen your will to take control over your thought life. As Paul says to the Corinthians, take those thoughts “captive” to the obedience of Christ. Remember how thankful we are that Christ-like forgiveness is forever. Remember also, however, that forgiveness does not equal trust or closeness. Those take time to rebuild – sometimes a very long time. (Eph. 4:30-32, 2 Cor. 10:5, Matthew 18:35)
7- Listen, listen, listen… actively, carefully speaking gentle, respectful words in tones and with actions that build up and not tear down. If reconciliation is the goal, gentleness will make you more winsome. Obviously this is easier said than done, and this takes prayer, meditating on God’s word and help from the Holy Spirit, but this is the goal and this is possible. Be open to listening and learning, not just expressing your own opinions. (James 1:19, 2 Peter 1:3, Eph. 4:29, Prov. 15:1)
8- Give the other party the benefit of the doubt. You don’t know another’s thoughts or motives, even if you think you may. Don’t assume the worst. This is especially important to keep in mind if the other person has previously offended you. Once a relationsip breakdown has occurred, it is easy to be tempted to view everything they do with suspicion. Realize this is a temptation and resist it. Speak to them afresh, if you feel a new offense has occurred which cannot be overlooked and easily forgiven. (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
9-Use direct communication in conflicts, but privately and again, with gentleness. There are some few, rare exceptions, but generally, public correction or correction in front of others, adds to hurt. Speak face to face or by phone if necessary. Refrain from addressing conflicts via text, social media, or in passive round-about ways. Requesting input or opinions over social media or other conversations regarding a personal conflict with another is a form of gossip or slander and becomes destructive and hurtful, even when specific names are not necessarily revealed. Remember that relational principles for godly communication do also pertain to social media posts (this seems often, strangely forgotten). Bring a respected third party in after the direct option has been tried and failed (as laid out in Matthew 18), but refrain from gossiping or sharing your frustrations with others first. Rather, go directly to the person involved. (Matthew 18, Galatians 6:1)
10- Avoid unhealthy communication methods. There is no place for aggression, revenge, lying, hiding the truth, or manipulation (trying through unhealthy words, threats, or behaviors to pressure another to bend to your will or feel guilt). Sarcasm, joking or teasing at another’s expense is hurtful bullying, and not truly fun or funny. We want to be a place and people who feel safe, supported and loved, even with our weaknesses and quirks. (Col. 3:12-14, Prov. 6:16-17, Romans 12:9-12)
11-Accept responsibility for your part, however small. Every conflict has many sides and perspectives. People are complex. Though there are a few exceptions (as in the case of abuse, for example), usually BOTH parties in a conflict share some responsibility. Rarely are poor responses lone. Accept your share, however small, and eliminate the concept of blame or the winner/loser model (as mentioned in principle #2). Spend that energy instead on proposing solutions.
12- Beware of expectations. Expectations crush relationships. Only God is able to meet all of your desires and needs perfectly. He is enough. Everyone else, in any long-term relaionship, will eventually disappoint. Examine your heart to see if you are looking to another to satisfy what only God can and ought. Work to accept people for who they are, lovingly encouraging them toward growth in Christ, but not pressuring, rejecting, or evaluating and comparing them to others or an ideal of who you want them to be or what you want them to do for you. This is not love. This is manipulation. A lot of conflicts and hurt can arise from this mistake. We all wish to be known and patiently loved for who we are, by people who patiently help us to find and look to the only One who can truly renew and perfect our hearts and give us lasting satisfaction, love, reconciliation and peace. That One, is Jesus. (Col. 3:12-17, Col. 1:14-20)
Thanks be to God,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post October 2020
Developing the Habit of Attention in Education
In my own childhood education, I was well trained to pay attention. The problem was, to what I was trained to pay attention. A good student’s job, I quickly learned, was to pay attention to finding out what the teacher wanted me to know. I became fairly good at it. Often the most prominent question in my mind was, “Is this going to be on the test?” Along the way however, I became so busy paying attention to grades and scores, trying to discern what the teachers wanted me to know, that I lost all sense of wonder or interest in the subjects themselves. My interests and curiosities seemed irrelevant to the goal of good grades.
Charlotte Mason’s philosophy, stating that the purpose of education is to give or live a “full life” (Vol. 3, p. 170), was far from my radar. Looking back, what a grief this is to me now.
Delving into Mason’s writings however, and practicing her method while homeschooling my children, a surprising thing happened in my own life. I began to relearn what it is to wonder. To ask questions. To pay attention. To care. I have an opportunity for a second chance. This is the wonderful, esoteric secret of the home educating mother.
I’ve perhaps seen this best, in nature study. Initially, I thought Charlotte was so practical and right in insisting children spend large amounts of time out-of-doors. Though I found the subject of nature intimidating, with just so much to know (or not know), I agreed that being in nature was healthy and fun, helping my children become curious learners. I also saw the value of keeping nature journals, growing our attention to detail. Beginning a nature journal of my own was a key turning point in this process. As we continued, I noticed my children were becoming more caring stewards, as they formed relationships with the habitats and creatures we studied. I was easily convinced nature study brought academic benefits, and might even spark a future career interest. What I didn’t expect, was how it began to impact me.
Not only was I beginning to pay attention to the fascinating aspects of each plant or creature we studied, but even more, to pay attention to the creativity and glory of God. Romans 1:19-20 explains that God reveals himself — his invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature through his creation. Every single time we study nature, I come away with a fresh awe of God. Yes, I’m beginning to pay attention. Studying dragonflies recently for example, with their 30,000 (!) eye lenses, their ability to hover using those beautiful, translucent wings, or the wonderful fact that they eat mosquitoes, all points me to God. In years past, I would have hardly noticed dragonflies, and certainly not to appreciate them.
Mason’s teaching methods foster the educational aim of living a full life through a child’s natural, inborn hunger to learn. Students are freed from an ever-evaluating atmosphere. Instead, attention to the truth, beauty and goodness of the wonders of this world remains primary. Rather than multiple choice tests, which measure what students missed in the material, students are given a feast of living ideas with the opportunity to write full narrations telling everything they have learned about the subject. Students trained in the art or discipline of narration, form an incredible competency in this habit of attention. Instead of fearing failure or resisting taking creative risks, they are free to explore, question, and focus, developing their own relationships with the subjects as they learn.
I am beginning to see what Charlotte Mason means when she says the only true education is self education. This is true for the children, and it is also true for me. My children and I are awakening and re-awakening together. Even beyond nature study, into all aspects of this learning journey, we are finding our attention drawn even deeper, to the wonder of God. What a gift.
Warmly,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post October 2019
When Singing Is Teaching
Solo, and book in hand, I entered this office visit with high hopes – here was a brief opportunity for some personal, quiet reading time. But with hardly more than a quick, mindless glance on social media, my very efficient chiropractor’s office called my name from the waiting area. One particular post, however, had just caught my full attention. My dear friend had shared a clip of her teenage son sweetly singing beside his bedridden grandfather, who lay tired and ill in a hospital room. The preciousness of that moment was worth seeing and remembering – a more than fair trade for my lost time reading. But what was it they were singing together? And what, I wondered, would I have to share in a similar moment?
I love that Christians are uniquely known as a singing people. I recently read that the bible contains over 400 references to singing, with over 50 direct commands to sing, and the longest book in the Bible, Psalms, is actually a book of songs. As a Christian educator using the Charlotte Mason method of teaching, hymns have been part of our family’s monthly rhythms for many years. But sometimes I’ve had younger educators question me regarding the value of this often unfamiliar or forgotten and discarded genre of songs.
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” In this verse, Paul is telling us to let the word of God dwell in us richly…as well as a few important ways to do that. If you look closely, you will see he mentions two. First, he mentions the more obvious teaching (and admonishing), but we see secondly in this passage, that we are commanded also to sing songs…and right along with psalms and spiritual songs, HYMNS are specifically mentioned. Paul is saying here that two ways we can “let the word dwell in us richly” are through teaching and singing. But I would also add that I think one of the great secrets of hymns, is that they actually are teaching. The best hymns are deep, biblical or theological truths, put into a brief and beautiful, often easily memorizable form of worshipful music. A church’s music reflects its theology, or as Christian historian and author, Mark Noll rightly stated, “We are what we sing.” Do you want your family or your church family to have deep, theological truths running through their minds and hearts, equipping them for a life of faith? Try singing hymns. I find it wonderful that God designed our minds to more easily remember and memorize words set to music. The truths of memorized songs, like memorized scripture, can go with us and help us whenever and wherever we are – any time of the day or night. Often the words and messages of songs stick more easily in our minds – another great reason to fill our homes with the music of god-ward songs, and include, in particular, hymns.
What equips you for life’s deepest struggles? Matthew 26 tells us what Jesus did. Did you know that on the night before the crucifixion, Jesus sang hymns together with his disciples? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing to be able to rewind to that moment and hear what those men sang together that night? Whatever it was, it seems certain they sang soul-equipping, faith-building hymns. But beside singing hymns on that dreadful night, Jesus also prayed for his disciples, and one of the significant themes in Jesus’ prayer mentioned in John 17, was that his disciples would be unified. I mention this because again, I find singing hymns to be not only equipping, but also a unifying experience. Singing hymns connects me with my parents and grandparents, my children and grandchildren. Unlike most genres of music, hymns are meant to span the generations. I love things which unite the generations under the gospel, since we eagerly desire to pass the gospel message from one generation to the next. Many aspects of our culture divide generations, so when we can find common ground in music and worship, we have found a good thing. When well done, people of all generations in our lifetime can appreciate and sing the same hymns, but also, we can make a connection with believers from times and generations of long, long ago… reminding ourselves that this walk of faith in Christ is enduring. The fact that hymns have been around for generations…sometimes for hundreds of years, reminds people of faith that we are not alone in this time and place. When I remember that songs like “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” was written and sung by fellow Christ-followers literally hundreds of years ago, my faith is buoyed. Discovering I have a connection with the hymn writer of Great Is Thy Faithfulness, written a hundred years ago by a saint who testifies to finding fresh, daily blessings from God a reality (even in the midst of great trials), encourages me to trust Him today. Sunday mornings I see around me a treasury of saints who we often refer to as “seasoned believers” joining in worship at my local church. They are godly saints who have lived through all the seasons of life, trusting God and leaning on his word… and those hymns. The songs which have supported those persevering saints are still of value to me and to those of us who wish to follow their lead and join them in worship. Sunday mornings I regularly sit behind a row of godly widows at our church. I see how they worship and join in our newer songs with patience, but I also see how their hearts are blessed by those familiar hymns, and it blesses me to see their preferences considered and tastefully honored. Often hymns are played in a more acoustic fashion with less emphasis on instruments, lights and sound systems. Many of us, both young and old, love to hear the pure voices of our brothers and sisters lifting their hearts to God in worship together, reminding us that our purpose in gathering is not to watch a performance, or sing alone to God, but to collectively worship the One most worthy.
Seated at the bedside of his ill grandfather, my friend’s son, Abraham, spent some of his time singing the soothing and beautiful hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” Seeing his grandfather awaken and join in was truly touching. This was possible because Abraham’s family and church had developed the simple habit of regularly incorporating those hymns in worship, both at home and in church worship services… month by month, year by year, as he grew. How wonderful for him to have a hymn at the ready for this significant, unforeseen moment in time. Like my friend, our family has developed the simple practice of learning one hymn a month. Long ago we bought some reasonably priced used hymnals, collected a list of hymns we’d like to learn, and away we went. We sing other songs together, but frequently we simply sing a hymn at the close of a family bible reading/discussion, meal, or day. There are plenty of resources online for picking up this practice. One recent favorite of mine is happyhymnody.wordpress.com.
Along with singing psalms and spiritual songs, singing hymns is a biblically precedented way to worship God, equip us with solid truth, minister to the older saints in our congregations, and unite the generations as a body. If any of you are also wondering, “Why hymns?” I hope you see afresh some of the value of this unifying genre for the generations, and join in.
Warmly, Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post October 2019
Memorize Scripture…As An Adult!?
5 Compelling reasons to Memorize Soul-Shaping scriptures this year:
Of the many passages which tell about the importance of abiding in God’s word, Colossians 3:18 is one of my favorites. It says we should, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” But how do we actually, practically do that? There are a few ways, but I would like to remind my brothers and sisters in Christ to consider one often overlooked, but fairly simple, significantly beneficial practice for adults…memorizing scripture. I hope to persuade you with my top 5 significant reasons Bible memory FOR ADULTS is still relevant, and perhaps might be the most spiritually beneficial practice you could add to your life this year. Encouraging Bible memory as a practice for children is pretty easy to come by, but adults seem to need a little more convincing. Many adults seem to think Bible memory is a good exercise for children, with their young, impressionable minds. Those same adults often think it is no longer attainable or as relevant for themselves – especially in this digital age, where we have our compact cell phones and tablets always at our fingertips. After all, we can simply google a word or topic, with just a few key words, and bring down a plethora of information in seconds, right? So why bother memorizing it? Another common objection I have heard among adult is simply, “I’m old, my memory is not that great anymore. I can’t do it.”
Before laying down what I think are 5 compelling reasons for adults to make the effort to memorize scripture, I think it may be helpful to address those two objections. First, the many passages I have clung to throughout my life as a follower of Christ would never have been the help they have truly been to me had I not memorized as an adult. The truth is, I didn’t even own a Bible until I was an adult, let alone memorize parts of it. I became a Christian in college…as an adult. I know I am not alone in this – many of my fellow believers have come to Christ as adults. If Bible memory is only for children, we all would have missed that boat entirely. I’m very thankful that along with Bible reading and prayer, Bible memory among adults was just as strongly emphasized as part of the discipleship culture of the local church family where I attended throughout most of my Christian life. Secondly, I would like to make clear that I am an ordinary Christ-follower. I’m just a lay person, and this is not a natural gifting for me. In fact, I have a struggling memory. I regularly forget the names of people and directions to places I ought to remember. My point is that if I can do this, so can you. If you think your memory is poor, keep in mind that memorizing scripture can actually strengthen your memory. So, don’t let a poor memory drive you away, let it draw you in.
Regardless of whether you regularly read or meditate on a Bible digitally or in book form, I’m hoping to inspire you with the following 5 unique advantages to actually MEMORIZING passages of scripture even, and perhaps especially, in this digital age…as an adult.
Reason #1: Memorizing Scripture will equip you for Life’s crisis moments big and small. Maybe your crisis moments are small but frequent day to day things…like sitting in a dentist chair afraid and alone, or dealing with the anxieties of a troubled teen. Some of my more frequent crisis moments come by way of middle-of-the-night worries. With my big family, there is always something or someone I could be gripped with worry over, and nighttime seems to awaken those concerns. My natural inclination is to let those nighttime thoughts swirl and get darker and darker. I have learned in those moments however, to look to and recite memorized scripture. My favorite night time worry passage is Ps. 62:5-8. I have others, but they all remind me of who God is and put those worries back into perspective. This has been most helpful in my battle for faith over anxiety, bringing peace to my soul. Crisis moments can include any trial however, and if we live long enough, we will all face crisis moments of a larger scope. Say you are in a car accident, or you’re recovering from cancer surgery. Maybe you are battling fear in a hospital room, or standing outside your home after a tragic fire or tornado… or perhaps you just got that call you never expected. What sustains you in those moments? I can pretty much guarantee that Siri won’t be much help at that point, but I will say that if you have scripture memorized and are developing the habit of applying those scriptures to your life, the Holy Spirit will bring them to your heart and mind when you need them. Are you equipped with a mental pantry of promises and passages from God’s word to sustain you? The time to stock your pantry is not after, but before the tornado hits.
Reason #2: Memorizing scripture will provide truth to meditate on “Day and Night” wherever you are and in whatever you are doing. Psalm 1 begins, by saying there is a blessing for the believer who loves and meditates on God’s word “day and night.” There are plenty of times when I’m unable to access my iPhone…when I am out driving in the car, folding laundry, raking, shoveling, doing dishes, cooking, cleaning, or giving a toddler a bath. All these are times when my hands and eyes are occupied, and I cannot look to my bible or iPhone, but if I have memorized scripture, I can be meditating right then and there…NO MATTER WHAT I’m doing. I would also add here (since I have a fair amount of experience parenting and teaching Sunday School with children) that my husband and I have found that the children who are most apt to have their memorized verses actually stick and best know how to apply those words to everyday life situations, are those whose parents are also practicing memorizing. When parents are not just saying, “Do as I say,” but rather, “Do as I do.” Parents who model memorizing, while also helping their children see when and where specifically memorized verses can apply as they live life together in various situations, can have a greater impact. This is true discipleship lived out in the home. This can work for singles and others living life in our church in this “family of families” community as well, especially when we find others to share accountability. Do you ever feel like you have been given a lot of information about God, but that nothing really sticks to make a lasting impression on your life? Try memorizing scripture and begin meditating in this way, on it day and night. You will be blessed. Psalm 1 guarantees it.
Reason #3: Memorizing scripture can provide biblically informed truth for powerful conversations and prayer. Do you ever find yourself coming up blank when in the midst of a conversation with someone, and you wish you had (or think you ought to have) something spiritually significant to share? If you have some biblical passages or blessings memorized, you will not come up short in those moments. Very often during the week when I am memorizing a passage, the Holy Spirit will give me opportunities to share it. Even in those weeks when the passage is not fully memorized, if I am actively working on it, I will know it well enough to share some portion or related truth, or be able to quickly reference it to share. This gives me opportunities to share biblically informed truth and encouragement with others in conversations throughout the week. Similar to sharing significant words in conversations, if you have truth by way of memorized scriptural promises, prayers or blessings, you will be able to incorporate those into your prayer life. I have found in my experience memorizing bible passages, moments when the Holy Spirit has given opportunities to share those words in powerful prayer. When scripture is added to my personal prayer life or when I am given opportunities to incorporate memorized scripture as I pray for others, it is accompanied by an authority that speaks more powerfully than anything I alone could ever say.
Reason #4: Memorizing scripture helps to warn of and fight temptation. This is probably my favorite reason for memorizing, because of how helpful it has been to my spiritual life. I don’t know about you, but when I’m faced with a temptation to sin, in that moment, I’m not thinking, “Well now, I just better look up a verse in my bible or on my phone to fight this!” No. When I am truly being drawn by a temptation, my inclination is…to sin. And unfortunately, my phone, as advanced as it’s technology is, still cannot give me a “DING!” to warn me against sin. It will send me a loud “ding!” when lots of other people are trying to get my attention, but not God. Quite the opposite. BUT! I have learned that in the moment of temptation, the Holy Spirit will often infuse my thoughts with memorized verses to speak truth and warning to me. Ps. 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” If you have not experienced this, I challenge you to choose an area of recurring sin, then memorize a passage which speaks truth into that sin area, and determine to focus your attention on that passage the next time you are tempted. The Holy Spirit will help you in recalling this word at the right moment. I really do think if you have not practiced this, or practiced this for a while, you have no idea how valuable this can be to your personal discipleship and spiritual growth. We do have an enemy. Satan hates me, he hates my family, my marriage, my faith and our church…how do you fight him? Are you struggling with a recurring area of sin? I encourage you to try memorizing scripture. Memorized scripture is one powerful weapon we often leave at the door, or more literally, on the shelf.
Reason #5: Memorizing scripture helps to develop in me the mind of Christ. You might be saying at this point, “Well yes, I may one day find myself in a crisis moment, or in a hard conversation, or be faced with a difficult temptation, but at the moment, those seem a long way off. You are talking about investing time and energy into memorizing for some possible future crisis, conversation, or hard moment, and I still just don’t see the benefit beyond rare circumstances.” And to that I would say, memorizing is also for the here and now. Memorizing impacts your faith and relationship with God and His word in a unique way – right now. In speaking to other adults who regularly practice memorizing scripture, they resoundingly said the number one benefit of memorizing God’s word, was that those memorized passages became very precious to them, were better understood, and became like a part of them. Those very words have been repeated regularly to me. Developing the mind of Christ is truly happening. In the here and now, memorizing is forming a deeper love for God and his word and develops within us the mind of Christ. As I said in the beginning, from Colossians 3:18, this is truly what it means to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Memorizing the word as an adult, imprints that living truth on our hearts and minds in a soul-shaping way. It has been a lifeline for me. I urge you to give it a try.
Warmly,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post September 2019
Checkbook Connection: A Story of Reconciliation After 30 Years
There are many things that I appreciate about having grown up Catholic – I love kneelers, and stained-glass windows, traditions, and, well… I love Lent. It’s a season of preparation, reflection, and repentance that is, sadly to me, practiced less frequently among Protestant churches. I do think there is great benefit in remembering the importance of regularly confessing our sin to God (Psalm 32:1-4) and to one another (James 5:16), and the spiritual, relational, and psychological benefits it brings. It is one of the reasons I love the season of Lent – that season of returning to the cross year after year, remembering the weight, and the joy of the weight lifted.
We all have a few stories to tell, and this is one that I love. Perhaps I love it so much because it gave me a clear view again of the beauty of the cross and joy of seeing the weight of sin lifted.
It began back when I was still in high school. I was working at a local gas station, in a day when teen age girls were somehow allowed to work alone at a gas station, with thousands of dollars in their till, with a constant flow of complete strangers coming and going all day and night to purchase gas and wash their cars. I’m not entirely sure what the adults in my life were thinking. I don’t think they were completely comfortable with it either, but there I stood, working behind the counter with the car wash door to my right, the register (filled with thousands of dollars) to my left, the safe (for which of course I knew the combination, since that’s where I stashed the day’s earnings), and the glass door propped open before me. It was a spring afternoon, and outside above the door read the sign, “Riiser’s gas station, Gas, $1.31/gal.”. During a brief lull in activity, a young man drove up on his bicycle, stopping in to ask if he could cash a check. Again, in those days, businesses like ours would regularly cash local checks for customers, for a limited amount, and our station was no exception. We would exchange cash for checks written to the station for up to one hundred dollars. The young man asked if, and for how much he could write a check and when I responded with the hundred dollar limit, he filled out the amount and handed it to me for reimbursement. As I looked down upon the check, however I could see one glaring problem. It bore my brother’s name and MY home address. What are the chances!? This was clearly not this young man’s lucky day…. Or was it? I was alone, and of course there were no other customers in sight. Still, I forcefully announced to him with as much authority as my five-foot-nothing stature could afford, that that was NOT his check, and that he should give ME that checkbook, “right NOW”. He seemed startled, but he did not back down. He asserted that it indeed was his, and wanted his money. I of course wasn’t about to back down either. We argued further for a brief time, but then he ran off and out the door. Thankfully he wasn’t carrying a gun. The rest of the details are a bit sketchy in my memory… I believe I called and was interviewed by police, who eventually interviewed my brother. It turns out, from the police investigation, that prior to this day, my brother had stopped his car to offer a ride to a friend. This friend brought a companion into the car—and it was my brother’s friend’s friend who had noticed and stolen my the checkbook from my brother’s vehicle during the ride. This young man, whom I will call Ben (not his real name), was eventually caught by the police, arrested, and tried. I remember the incident was posted shortly after in the newspaper – noting the freakishness of the “coincidental” failed theft. Perhaps it was a little more noteworthy in my brother’s life, since it was his checkbook that was stolen, but it was a long time ago (30+ years!) and I never really thought about it again. Apparently I did, but I don’t even remember going to court.
Now if that were the end, I’d probably say that’s a pretty interesting story – not something that happens every day… certainly an odd fluke, but that’s not the end. And I think it gets better.
Thirty years pass, and I receive an email via my brother, (sent to him) that reads as follows:
Dear Sir,
I hope this letter finds you well. You may perhaps remember me, I am the one that forged the check belonging to you thirty years or so ago. I am truly sorry for interrupting your life in any manner I did. There are no excuses for my behavior, there may be mitigating circumstances, but that would be more your judgment than mine at this juncture. Just to let you know I have not reoffended and have worked hard to educate myself to what I deem a substantial amount and am working even harder to be of benefit to our race and planet, rather than the blight I was. I sincerely apologize for any and all violation to you. God knows you didn’t deserve that. Please forward my apologies to your sister also. I think about each of you daily and have been too much a coward to have done this previously. I am clean and sober for a while now and it’s past time to atone for my misdeeds. I know this is long overdue. I’m not sure if this will mean anything to you but I needed to do it. I would never even dream of harming another thing during my life. I am sorry. I bid you peace and harmony in all you do.
Sincerely,
(——Ben——-)
It blew both of us away. but what struck me most was the sentence where he said, “I think about each of you daily…” DAILY!!! There are few people outside of my immediate family of whom I think of daily. To think this total stranger has thought of us daily for 30 years, is just astounding to me. But it also really brought home to me a new appreciation for the bondage of guilt that occurs when we have unconfessed sin and broken relationships due to our sin. Needless to say, I offered my forgiveness in a return email:
Dear Mr. (——–),
Thank you for your thoughtful apology. I am sorry that you have carried that guilt around for so long. I have no idea the trouble that brought you to that point, but life is hard, and you were young, and certainly we all make foolish mistakes that we come to regret. I’m so happy to hear that you are in a much better place in life now. Please know that you are truly and completely forgiven by me. My only other thought to you would be to encourage you also to find peace with God, whose forgiveness through Jesus, is even more free and freeing. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Thank you again for your courageous apology and desire to make things right.
Sincerely,
Anne (Becher) Butler
The story continued with this reply:
Dear Anne,
I wanted to apologize to the both of you in the courtroom that day I saw you sitting there, but was far too ashamed to give you more than a glance. I’m glad I got caught and stopped before I really messed up and couldn’t be forgiven. Thank you for your grace and forgiveness. Walking with Christ Jesus is the most liberating and humbling experiences. It is only through the power of God I was able to come to this place and ask to be forgiven. I convulsed at reading your letter, finally releasing the self-loathing (thank you for that release). This life is not mine and I am not here to serve this self. I am in the Light of our Lord and am blessed truly to be able to help others and give all I have to that end. I won’t burden you with the details of my life and what brought me into that business that day, as my story is tame by comparison to many, but a touch extraordinary where God kept showing up at key places to alight my path. I am grateful to you and [your brother] for your grace. I pray you are blessed with all the love of God and that you continue to forgive as you forgave me. If there be ever anything I may do for you please ask, if it be God’s will I will do it. If you wish to know anything more about this person just ask, as my life is now an open book and it’s not about me. But, what I may do for our Creator. Peace, Love, and Light be yours.
Sincerely,
(—–Ben——)
This man is now a Christian brother of mine. I think we may have exchanged one or two more emails that day, but I have not heard from him since. What a powerful testimony it was for me, to see God work in and through this odd experience, over 30 years’ time. It was a privilege to see afresh, freedom in Christ realized. The weight of shame from over 30 years of remembering but not confessing and reconciling with us, had marked his life however. I have had my own weight of shame lifted. It was a joy to see him step out in obedience to apologize, and be reconciled and freed. Our God is a reconciling God. So, in this new season of Lent, I ask myself once again, and encourage any of you reading this story… does this story bring to mind a broken relationship in your own life? Perhaps you might make a step forward toward reconciliation, for the first time in thirty years with a long lost friend, or maybe a relative, or even God Himself? In my experience, holding back forgiveness can be equally binding. This story is my own reminder and encouragement today to offer forgiveness or confess sin, asking for God’s or another’s forgiveness (Matt. 5:23-24). I pray the powerful grace of God will meet and enable us to courageously make those old checkbook connections to see the chains fall off and the accounts reconciled.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Sincerely,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post March 2015
The Power of a Little Grace
(I shared these notes with some ladies at a couple of small gatherings, and was asked to print them out. I share them here, along with ten of my favorite passages on the topic. Enjoy – God’s grace be with you!)
Last year, I spent a lovely weekend away from home, at the start of the New Year and school semester. During my devotional time, I decided to study the word HOPE, which I found helpful to keep as my focus throughout the remainder of the year. As a result, I decided to choose a new word this year… and chose the word GRACE. I felt for many reasons that it would be good to learn better what the word means, and how, I thought, to better practice grace in my life and with my family. The word grace is a common word in our Christian culture. We use it regularly. In fact, I read that it is used over 150 times in the New Testament (100 of those are in Paul’s writings, and almost a quarter of those are in the letter to the Romans). I should know this word.
The problem came when I began to feel that the term grace was not as simple as I expected. As I looked up various verses in the bible containing the word grace, I found my preconceived ideas of what grace meant, just didn’t fit the sentences. I looked on the internet and found conflicting definitions or overly simplified ones. Most of those also did not quite fit the verses, so were not helpful to the confusion I was experiencing. Then I looked in the dictionary. There I found 10+ different definitions. These definitions ranged anywhere from describing beautiful, effortless movement, to a favor rendered voluntarily, to divine love and protection bestowed freely on human beings, to a prayer said before or after a meal (“say grace”), or even a title of courtesy for a duke or archbishop (“Your Grace”). The closest one to a biblical definition I saw was “an excellence or power granted by God.” I regularly use the word in my own conversations, to mean showing a kind of relaxed, gentle forgiveness – sort of like the opposite of the words “harsh”, or “strict.” Perhaps you can understand now my frustration. I couldn’t even figure out what the word meant or what it was or is….let alone how to receive it or practice it better! In the multiple definitions and cultural uses of the word, I seemed to have lost sight of its biblical meaning – or meanings. Still, I thought, the bible must have a particular meaning for this little word. And I prayed.
I share with you here a little of what I discovered while studying, that was meaningful, helpful and inspiring to me. What I have to say about grace may be something you will think is obvious, or perhaps you will think I am all wrong- and if that is the case, I hope you will simply enjoy the verses, and let the certain, glorious truth of the word speak to you. Regardless of what I say here, God’s grace is a wonderful thing, and His word is powerful. In studying grace, I wanted to answer the same four questions I looked at for my study of HOPE last year, which were: What is it {grace}? How do we get it {grace}? What does {grace} produce? And finally, how do we show {grace}?
I always thought, biblically speaking, that the term “grace” meant or stood primarily for any free, unmerited gift from God. Grace was a label for all unearned gifts from God…which really in my mind would be ALL things, or at least we would say, all nice things, since we have not merited anything from God except condemnation. After praying and studying various verses, I did see some uniqueness in the biblical uses of the word grace, which gave me a new understanding of the term. I saw the word grace was frequently used as a powerful force of or from the Holy Spirit. This force called grace has power, and a specific purpose—to reveal God’s glory to us, through faith, such that we’re changed – we’re enabled to see his glory, and equipped and enabled to share it, so others might also see God’s glory. And that gift is really the ultimate gift. After looking at grace in the bible, it seems my definition, to say it again, would be this: grace is primarily the powerful spirit of God supernaturally revealing Himself to us, enabling us to see and/or share the glory of God in a multitude of ways. It is the gift that opens the receiver’s eyes to see God. 2 Cor. 4:4 tells us that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Grace is the enabling we receive to see “the glory of God in the face of Christ”. Grace is power- to see and to do in God’s strength! For me, it is one thing to think of grace as the label for a nice gift, or some sort of sweet blessing, but quite another to think of grace as power – an enabling power. All the world can see a good gift, (thinking nothing of God) and still call it “grace.” It is quite another thing to be awakened to see God, and be enabled to glorify Him, in all of life – both in the good gifts, or gut wrenching trials we face, and call it “grace.” I would say from my observations from scripture, that that is a more accurate biblical definition of grace. Meanings of words can shift and change with culture. Also, words have nuances often with lots of overlapping, so I am not saying that grace is not an unmerited gift from God, it is, but so is forgiveness and mercy of any kind. What I am trying to get at and better understand is, what makes grace unique? We might say for example, that grace and mercy are similes to forgiveness, and they are, but forgiveness is a little different – mercy has a little more to do with kindness in the face of suffering, whereas forgiveness has more to do with overlooking guilt. So what sets grace aside from these two? I think from looking at so many verses describing grace, (though we could certainly call any gift from God “grace”, because all God’s gifts are free and undeserved) I think biblical grace is more particular in its purpose and power. Certainly the ability to see God’s glory –this enabling power of grace- is the greatest unmerited gift we could or do ever receive from God. I now look at that little word grace differently. It’s not just a label of a gift (interchangeable with the word, blessing, for instance), it is a gift. Grace is the enabling gift of supernatural power to see God in and through all things and to do his will. That is a work of grace in the biblical sense. And it comes freely because of Jesus, and simply, through faith or trust in him. The following are some of my favorite verses answering those 4 questions on grace that I mentioned earlier: What is grace? Where do we get grace? What does grace produce? How do we show grace?
Ten biblical passages & a few observations – on GRACE:
Ephesians 1:7-9, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ” Here grace is power, or revelation, “lavished upon us!”, enabling us to see the glory of God and His will in Christ!
Eph. 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” Grace here is the gift…it’s the power that produces saving faith.
John 1:14-17, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me. And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Here, God’s glory is full of grace, and from this fullness, we have received grace, and that is why we can see his glory! So then, if we know what grace now is, how then do we get grace? At no point can we say “I did it! That was really hard, but I finally earned it!” No. God alone saves and gives the power for us to love and live for Him.
James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We can’t earn grace, but we also know pride repels and humility attracts God’s grace… which I would say also, that humility is a grace—since we can’t really produce humility in and of ourselves. We can pray for it. And we can (by grace!) do what the next verse says, “submit yourselves therefore to God”…we submit, surrender, and trust him. No work… just grace – and that too, from God.
Romans 1:4b-6, “Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” –here, grace is not just received by faith, it is AIMED at faith…. The effect of grace is faith. The purpose of grace is faith. And not just a passive faith, but an active (“obedience of faith”) faith. Grace enables obedience- it’s the fruit of faith, enabled by grace. This is not just a little, simple, wimpy-God-bless-your-nice-day word… it is power!
2 Cor. 8:1-2, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” Here, grace came down and produced what?: in “a test of affliction” with “extreme poverty” grace produced “abundance of joy” in the midst of their poverty, and also it produced an overflow of generosity. Grace brought or at least accompanied, a test of affliction, as well as empowered them to withstand the test – with not just endurance, but actually “abundance of joy” and “a wealth of generosity.” How often do we call a test of poverty, “grace?”—Well maybe we would, IF it brought along with it, abundant joy and a wealth of generosity!! That is truly supernatural power. That is at least part of what grace given produces. So then, if we know what grace primarily is, a little of how it comes to us, and what it produces, we can ask, how do we show grace? What does grace look like in and through MY life?
2 Cor. 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” – I love the word “abound!” – Grace is active here, not a label for a thing given. And I just want to rest here for a minute and appreciate the amazing free and abounding, active power of grace we have access to in Christ.
1Cor. 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” Again, grace here is active, enabling, changing and working through Paul.
Look up on your own, Romans 12:3-21, and notice that Paul speaks by grace, and that our gifts differ according to the grace given to us and what it looks like. It’s a long list-because God is lavish and abounding in his gifts of grace, but it does come back to grace—when He calls us to each of these areas, he equips us to fulfill them. We need to keep looking for grace by praying, submitting to, and trusting Him, remembering the power of grace we have access to in Him.
I am going to end with a biblical prayer for this powerful grace to come to you, give you faith, and enable you to see and glorify Him from 2 Thes.1:11-12 which says, “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Grace to you,
Anne
Blog Archive - Original Post March 2015
Unthinkable
I have spent considerable time lately reading about and discussing the significance and importance of becoming what the famous British educationalist, Charlotte Mason, described as a “Keeper.” A Keeper, is one who notices beauty and truth, writes and shares thoughts, insights, and experiences of various sorts into hand written notebooks – to treasure and remember, to make personal connections, to learn from, and sometimes even to pass on. We all have stories to share. I have been a journal keeper, for much of my life, and though most of what I have written has simply been my way of sorting out and praying through the trials and confusing mess life can be, I occasionally have been struck by something perhaps worth sharing. The rest I hope will burn. This week I read a paraphrased version of the verse Deuteronomy 4:9, which says, “Be very careful never to forget what you have seen the Lord do for you. Do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.” With this exhortation and desire to share some of the truth or beauty I see, I begin this blog.
This week is the beginning of Lent, and though this blog entry is by far not my best story to share (as it is a painful memory), in my heart this story relates to this season as I again remember the cross. There was a time, a few years back, when my dear mother was ill – ill with the awful disease of Alzheimer’s that had confused her mind, and ill with some flu bug that had swept through the home where she was living. She was furthermore, because of the illness, quarantined to her room – alone, frightened, and confused. I was contacted because of the illness and fever, and came over to take her to the doctor. When I arrived, mom was sitting on her bed. She had a strange expression, and she had torn up her bedding and moved (or more likely thrown) things around in her room. To make matters worse, I am quite convinced now, that she had probably refused her medications, creating further confusion and paranoia. When I entered, she seemed to recognize me, but she was not happy to see me. As I tried my best to cheerfully greet her, and prepare her to come with me to the ER, she grew angry and kicked at my efforts to put her shoes on. She asked for my hand, and when I offered it to her, she tried hard to break off my fingers. She had this awful, awful look on her face that chilled me to the core. She had turned on me…my own mother, who’d only always loved me. Always. It was one of the worst moments of my life. Thankfully, it was brief. Mom was clearly hallucinating; seeing and hearing things. She was frightened and paranoid, because of her illnesses. But, I knew she was sick. I knew I could call in help. My kind husband, Steve, drove quickly over, shifted the atmosphere and focus, and mom relaxed. We were able to get her to the hospital and she became cooperative, even appreciative. She showed her sweet temperament once again, and even repeatedly thanked us. But the moment of having a parent turn from love to wrath (or hate) as she looked upon me, was simply awful. This experience spoke to me deeply when I read in Luke 22:41-44, “And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours, be done. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’” It’s hard to wrap my mind around what Jesus was experiencing here. But as I read about Jesus praying in agony to His Father – the one who had always, FOREVER, loved him and then faced willingly to drink the cup of God’s wrath (meant for me, yet turned against him), I remember that dark, awful moment with my mom. But in my case, the wrath was diverted, help was found, and the story ended in my being rescued, and my mother’s attitude of anger, hate, and displeasure was changed. Not so with Jesus. He walked into the face of the wrath of his father—of almighty GOD. He became sin, and God hates sin. But even more awful is that that wrath was meant for me. MY sin. Not his. He was sinless, but took the hit for me and you. He had every right to turn his tearful eyes to us and say, “It’s your sin! You drink it!” I really cannot imagine what Jesus experienced by his choosing to allow God’s wrath to be poured out on himself; the wrath that was meant for all of us. It seems really unthinkable. How Jesus endured this for me, I do not know, especially when he had the power at any moment to stop it and shout back, “You’re responsible for this – I quit!” to me – to us – yet he didn’t. I can barely hold my hand still for a pin prick or needle at the doctor’s office, even when I know it will hardly hurt, be for my good, and maybe bleed a drop. There’s no way I could willingly hold still for nails. When Peter lashed out with his sword, cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest who had come to arrest Jesus, Jesus responded by saying, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:52-54) Legions of angels were at his disposal. At any moment Jesus had the power to stop this insanity wrongly being brought against him…yet he submitted…to the wrath of God. For me. I hate the disease of Alzheimer’s, and how it affected my sweet mother over those last few years, and particularly on that awful day. I am also thankful for how it helped me learn to love and care for her in a new way, and even on that especially dark day, I learned a little of something more important and truly beautiful and amazing – the sacrificial love of God. Lord Jesus, you are so worthy of my worship – every moment of every day, for all eternity.
Blog Archive - Original Post February 2015