A Little Kernel

Being Awake....By Emma Zwemke

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 12:37:00 +0000

Sometimes your children grow up. And sometimes they have thoughts that challenge you at the core.

Sometimes they write responses to their scholarship applications and you have to share them.

Entertainment is dangerous.

Not that it is evil. I do not mean that at all. I could almost wish it were evil, it would be so much easier to deal with.

It goes like this. You are working hard, trying to please God in your thoughts and actions. And one night you are tired, so you watch a movie with your family. And there is nothing wrong with that! So you do it again the next night. The night after, you start a tv show on Netflix, and you get hooked, so you stay up late to watch the next episode. There is nothing wrong with that either. And for the next month, that is what you do every night. And it is not really wrong. Only, you stop thinking. I mean, you think, but they are only superficial thoughts, thoughts lulled to sleep by the constant stream of information you have been pouring into your mind. Because you go to school all day, and you do homework in the afternoon, so night is the only time you would have time to think deep, slow things, but you have spent all night putting shallow things into your brain. You are not awake in your spirit. You do not find any opportunities to minister because your mind was too sleepy to remember to pray for them. You do not get anything out of the Bible because you are so muddled inside it only takes five minutes to forget everything you read. You are cranky and anxious because you have forgotten to pray for joy and peace. And none of your friends are there to slap you awake; they are all sleeping too.

It happens so often. It can be caused by anything I enjoy doing which does not require me to be still and muse. I try to avoid it, but I cannot see clearly what is happening until I am awakened. Usually it is a book that gets me out of it. The other day it was a biography of Amy Carmichael. Once it was The Lost Princess, by George McDonald. Sometimes it’s the Bible, but I have become so used to the rhythm of its words that I usually cannot catch its meaning when my mind is drowsy. But when other good books talk about the doctrines espoused in the bible, the exposition is different, and the things I had forgotten come back to me all at once like a bucket of cold water in the face. Then I wake, remembering that I am supposed to watch and pray, supposed to give all my time to God, not my own pleasures. I am always so frustrated, because I knew all of it before, but I had let the thought slip from my focus.

I do not know how to fix it, how to keep my mind perfectly fixed on God. But I know now how easy it is for my mind to wander, and that is half the battle.

Why So Many Benches?

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 14:42:00 +0000

View from the bench (below)

Life has been a blur of change and transition over the last year or more. And now that we have arrived on the other side of the pond, everything is exactly the same and yet completely different.

One of many places to rest from your journey

Our family structure has transformed in ways that I would never have imagined two or three years ago. I no longer homeschool our girls. The five of them span all three schools here. (As a side note, I have a new found respect for all the parents that send their kids to school...it is much more work than homeschooling (at least for me), and not being in charge of what they are learning or the schedule at which they must attend, is challenging at best.)

We are bombarded with newness: New language to learn, new rules to follow, new neighbors to meet, new students and staff to relate with, new road laws, new weather, new schooling. It has had moments of being overwhelming. I think the low point came two weeks after our arrival. I had to shop school supplies for all five kids going to three different schools, and some of the required items were totally new to me...like "house shoes" for Caroline. (Yep, she had to have a special set of shoes that stay at the school that she switches into each day. It's brilliant really, when you think keeping the classroom clean, especially during the winter months.) But even with that bump, I foolishly thought, "School supplies? No problem, this teacher and homeschooling mom knows school supplies." Then I walked into a couple of shops and what I saw looked more like art supplies than school supplies, and I began to get this knot in my chest and my brain stopped working. We just had to leave the store and try again later. I was defeated by school supplies. All that I thought I knew had crumbled beneath me, and I began to realize that in this new land everything would take longer and be harder to accomplish...for awhile.

I needed to pause and take a deep breath, and breathe in the Truth that my Loving Father made me, redeemed me, and led our family to this place. And where He leads, He provides, and gives wisdom to those who ask it. The circumstances may have been too much for me, but they will never be too much for my Redeemer.

Maybe that's why Germany has benches everywhere. Even in seemingly remote places on the sides of pastures and along hiking trails. Maybe here in Germany they understand that life is not lived in the packed schedules alone, but there must be margins of space in which to process it all. To sit and ponder the deeper truths, and the meaning of things beyond the surface circumstances. I was so bewildered by these benches in the middle of nowhere. But then I began to sit on them during my walks...they encourage you to pause, and rest. When I see them all over the tiny village we live in now, I remember the words of Father:

Psalm 46:10New King James Version (NKJV)

10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

John 15:5-8 (NKJV)

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

These water fountains are found in every town. Many are for the refreshment of hikers.

When you loose your directions, where do you go for your compass? The answer to this question reveals more about us than you may realize. For it is at these exasperating moments in life, that we reach out for what we truly believe. When life gets overwhelming, what is your usual response? Do you give yourself a pep talk and think positive thoughts? Do you make you life busier in hopes of distracting yourself from even getting to any depth of realization? Or do you stop and remember the Truths of God as He reveals them in His Word? Do you know Him and the rest He offers to those who truly seek Him?

Overlooking the little village of Vogelbach

Matthew 11:28-29 (NKJV)

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

When we pause and train our minds to dwell on what is real and true, the circumstances fade, and we see the lasting structure of the things behind.

Then, when the spinning slows down, we can begin to enter into the place of worship that comes through thankfulness.

Sometimes you need to rest when you make it to your front door

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

This lovely bench is the meeting place of many neighbors on a Friday evening. They share a beer and talk about the week.

As you journey, take time to pause.

So I am learning to rest in Him, to look to Him for direction and strength for the day. And when I see the benches I remember to "be still" and "abide" in His love and Grace.

If you don't, you might miss the view.

Packing and De-Cluttering...A Spiritual Activity?

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:20:00 +0000

This is our life right now...boxes, piles, and lists. What you see behind Ryan are all the boxes that we are shipping to Germany by boat. We have reduced the possessions of our family into 372 cubic ft. There is more of course. There is the stuff we are bringing with us on the plane. That amounts to three suitcases per person.

The things that made the cut.

Our house looks empty, except for the pile of things being shipped to Germany, and the pile marked "yard sale", and the pile marked "donate". It could be a strange and unsettling feeling for some folks, but I have found it to be freeing. Over the last couple of months we have sorted and cleaned and found so many THINGS that we forgot we even owned.

There were several episodes of tears when choices had to be made, such as, which two baby dolls to keep out of five. Yes...one child had five baby dolls all serving the exact same purpose. Yet, it was still painful to choose which to keep and which to give away. One child has a particular love for collecting stuffed animals, and it was difficult knowing that not all of them could come. And it wasn't only the children that had to make tough choices...oh no, Mama likes her books....A LOT! So what if I have that book on Kindle, or two copies of the same...books are treasures, MY treasures! (Insert Gollum voice here)...My Precious.

The house emptying out of all it's STUFF

The words of Jesus have hit our family hard in this area.

Luke 12:15-21 (NKJV)

¹⁵And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

¹⁶Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
²¹“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

There it was plain as day...perhaps kicking me between the eyes... "for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” My 8 year old kept saying, "But, this toy (or thing, or scrap of paper) reminds me of (insert memory here)." Hmm, if memories are only tied to the things we possess, and if getting rid of things makes us loose those memories, then I could see how people would get caught up in feeling like their life DID consist of the things we possess. But, Jesus promises that our life does NOT consist in these possessions. So, we bring ourselves under the authority of scripture. Where our thoughts differ from what is plainly taught, then we must ask for help and wisdom to bring our thoughts in line with God's teaching.

The child who loves her stuffed animals decided that God was telling her to get rid of ALL of them. We reassured her several times that we were NOT asking her to give them all away, only to narrow it down. But, she prayed and felt that God was asking her to trust Him and love Him more than those toys. She cried a little, then all on her own got gift bags from the closet and made little gifts for special children in her life. She chose to give those toys to others, and found that it increased her own joy, and freed her room of space.

Below is a picture sent from the mother of one of the children who received a bag full of stuffed animals...our daughter was SO happy to see how her love increased as she gave away her possessions.

The love given to others.

Verses 16-12 in the above passage speak on investing in the Kingdom of God more than our possessions on earth. This is counter-cultural in our society, and many have a hard time seeing how this truth plays out in their lives.

But we have met many on our support raising journey who have counted investing in the Kingdom of God of the highest return rate for their possessions. We are so encouraged that these people are willing to invest in the lives of missionaries and their families by supporting us and the work at Black Forest Academy.

We are thrilled to see God continue to raise our monthly support. We are at 62% of our monthly needs so far. At 90%, we can buy tickets and leave for Germany. The time is quickly approaching, and we could grow uneasy, but we put our trust in the God who has called us and who will provide the means to accomplish what He has called us to do.

Would you like to join our support team with a monthly or yearly pledge? All donations are tax deductible, and earn incredible heavenly interests. :)

Will you test the Lord's words and see the joy of giving greatly expand your life more than any earthly thing you could possess?

You can make your pledge at this site: https://give.teachbeyond.org/support/zwemkes/

Our girls at Berry College, visiting friends and the eagles on campus.

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Fri, 15 May 2015 02:07:00 +0000

Through the Wardrobe

What you see here was pleasantly discovered during our orientation to Teach Beyond at Wheaton College last summer. Ever since I was a child I have been enchanted and challenged by The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis. It wasn't just the magic of a hidden world that could be lurking in any of our homes; (although I did check many closets, wardrobes, and the like in my younger years); it was Aslan, the lion, that broke the evil witch's spell over the frozen land by offering himself as an innocent sacrifice for the guilt of another. It was the first real glimpse I had of the Gospel of Jesus, stripped of all it's institutionalized religious lingo.

So what is this picture to the left? It is the wardrobe that C.S.Lewis' grandfather built, and which inspired him in the writing of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Inside were fur coats, one of which belonged to Lewis's brother. I nearly cried as my daughters were allowed to open the wardrobe, touch the coats, and dream.

(Since writing this post, I have heard from a very reliable source that C.S.Lewis, in writing LWW, was actually inspired by an E. Nesbit book, in which a young girl finds a new world through a door. Lewis attached the door idea to a wardrobe...not any particular one though.)

We, all of us, dream. We hunger for our fallen world to be freed from the evil spell of sin. We hunger for the Justice that comes through Mercy, and that Mercy is found in the One who gave himself as a sacrifice for our guilt. And once we have found Him, we are forever beholden to His service, bound by the love He shows us, bound by the full freedom of His forgiveness.

So maybe our family won't be going to Narnia anytime soon, but the adventure of serving the Lord at Black Forest Academy in Germany, feels like taking a step into the wardrobe and entering a new world full of wonder.

Right now we are overwhelmed with all the obstacles that stand between us and this new world. Things like selling our house, organizing all our belongings into: keep, store, sell, and give away; raising the rest of our monthly support in order to love those students at BFA well; all these things make us see mothballs and wooden backs to the wardrobe, instead of crisp white snow and a lamppost lighting the the darkness of the forest. (those who have read the book will get the reference, and those who have not read it, need to)

But in the midst of the uncertainty and the busyness, we hear our Lord calling us to be still in Him, that He will show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him. He whispers again that His tender mercies are over all His works, and He promises that where He calls us to serve, He will provide.

It's a scary thing to trust your life to the Lord. He might call you to do something that will make others sad or angry. He might not call you to the suburbs near all your friends and family, with a white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a secure job with a plentiful income. When we say that we will follow Jesus, it means that we will surrender all our hopes and expectations to His will. Things may look different than what the American dream promises.

We are so thankful that He is leading our family to serve at BFA. We are anxious to get there, but He is still working to show Himself strong in the journey on the way.

Thank you to so many who have joined us in this journey through prayer and financial support. Presently we are at 100% of our relocation funds and 40% of our monthly needs. And we cannot go if we are not sent. Thank you for helping to send us!

I'll leave you with the following passage from the book, it describes the feeling of losing your life to follow Christ, as seen through the character of Aslan, the lion:

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion

..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

If you're looking for the "safe" life, then don't follow Jesus.

But how comforting to know that He is good, and that He loves us deeply.

Vaccines Vs. Measles...What's a Christian to Do?

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 21:02:00 +0000

The past two weeks have been an explosion of articles, blogs, and opinions over the battle of vaccines and the measles outbreak in Disneyland. Passions are up, and judgements are flying from both sides, causing this girl to walk around having debates and arguments in my head, and knots in my stomach. The fear mongering and the hate has run high, and it's coming from both sides of this argument.

This post is not about which side you should be on, nor will I choose scriptures to try and support one view over the other. I would like to take a moment to focus on the root of all this unrest in our hearts. As I have prayed about it, researched the science on both ends, and tried to work around media biases, and the like, I think that the real root of all this passion and anger is fear.

And for those of us who claim to be Christ followers, who claim to trust in a Sovereign Lord, and who claim to live no longer for ourselves but for the one who redeemed us, fear has no place in our reasoning, and no place in our motivations.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Fear drives us to put up barriers to protect ourselves. It creates camps of "us" and "them", and it motivates us to start building fortresses where we think we can provide our own safety at any cost. Loss of control for our lives and the lives of the ones we love, in any form, can drive us to fear-motivated reactions. And when we are afraid, we have little room in our hearts and thoughts for anything else.

Friends of ours serve the Lord through missions in central Asia. The very fact that I cannot name them or the country they serve in for safety reasons should be a strong clue as to how much danger they are surrounded by on a daily basis. We often read of this danger in the daily news, and we pray for their safety. On a recent visit to our church we were able to talk with them about the challenges they face as they live amongst, and love, the very ones who may take their lives. By any measure of worldly thoughts, these people have a right to be fear driven. However, I was comforted and challenged to see their calmness, their love for the people they serve, and their willingness to live out their position as dead to themselves and alive to Christ.

Philippians 3:8-11(NKJV)

8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

What example are we being to the onlooking world if our views and opinions are based in fear? I have seen a good many "believing" people post articles, statistics, and opinions in an attitude of disgust, anger, and hate on social media. What room have we to speak the Truth in anything but love? Much less to speak our personal opinions about non-eternal matters with vehemence and urgent despair as if our hope in God was not the rock to our lives as we claim it to be.

Did we forget that God cares much more for our children than we ever could? The Christ-follower knows that God's promise of protection in our lives is not centered on physical protection (although He often does give us that as well) but it is a guarantee that nothing can snatch us from His hands, or separate us from His love. If He was willing to send His own Son to the cross on our behalf, He may allow some of us to suffer physically as well. This means that we must trust Him with our lives and the lives of our children. This in no way absolves us from making wise and careful choices for those He has entrusted to our care, but instead it relieves us from the impossible task of keeping all forms of harm and hardship from entering into their life.

There are risks to any decision we make for the ones we love and care for. Many times I have had to turn my fears over to the One who directs the wind and the waves, and who changes the hearts of man, especially when it comes to matters of parenting. It seems as though parenting has a way of driving me to my knees, begging for God to grant direction and wisdom, more than any other area of my life.

Brothers and sisters, let us love one another, and respond to one another in kindness, peace, and with a sound mind. Let's encourage one another to trust the Lord more deeply, and to care for each other when our little ones are going through hard times, or when we have to make hard choices on their behalf. And, let us show the compassion of Christ as we try to understand our brothers and sisters who stand on the other side of the fence on this issue.

Vaccines vs. Measles? What should a Christian do? Well, we should trust in the One we have given our lives to, and not give way to fear. He knows what it is to love a child.

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 20:33:00 +0000

Lessons from Disney World

This past November, our family had the opportunity to take the high school marching band on a trip to Disney World. Already some of you are chuckling at the chaos that 45 high school students and our five girls could create on an action packed four-parks-in-four-days "vacation". Surprisingly, the entire trip brought up few and minor mishaps, one of them being that we left our middle child in the bathroom in "England" at Epcot, only to realize that she was missing by the time we had walked to "Canada". (It sounds worse than it was, as Canada is only a few yards away from England at Epcot. But I discovered that I could still sprint, even in my 40's, as I raced frantically back to get her. She had just exited the bathroom and was beginning to look around for us when I showed up... Why did it have to be the middle child?)

The older girls had been plotting how to best use our time to hit as many "thrill" rides as possible in each park. But, I had to remind them that the 7 year old had not yet ridden any roller coasters in her life, and if they pushed her to the thrill rides too quickly, she would hate them and fear them forever.

The 7 year old and I had talked before the trip. She likes to prepare herself for things, and has a bit of a hidden fear-streak in her. She asked me about the rides, and told me flat-out that she didn't want to go on any rides that were in the dark, went upside down, or were scary. This discussion took place over the lunch table, and I could see the look of concern coming over the older girls faces as the saw their doom to ride Winnie the Pooh, and It's a Small World, and like rides for their whole 1st time at Disney.

I told the seven year that she didn't need to worry, even about the scary rides (what constitutes scary at age 7 is a relative scale) as I was sure Disney paid a good amount of money to make sure that the rides were as safe as possible, and that no one would really get hurt at their parks. Careful what you say, children will listen. (Thanks Sondheim, I understand this now.)

Our first day, we went to the Magic Kingdom and started off slowly with the tea cups, and then the Dumbo ride. The older girls were getting antsy, but I assured them their patience to warm the youngest up would pay off for the rest of the time. After Dumbo, the 7 year old looked at me and announced that she was ready to ride the new Snow White Dwarve's roller coaster. Okay, no Space Mountain, I grant you, but definitely in and out of the dark, and definitely fast and more thrilling. She loved it, and thus she went right into the thrill-seeker category of her older sisters, with the caveat that she would NOT go on rides in the dark.

Day four rolls around and the weather was horrific. Rain in sheets instead of drops made puddles the size of Rhode Island all over the parks. At the Animal Kingdom, we huddled under a small rooftop trying to find an indoor ride that we could get to quickly to wait out the next swell in the storm. We found ourselves at the Dinosaur ride, not realizing that it would be entirely in the dark with the added bonus of large dinosaurs jumping out at us to scare the riders. OOPS, didn't think that through well. And as the 7 year old sat behind me with the oldest girl and their uncle, and we turned the first corner in the pure dark, I began to panic. I thought we were going to undo all our hard work in one frightful ride. I thought we had ruined her trust. I reached my hand behind me and felt her head tipped downward, but I couldn't hear her screaming.

As we got off the ride, Ryan and I turned to the youngest, and asked her how she liked it. She smiled at us and said, "I'm glad Mama told me about the rides not hurting anyone. I just closed my eyes and remembered that no one would get hurt." Basically, she decided just to close her eyes and trust what I told her.

Wow, the faith of a child. Because she trusted that we wouldn't lie to her, she was able to act on faith when her circumstances were not to her liking. I was so proud of her, and deeply convicted in my heart. Am I trusting what God promises to me in the scriptures are true? Do I close my eyes (so to speak) when the circumstances of my life are not to my liking, and remind myself of God's Truth to comfort and protect my soul? (Ps. 23)

God is not a man that He should lie. He has proven Himself trustworthy time and again. So when things like our monthly support being at 16% stare me in the face, I must remind myself that He will provide where He leads, and that He makes all things beautiful in His time. (Ecc. 3:11)

The circumstances that we see in our lives are much like the facade that Disney portrays all over their parks. There is another world to Disney behind-the-scenes, as Ryan and the four older girls got to see first hand when their ride literally stopped on the slopes of Mt. Everest. After 45 minutes, and a trip down the stairs inside the mountain, our family was finally reunited. They assured me that things look different "Back Stage". I wonder how different things would look to us if we could see all that God was doing behind the "show" of our life's circumstances.

All I really need to remember is that He who promised is faithful, and He is not a man that He should lie. If I can just get that through my thick head, I will be able to weather any uncertainty in the circumstantial scenes of my life, resting in the knowledge that nothing can erase my name which He has graven on His hand. (Isa 49:16)

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 00:48:00 +0000

Step by Step

Often there are growing, stretching moments in our children's lives. And sometimes it feels as though the lesson is more than they can bear. There are often quiet tears, and sometimes the flopping of arms with heavy sighs as they fall back into the couch, hoping to hide in its comfort and warmth.

We try to come along side them and remind them, when you climb to the top of the mountain, you get there one step at a time. And we cheer them and help them as they work through each new step.

How true this is for us as adults, too. God never stops sending us new challenges and lessons. If we are willing, we will know Him more as He walks with us up the mountain side.

He has been encouraging my heart recently in Isaiah 46:8-11:

“Remember this, and show yourselves men;
Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it."

As we prepare our family to move to Germany and serve at Black Forest Academy, we have to daily remind ourselves of this very truth. God has called us to care for our brothers and sisters on the foreign field, by teaching, caring for, and discipling their high school students. This means that we must trust that He will get us there, one step at a time.

Presently, we are at a little over 12% of our monthly pledges and the Lord has amazed us and refreshed us with so many wonderful supporters. We are truly encouraged to find others who have a heart to join in this work, and to support so many on foreign soil. But sometimes it is easy for me to take my eyes off the next step before me, and when my gaze rests on that mountain of 100% of our monthly pledges, I start to feel dizzy and overwhelmed....and I look around for a couch.

Proverbs 37:5 says,

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

He calls us to share the work He is doing with Third Culture Kids at Black Forest Academy, and that is the next step we must take. He is faithful, and He is the One who will bring this mountain to pass.

Would you like to know more about what this ministry means to our brothers and sisters on the field? Here's what missionary parents of Black Forest Academy students have to say about this unique ministry:

Want to join our support team? Click here to learn how.

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 20:47:00 +0000

How you can Support Many Mission Fields at Once

One of the top reasons missionaries leave their foreign fields is because of the educational needs of their children. For some homeschooling is illegal, for some the host country does not have the adequate resources to support a homeschooling effort, and for some there are not any options available for their children to receive an adequate education.

The Black Forest Academy (BFA), in the south west corner of Germany, has been meeting the needs of missionary families and their high school aged children for the past 50+ years. BFA is a school run by full time missionary- teachers, administration, and staff, who raise their own support in order to keep the cost affordable for missionaries on fields in over 50 countries.

As we look back over the years of our life and ministry, we can clearly see how God has been preparing us for this specific work all along. We have always seen education as a means of sharing the Gospel of Jesus and discipling students to grow in the Lord. So, we are thrilled with the thought that we are not only supporting those already in scattered fields around the world, but the students we will be reaching will likely be a driving force of the next generation of foreign missionaries. What an incredible opportunity! We are humbled to go, and thrilled to be used by God to be a support to many missionaries and their children through the discipleship/educational field that we are so passionate about!

The sending organization that we are serving with is TeachBeyond. This is the same organization that began BFA over 50 years ago, and we are excited about their vision to build the Kingdom by placing missionaries in education positions around the world.

Become a part of our team to reach MKs

Is this vision to support global missions by supporting the education of Missionary Kids (MKs) something you are passionate about? We are seeking a like-minded support team to help us meet this great need through prayer and finances.

Our Needs

Teach Beyond has assigned to our family of seven, a budget of $8,300/month and a start up (or relocation cost) of approximately $25,000. This is a big need, but it is of small matter to the One in which we place our trust.

We have already seen Him provide through His church 92% of our relocation costs. That is over $23,000 since the beginning of the summer. Only He can receive praise for this kind of generosity, and we are humbled to be a part of the lives of His faithful and generous children. Praise GOD!

We have also received pledge commitments of 11% toward our monthly needs. One way of completing the monthly support is through the following scenario:

5 giving $500 a month

5 giving $250 a month

15 giving $100 a month

34 giving $50 a month

54 giving $25 a month

Would you prayerfully consider being one who will partner with us financially to invest in this ministry of supporting Missionary Families around the world?

We’re grateful for the chance to share this great opportunity with you!

- Ryan and Cathlyn Zwemke

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Short video to introduce Black Forest Academy

A Boy? Calling the House? For WHO?

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 22:30:00 +0000

What a fabulous fall day! It was a perfect time of family fun at the local corn maze, and we were all laughing and reliving the experience as we walked in the door. I put down my purse and pushed the button on the answering machine. It was a message for our 13 yr old girl, and it was a BOY... a man-cub, something we don't see much of in our little cottage full of women. He was so polite and articulate, and wanted to wish the 13 yr old good-luck on her All-State chorus auditions the next day. How thoughtful, how sweet! So why were the first feelings running through my body alert and caution? My daughter seemed untouched, and she moved into her room to return the phone call. I talked with her about it later and she told me that he was just one of her friends. She wasn't interested in him in THAT way.

Hmmm...I'd be a fool not to see the obvious changes that have taken place in this girl's body and mind over the past 10 months. She is a lovely young lady now, with very little of the child clinging to the edges of her being. She is dressing differently, and actually arranges her hair with thoughtfulness and flare. I even saw a young man look her up and down as we left a movie theater just a few months back...I haven't felt like hitting a person many times in my life, but I do think that young man was lucky to go home without a black eye.

So we knew this was coming all these years, I mean we have 5 daughters. And we have been talking with them about marriage and relationships with men for a long time now, but all of it seemed academic somehow. Now we were having to decide how those ideas and principles would work out practically in our family.

We noticed that this boy was emailing regularly with our daughter, and then this past week, I saw him sitting in her group of girlfriends at a local homeschool group meeting, looking all starry-eyed as she spoke. On our way home the 13 yr old said the boy wanted her to call him later that day. I was feeling a little uneasy about it all. I was torn. We had always encouraged the girls to be friendly with boys and girls, and not to be afraid of interacting with boys. Wasn't that all she was doing? There was a difference this time. We had not encouraged the girls to make intimate close friendships with boys, and all this calling and emailing would lead to the sharing of personal thoughts and feelings and that could lead to a new kind of intimacy in a friendship that wasn't so free and easy as before.

When my husband heard about the phone call the 13 yr old was supposed to make that evening, he put an end to it. "We're not going to be calling boys." Although I supported him 100%, I felt torn for the girl who had given her word to call her friend, even if he was a boy. I went to her room and had the "talk". (She was allowed to email him and tell him that she couldn't talk today, so that, at least allowed her to keep her word.)

Then, we had to talk about how she was entering an age where boys and girls have a hard time being "just" friends. Sure, there were lots of fun boys to joke with and hang out in groups with, but once it started to turn into a one-on-one situation, over and over again, it inevitably would end up with one of the two parties having feelings for the other, whether the feelings were returned or not. She agreed, and trusted that I spoke with experience, and then she reassured me that she didn't have any of those feelings for this boy. That's when I had to tell her that this boy might have feelings for her, and that his actions indicated this was so, even if he didn't realize those feelings fully for himself yet. And that our "no calling or spending time alone with boys" policy at this age was as much to protect the boy's heart as it was to protect hers. She seemed to understand this, and took it with such grace and love.

Although she is paving the way and causing Ryan and I to put our thoughts and ideas into actions and rules, she is handling it all with such grace and kindness. We are thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful first-born to set an example for her sisters.

We are still on this journey, and we tread lightly into this new territory. At present, for those who are curious, when the time comes for our daughters to be ready for marriage, she will tell the interested young man to come talk with her father, who will then get to know him and decide if he will be able to spend time with our family and try to win our daughter's heart. We do not feel that dating is necessary or essential to finding a good mate. Our experience, and those of others we have known, has shown that more is learned of a person when you see how they treat the people they are not romantically interested in, the needy person, the family members, the annoying little sister or brother, etc. So that is our present course of action, and we are willing to change it if God leads us in a new direction.

Tattling, Destructor of Sibling Relationships and the Seeds of Pride in the Heart

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:41:00 +0000

Someone has broken a rule, and you didn't see it, but a pair of little eyes did. She comes to tell you how her sister has broken the rule, and the desire to deliver swift justice is clouded by a dirty feeling that something doesn't ring true with the scenario. You talk with the offending child to find that indeed she did break the rules, and as the punishment is dealt out, her sickening sideways glance to the tattling sister makes your heart hurt. The sibling's relationship has been dealt a hard, treacherous blow. You feel the injustice and suddenly realize how to make things right. You deal out punishment to the tattler as well, for seeking to get her sister in trouble, and for acting with authority where she had none.
Here is the unspoken truth that we've all known since our childhood: tattling is different from telling. Telling is motivated from a desire to keep another from hurting themselves or others. Tattling comes from the secret seeds of pride in the heart, that desires another's demise in order to make oneself look better. If you allow tattling among your children, then you are sowing the seeds of disunity between siblings and allowing the weeds of pride to grow strong in the heart of the tattler. This is the reason that we hold to a strict policy of tattlers receiving punishment along with the offending sibling. (There have been times when the tattler's punishment was worse than the offending child's, especially if the tattler has a bad habit of tattling. Sometimes we have even said, that since we didn't see the offense, we won't punish the offending sibling, while still punishing the tattler. In those times, we also warn the offending sibling that we will discipline them if we do catch them in the act. We are big believers that things done in secret will be brought to light, it's just a matter of time.)
There have been occasional times that we have asked an older sibling to come along side us in the training of a younger child, by giving them the authority to tell us if the younger sibling is doing the behavior we are trying to train out of her. Then, that older child has been given our authority to help us in training a difficult to see trait, or behavior. For example, we might ask the older sibling that shares the room with the toddler who has just moved out of her crib, to tell us if the toddler got out of bed without permission. These times are usually for a short season, and give us a chance to train our older children in the arts of child training for their future lives as well. (We teach them the graces of not lording over the younger child, but taking on the desire to see her succeed by gently helping her along.)
We do allow telling, in that a child may tell us when they think a sister is doing or about to do something that would cause her harm, like jumping from too high a height, etc. But as discussed before, this is a very different thing from tattling. There is a disgust in all stages of life for the one that goes to the authority to defame a peer. Very few societies have tolerance for such betrayal, and I have seen many sibling relationships greatly damaged by parents who allow it. In response to many who have asked us how to build unity and lessen fighting among siblings, I would encourage the intolerance of tattling, by dealing out swift punishment for the tattler.
It not only affects the sibling unity, but it corrodes the heart of the tattler, as well. She begins to believe that she is better than her sisters, and the seeds of pride grow. All too easily she becomes more interested in finding the faults in others, instead of busily working to rid herself of her own. After careful practice, she will easily miss the plank in her own eye, while diligently seeking to point out the speck in her sister's. And as she grows, she will resemble the busybody that so many of us know in our lives.
The heart of the child is a garden, and the wise parent will diligently tend it.

Dear Friends

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:19:00 +0000

There are people in your life who change you. People whose opinion you value more greatly than others, and whose company revives your spirit like only a few can do. One such person was the maid of honor in our wedding. We became friends when we roomed together after college. This friend walked some amazing days with me, and always pointed me back to the Lord in the decisions I was making and in the relationships I was building. She had front row seats as God brought Ryan and I together, and she became like a sister to me.
The Lord has arranged that my friend and I should serve Him on different continents for the last 11 years. We keep in touch through Skype, emails, and the ever wonderful Facebook, but there is nothing like having her in our home. Just recently, she and her family came to stay with us for a week; something that only happens once every few years. I know it is difficult for her family to share this time with our family, and I am grateful for their generosity. ( I know I would have a hard time sharing my daughter with another family if I only got to see her once every few years.)
There is something about journeying through life together with her. Our husbands have a grand time as well, and it makes for many moments of hysterical laughter, and who doesn't need that? The ease with which we pick up never ceases to amaze me. You know you have a special friend when you can see them once every couple of years and it seems as though we just got together last week.
I remember during my public school days that a teacher once told me that to have even one such friend in your life is to be truly rich. I feel blessed to have a handful of such friends, and though most would not define our family as wealthy, in this area we feel particularly blessed. Seldom do you have people stay in your home for a week and you feel more refreshed than before they came. I hope that Ryan and I can be that kind of friends to the people in our lives...to leave them refreshed after having spent time with us.
I would like to encourage you to build and foster this kind of relationship with people who will tell you the truth, and love you where you are at. Their value is far above the riches of the world. Parenting can be draining and demanding, but to have such friends in your life will help you carry the load more gracefully. And who doesn't need a healthy dose of grace in their life?

Purpose Driven

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:35:00 +0000

Things were feeling a little sluggish around here recently. After we finished homeschool, there was a mad dash to all the various screens in the house. Computers, Itouches, Wii, t.v., every form of glowing light was being used to the utmost. I began to sense a disintegration of family life, but everything they were doing was educational in one way or another, so I kept telling myself that it wasn't a complete wash. Besides, it was probably the only time in the day when three to five people weren't calling for my attention at the same time, so maybe I was a little guilty in allowing it so that I could get some things done uninterrupted. (Uninterrupted? Did I just consciously verbalize that I was viewing my children as an interruption to MY day and MY plans? Hmmm, perhaps there is more than one blog post message hidden here.)
One afternoon last week, as I walked through the house during the "screen bonanza", I couldn't believe how many toys and games were sitting unused in our little home. I tried to remember the last creative play time the girls had worked together to build some fantasy world or game. A few weeks at least, or perhaps a month...it was hard to tell, but it was enough time to call a family conference.
Five bodies on the couch stared up at their pacing mother as I tried to articulate a new plan, and communicate the nearby danger of our family becoming high functioning roommates who don't really build community together. "All this time that we spend in front of screens is self directed, and isolating. It takes away our chance to do something as a team. We need projects! We need to work together toward a common goal. You can also be pouring some time into skills that you can use later in life. I like to see you cooking in the kitchen, making dolls clothes, knitting, working on fitness goals...SOMETHING!" So they brainstormed, and I think there was some true excitement involved as well. It was also an interesting look in to the passions and interests of our girls that I might not have noticed before then.
Well, God has a way of providing the very thing we need most when we ask Him for wisdom and guidance. Not even two days past that conversation did the girls find a turtle in the back yard. Pleading eyes told me that they wanted to keep him. I'm not one to punish wild things by making them captives of little hands, but this turtle was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Yes, you can keep it. But, you must look up all about turtles. I want to know what kind of turtle this is, what it eats, what it needs in a terrarium, what gender it is, how long it lives...everything you can find." Oh, they were busy learning and reporting and the poor turtle was prodded and examined, but I am happy to say that she has survived, and now sits in a tank in the playroom.
Then the next project/purpose presented itself. We were invited to help a nearby family raise the money they needed to adopt a young girl from the Ukraine. Yuliya's story struck home with our girls. Here was a girl of 15 who had one month left in the system before she would be turned out on the streets. Without family or friends, Yuliya would likely end up like a majority of orphans in the Ukraine...crime or prostitution. When our girls heard this they began brainstorming ways to raise money. Two of the girls decided they wanted to make and sell cookies. They came to me with a recipe and asked if I would purchase the ingredients needed to make them. We got right to work and made 54 iced sugar cookies and sent them to school with Ryan. His students were so excited, they wanted more, so I went back to the store and got more ingredients. This time the girls worked into the night to make 72 more cookies. The students responded with even more excitement. (One pair of brothers brought in $33 for one cookie!) Ryan's classes began talking about making posters around the school and getting a club to sponsor in helping bring Yulyia home. It was thrilling for the girls to get the text today that all the cookies had sold before the last class of he day!
It has been a joy to work together to help others, and that creativity is spilling into other areas...board games have come out everyday, some of which I forgot we owned. There was a rousing game of Blind Man's Bluff tonight before bed. And the girls have taken to filming their own movie of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"...that will be a project loaded with family memories for years to come, and full of laughter for all of us now, too. It's amazing what a little purpose can do for a life, a family, and a community!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:05:00 +0000

Our four year old has become consumed with Mother Goose Rhymes recently. She loves the melodious sounds of the words and the ridiculous stories they tell. Often after a few minutes of reading we are both in a fit of giggles about some silly picture or rhyme in her book. But, I always hold a secret smile whenever we read the one about what little girls are made of. We have quite a few "little girls" and most of the time they are full of everything nice, but occasionally they fall prey to a feminine pitfall that many never grow out of. It seems that many little girls struggle with emotional manipulation, hissy fits, or as I like to call it "being a slave to her emotions".
Little girls are generally cute, and there is a special elation that comes from seeing them react excitedly to a new situation or gift, but it is equally repelling to see one scowl and pout and stomp her feet, or even scream when things don't go her way. I have seen parents laugh at the little terror knowing that her size is all that keeps her from being a real threat to anyone, other than an annoyance. I have even seen parents jump and try to fix whatever the problem may be in order to make their princess smile again. (Which only encourages her to try that tactic again next time.) But little girls who don't learn to be masters of their emotions while they are young, grow up to be wives who emotionally manipulate and throw fits to get their way.
Some of our girls have been more outward about this issue than the others, but whether they use silence or noise to get what they want, we have talked with them all about being the masters of their emotions or face the alternative...being slaves to them. When our little darlings would throw a fit, we would quickly discipline the situation, and then have them practice the proper way to communicate their frustration. It's important to recognize emotions but learning to properly communicate them is crucial to healthy relationships.
What we practice is what we become. Let a little girl practice emotional manipulation, and she will be an expert in the art by the time she reaches puberty. Guide her to master her feelings and do the right thing, regardless of how she feels, and she will be more likely to grow into a self-disciplined adult. Help her to practice communicating her feelings in a reasonable fashion and you will be giving her building blocks to use in healthy relationships and a happy marriage down the road.
Truth be told, we are the examples our children watch the most in learning how to react and handle our emotions. That hits a bit too close to home for me at times. I pray that God will help me to be the kind of mother who is gracious in hardship, kind when provoked, quick to forgive and quiet of heart.

God Doesn't Save "Good" People

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 01:54:00 +0000

Somewhere on the path of my life, I grew up with the ever-so-popular idea that good people go to Heaven, and bad people go to Hell. You can imagine my shock around the age of seventeen when I encountered scriptures in the Bible that read: (Rom 3:10) "As it is written: "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE;" and (Rom 3:23)..." for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". Just hold on! You mean that no one is "good" in the sight of God? Everyone is bad? Even people who dedicate their whole lives to serving others, like Mother Theresa? But surely their goodness outweighs their bad-ness, right? I don't know about you, but I had a little "moral scales" in my head, and up until really understanding the above scriptures, I had simply assumed that God, like me, (and well, almost everyone I could think of), was just weighing all our actions. And if we tipped over to the good side when we died, we got the golden ticket into the everlasting cool place.
   Apparently, that is not how God set things up, at least according to the Bible. I had to be honest with myself. I fit into the "no, not one" and "all have sinned" category. In fact, I was all too aware of my shortcomings, my faults, my blatant disregard for the commandments of God. I could feel myself slipping down a steep incline, and I began to feel the panic of one who cannot save herself. I began to read the Bible in search of answers, in search of hope.
As you read the Gospels, you cannot help but examine Jesus' behavior with the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the scum of society, and contrast it with how He interacts with the religious leaders, and those who had a high, respected standing in the community. With the sinners, He is gentle as He teaches them about salvation and repentance, but with the religious leaders He is harsh, calling them to examine themselves more closely. What is it that Jesus is seeing in the two groups? What is it that He values most? It is not how high they were born, or their education, or even religious knowledge. He didn't see one group as good and the other as bad, for as we have seen above, He knows that they are all "bad", all sinners. No, after careful examination, the difference between the two groups is a repentant/broken heart, and a self-righteous prideful heart.
As parents, we know that our young child has broken our command, yet what makes it worse is when she tries to cover it up and act innocent, when you both know she is guilty. You cannot begin to train her until she admits her own need for correction. When she acknowledges you as parent, as authority.
It is the same between us and God. Psa 34:18 says. "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." Ah, here we find the beginnings of hope for all of us in the "no, not one" category. God said that even the breaking of one of His commandments, no matter how small must be paid for in blood, more specifically with death.  Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." So the penalty must be paid. And if we are all guilty, then we all have a debt owed.
Then the beauty of the whole thing comes to life. What if someone, completely righteous....well, but no...no one is righteous....except for God Himself! What if God Himself, came to Earth as man, lived a sinless life, and then willingly laid down His life as the penalty for my (our) sin? Then the eternal life mentioned in Romans 6:23 above, would truly be a gift from God, not something I could earn with my "moral scales" idea. He would, in effect, be offering me His righteousness as a gift to cover over and justify my own sins.
But wouldn't I have to admit I was wrong, to get to the place of accepting this gift? I mean, only those who realize they are sick, seek a cure, right? Those who think they are already such good people, might secretly think they are impressing God with all their goodness, much like the religious leaders of long ago. God, like the parent of the unruly child donning an innocent face, wants the heart, and not some outward facade of holiness.
So I had to reach the place of brokenness and need before I would seek the hope handed me through the gift of Jesus. He was gentle in leading me to this place of hope, and He showed me how to accept the gift: Rom 10:9 ..."that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
I would like to encourage you to stop viewing people as good or bad, and to see us all as sinners in need of redemption. Those who have found redemption are simply like the beggar hoping to show other beggars where the food is located.
I know I have breached the politics and religion faux pas of topical conversation, but how could I love you and not share the Truth.

Spoonfed Education

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:49:00 +0000

Ever wonder why our public education system in America has been on a steady decline since the 60's? What is it that seems to undermine every new idea and innovative policy passed down from Congress to stimulate the scores of our students? Well, there are several cracks in the foundation of our public education system, but it is my opinion that nothing will change until we take strides to transform our views about who is responsible to educate our future generations. No, I am NOT going to make a plug for homeschooling...this time. But, until we can pass the responsibility to learn from the teachers to the students, we will not see much in the way of educational reform.
I have watched the past ten years as the government passed down frantic new programs in hopes of stimulating learning through teacher incentives and consequences. Perhaps I missed it, but I haven't seen any successful progress. Instead, I see a bunch of pressured teachers who are so frightened of losing their jobs in this market that they are willing to lose their character and cheat on the scores for their students' standardized testing, like we have seen in our Atlanta city schools.
Until we make it clear that the responsibility to learn lies with the student and not the teacher, we will not see things change in our education system. We do a great disservice to our future generations by allowing them to think they did poorly in a subject because they had a lousy teacher. No doubt, a good teacher goes a long way to making learning fun and exciting, and even easy, but learning is not solely in the hands of those who teach. If a student believes she is in charge of her own education, then she in empowered to rise above the less-than-average teacher. She will seek outside help and information. She will become what our society sorely needs and almost always heralds, in the adult phase of life. She will become an INDEPENDENT LEARNER, a SELF-STARTER.
I'll never forget what a shock it was for me to go to England during my high school years. I was there for about two years, starting in the middle of my Freshmen year.   Education is run differently in the U.K. than in the States. I had just come from Texas, where things were moving along just fine. I had straight A's my first semester. There was a rhythm to the six week sessions run in the Texas system. I had learned how to make that system work for me, but true learning and effort had not really been asked of me yet. No, that was not required of me until I left the States.
In England, I had entered in a trimester late in a two year learning situation. In those two years we kept the same teachers, classes, and subjects. At the end of the two years, we were to take written exams, two of them per course, and some exams lasting three to four hours in length. Right before the exams, we were given some time...I can hardly remember now, but I think it was six weeks, without classes to simply study for the exams...no teachers, just study time. Whatever we got on our exams, plus a portion of our yearly work would be our grades for the past two years. I was handed a syllabus at the beginning of class and I was expected to remember when things were due, without reminders. (Quite shocking for me, I can tell you.) I had to keep track of when our mock exams were coming, and I had to learn on my own, beyond the material handed to me, if I was going to pass and get credit for two years worth of learning. I had to get books, on my own, that would help me prepare for the exams. I had to organize my time, and hold down a part-time job at the same time.   I say all this to show that we do not require enough from our students at an early enough age. It is not the teachers who gave me an education, although they guided me and helped me along the way, but ultimately they communicated that I was the responsible party to educate myself and prepare for my future independence.
Now, in this country, we do not ask that level commitment from our students until college. Perhaps we think they are too immature to take on that responsibility. But, often times, we create unprepared students who cannot handle the university situation. What do we create for our society when we allow students to believe that the teachers are responsible for our learning? What does a parent do for her child when she puts the blame on the teacher for her child's poor grades? (Certainly there are circumstances where a teacher was unfair, or graded with partiality, but even that teacher cannot prevent a child who is self-motivated from learning in spite of her grade.) We produce a generation who believes they are owed something. That their performance is in the hands of someone else. Later on if they don't perform well at work, well it transfers that they have a lousy boss, and the blame can be passed to him.
   But we can do something for our next generation, despite the newest congressional push for reform in testing. We as parents and adults can encourage and show the way to our students. We can give our kids the tools to rise above their circumstances and take control of their education. Getting involved early-on can make all the difference. Don't let the school day be the end of learning. Find supplemental materials to play with and experiment with at home. Without a love and interest for learning, you will always be applying outside pressure to get a result, but when the student becomes infected with the love of learning, you won't be able to stop her. Go to museums, watch interesting educational shows...but most importantly, find out what interests your child and run with it.
Recently I sat down with my 7th grader and 5th grader, and I asked them to make a list of things they are interested in learning more about. The 7th grader's list was: "Drawing, Modern History, Animals and Bugs, Computer Programming, Legends of Varying Cultures, and Herbs. The 10 yr old's list was: "Ballet, How to Make a Computer, Computer Programing, The Way Stuff is Made, Books, Animals, and Research." America's kids want to learn more than movies, and video games, and pop music....if we let them.
My 7th grader loves the idea of survival living. She loves to research and find out what plants are edible, and she experiments with it. She has asked for an herbalist class/book/dvd set to help her in her study of Botany (call it what it is, and suddenly it is more than a kid just getting grubby in the mud). My 5th grader is fascinated with computers. I found a free program from M.I.T. that helps kids get the basic ideas down for computer programming. She, and her "botany" sister, have begun to invent and create their own video games, complete with original graphics and story line. Our children's play is their business, and their learning is never ceasing unless we tell them that they can only learn when being spoonfed.

Coming Out of a Fog

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 02:28:00 +0000

My husband and I just celebrated our thirteenth anniversary. While we were driving away to our hotel, we began to discuss all that has past so far. We realized that in that time I have been extremely busy laying the foundation for our five daughters. Many a day, week, or even month would pass without me truly digging into the Word of God in my quiet time. Sure I would listen to sermons, or read a quick devotional, or simply repeat one or two Bible verses in my head to keep me going, but I had become lax in studying and being still before God. I would go from morning to night attending to the needs of the many little ones in my care. Prayer while working, became my new mode of communication with God...or a least a last minute plea to restrain me from letting my flesh take control in a frustrating moment of training our daughters. How easy it is to heap guilt upon your heart when you let a discipline slide, much less a spiritual discipline. But in those "survival mode" years, I learned to lay my guilt at the feet of the Lord, and to bask in His grace that is constant, regardless of my performance.
We have truly been blessed to have the written Word of God at our fingertips, but for thousands of years those who walked with God did so without that luxury. Many a faithful follower today sit imprisoned for their faith, with no Bible to comfort them. It is possible to carry on a truthful and full relationship with God without daily Bible readings. Like I mentioned before, daily Bible study is a spiritual discipline, and not the actual relationship with God in and of itself. But the lack of consistently studying the Word takes its toll over time. It leaves us more subject to being lured by the world's thinking, or more easily led astray by false teaching. For myself, I become weak to resisting the call to gauge my life by my possessions or achievements. I become weak to the idea that I need "me" time...and eventually I try to pick up my life as my own, instead of living as one who has been bought at a price and who belongs to Another.
This summer has been like a lifting of the spiritual fog I have felt for the past couple of years. This is the second year that we have participated in the National Bible Bee as a family. What an incredible opportunity to memorize the Scriptures, and to teach your children how to study the Bible. In addition to the many Bible verses each age group memorizes, the families all study the same book of the Bible. This summer we are studying through the book of 1 Peter. They teach you how to do an inductive Bible study, reading over the whole book several times and studying the history, geography and author before taking a closer look, chapter by chapter and verse by verse (and looking up the original Greek in Strongs Concordance). So for those looking to teach their children in the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer (they go through the whole A.C.T.S prayer model), and scripture memory, along with great ideas and prompts for applying the Word of God in your life and in your child's life, I can't recommend this summer challenge enough! It has been so helpful to have this program to help pass along the skills and disciplines I learned in college, and at the appropriate age level, too.
As my children mature, I am finding the time to sit still is returning to my life. The time to think, pause, pray and study is slowly creeping back into the daily schedule of things. I can see the foundation we have been laying with the girls is paying off for them, and us, as I work myself out of a job, with each girl growing in her ability to help around the house and to help with her younger sisters. I am thankful for those "survival mode" years, and I am glad that God is gracious.

The following passage of scripture describes the fog, and lifting of it in my heart:

Psa 119:25-50
"My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.
I have declared my ways, and You answered me; Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.
Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously.
I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me.
I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!
I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.
Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness.
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.
Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You.
Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good.
Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.
Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD— Your salvation according to Your word.
So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
So shall I keep Your law continually, Forever and ever.
And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.
I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed.
And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.
My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life."

The Invisible Law

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:33:00 +0000

Excuse me for moment while I adjust my soap box. You see, just the other week we received a phone call from our church stating that the signs for our Kindemusik business were being collected and thrown into the back of a county truck only to be hauled off to the dump. We were a tad confused because my husband had called the county and asked if a permit was needed and what laws and rules there were in posting a sign on the property where we conducted our business. We were given the go ahead, and for months our signs had stood and directed folks our way...until two weeks ago. What changed? Apparently the law changed, and ours were not the only signs picked up by the authorities. Many other small businesses were set back by this change in policy. Was a notice given to the business owners? We received none, and this with our phone number ON THE SIGN. How difficult would it be to call the owner and tell them that they had 24 hours to comply with the change in the law?
My husband was less than thrilled, to put it mildly. We are not a large business, and I am sure that you are all aware of our sluggish economy. It doesn't seem logical to set back small businesses in a time when people are going the extra mile to make a go of it. After taking careful precaution to comply to all the laws regarding a business and advertising, it was particularly upsetting to find that we had trespassed a law we didn't know existed. Even less so when my husband had to go down to the office and acquire papers allowing him to go down to the dump and retrieve his own signs...and could only find one of the two.
I hope you are all burning with the righteous indignation that comes from one who desires to do the right thing but is unable to do so because the rules secretly changed. But don't we, as parents, sometimes do this to our children? Imagine the frustration of a toddler when she finds that she has crossed an unknown line while out in public. How helpful it would have been to take a minute before going into the store to clearly explain your expectations for her behavior! (ie, do not whine for me to buy you something, do not touch things in the store, do not stand in the cart, etc.) Perhaps then she would have known how to behave instead of finding it out by default. Perhaps a minute of pause before entering the birthday party to explain the proper social etiquette to your child would prevent the embarrassing situation of her unknowingly stealing the spotlight from the birthday girl. We have been known to practice how one behaves at a birthday party, both as the birthday girl and as the guest. It is a lovely thing when you see your child look up with confidence to thank the giver for the present they are opening.
Even teenagers need to have the expected behavior laid out plainly and simply for them. Nothing is more frustrating than to find that you have disappointed a parent by behaving in an embarrassing manner, only to be called selfish and self-centered later. Even the most willing of teens will begin to withdraw if this pattern repeats itself enough times. They certainly will not proceed with the confidence that their parents are proud of them and support their efforts in learning to be responsible and productive young adults.

So in some ways, this little upset in our business life has given us pause to remember the importance of clearly communicating our expectations to our children. How's that for a silver lining?

Protecting the Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:51:00 +0000

    Up at the crack of dawn, exercise, make breakfast, pack lunch for hubby, kiss hubby goodbye, clean sticky hands, ignore dust build-up, email, schedule, oversee and teach four grades worth of school, attack mountain of laundry without making a dent, intervene before older sister kills younger one for singing the same three phrases of a song for the 30th time, make lunch, and plan for dinner, clip coupons, tuck 4yro into bed for nap....you get the picture. Our days as mothers are full of serving and caring for those who seem unable to function without our help. It's easy to think that every need is immediate and of extreme importance...perhaps the tone of desperation with which we hear our name being called on so frequent a basis makes it more difficult for us to truly assess the real level of need. Sometimes we just want the noise and chaos to stop, and so we will do whatever it takes to make the peace return to the universe of our home. By the end of the day, we are DONE, emotionally and physically exhausted, and yet, there is someone else who needs us. Someone who looks vaguely familiar, in fact you can almost remember how the two of you started on this journey together, so energetic and excited.
   With all its challenges and demands it has still been everything you hoped for and envisioned. The two of you knew that this raising of a family would be hard work, and would require a dying to self...although HOW much dying was not even possible for you to imagine at the time. Perhaps you start and end your day with no more than a few minutes of conversation...sometimes it even happens when you are BOTH at home all day. So busy with the children and their training, it is a simple thing to put the needs of the other capable-adult-in-the-home on the back-burner. A heavy strain may begin to burden the relationship that was once so free and easy.
May I suggest that we all take a little time to build a protective wall around the foundation of the family, our marriages. Even more than your time with them, your children need to know that their world is secure because the relationship between Mom and Dad is strong. When we remind our children that our spouse comes first in our heart and actions, they have a sense of peace that gives them confidence in all that they attempt and explore.
So how do we practically build that protective foundation? One of the ways that we are trying to build that protective barrier is by teaching the children not to interrupt. I think there is a built in homing device that goes off inside children when they see their mother giving her full attention to someone else. They come to you with every little thing, and having not yet developed a sense of timing or awareness of others they start talking to you before they even enter the room. A little training to stop and wait, or the simple, "Papa is talking to Mama right now" should be the taught sign for them to put a cork in it and give you a minute to concentrate on your husband. He needs to know that you care about what he is saying, and not all men are able to get their thoughts into words easily...for some it may be this moment, or never. If he feels like you are too divided to listen to him, you may not get another opportunity to share that thought again. So don't be afraid to train your children in waiting, and also in understanding the TRUE definition of "it's an EMERGENCY!"...this should be used if someone is bleeding, losing a limb, or someone is in extreme danger.
Another way to help in this area is to have a bedtime that is fairly firm. The older children can go to their rooms for quiet reading/playing before lights-out. But at the end of the day, it is such a joy to have a few minutes of quiet, to unwind, and have some needed conversations with your spouse. The occasional late night with the kids to watch a movie or play a game is so fun, but on average, I have found that I need that time to be off duty long enough to catch my thoughts and have a few minutes to talk with my man.
Romance is a demanding plant, it requires time and thoughtful creativity to keep it fresh and inviting. Regular date nights, even if they are at home, can be a great way to keep the fire kindled. Become a full time student of your man, his favorite treats, relaxing activities, coffee preference, etc. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you have discovered all there is to know about him. Find a new game to learn how to play together...cards, computer...whatever. Recently, Ryan and I played Words with Friends on our iphones, which meant that we could play the game throughout the workday, or even in the same room...silly, but fun. And, no matter how tired you are...try to save some energy for late night fun together. ;)
I would love to hear some of the ways you work to put your marriage first while raising kids...we can all use some tips in this area.

Move Over Bacon...

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:58:00 +0000

So I realize that any family with kids goes through a certain amount of transition when school ends and summer starts. There is an awkward sense of freedom, accompanied by a weak sense of structure that will sustain a family for a couple of days before the "I'm Bored" mantra begins. Our family goes through a degree of this in the first week of summer vacation, but it is not that transition that rocks my world. Oh no, there is another one that happens only in families where there is a parent who is a teacher.
You see summer for our family means wonderful freedom and fun for the kids, and also the excitement of having my wonderful husband around for two months. This is something we all look forward to the whole year round, and when it comes it is such a blessing, except for one little hiccup. You see for 10 months out the year, I am the master of the home during the day, and run things according to my style and pleasure, but come summer, there is a sudden switch of master in the day-time routine. It is a good thing, and I am definitely one to step out of the way, but it sometimes catches me off guard.
For example, I may have planned how I thought the day would run, only to come out of our room to find my husband re-organizing the homeschool bookshelf. I wasn't mentally prepared for that task, and now must clear my mind to help him in the newly scheduled day. It is not a bad thing, just not the thing I planned to do with that moment. I can chose to fight it, but what good would that do? In the end, I know I am called to be my husband's help-meet, and therefore would really be picking a fight with God because I didn't get my own way, even if it was about something that I didn't value in the first place. Were my plans for the day SO dear to me? Not truly, but the fact that they were mine and under my control ...well that part may have been a little too dear to admit at the time. It may not show itself outwardly, but there is an inward struggle as I learn to follow a new flow for the next two months.
Unfortunately, I tend to have this same trouble with God year round. How often do I make plans for my life, as if it were mine to plan? Gal 2:20 reminds me that I am no longer my own, but have been bought at a price. So who is bending to whom here? It is not for me to demand of God how I would like my life to turn out: what kind of home I would like, what kind of children I would want, or how many children I would want, or ...well you get the idea.
I need to learn to clear my schedule for the day (figuratively speaking) and be prepared for the distractions and interruptions, as we would see them, that God may have planned for me to attend to. Perhaps it is the putting aside of my ever-so-important tasks, to attend to the heart of my child. The one who is hovering behind me, waiting to tell me her thoughts and struggles. Lord, make me aware to your schedule so I do not miss the narrow window of a view into my child's spirit. If she sees that I am ever-so-busy, those open-heart opportunities will grow fewer and fewer until we sit at a table in a restaurant during her college years with nothing to talk about.
So I am transitioning with my home and with my heart. I can go down gracefully, and show an honoring example to my daughters, who are quick to imitate, or I can go down kicking and screaming. That choice is still mine, and I pray for the wisdom to chose the former.

When Your Child Should Disobey The Authority

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Wed, 25 May 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Okay...they are beautiful aren't they? Among the most often heard comments when people see us out in public are: "Still trying for a boy?", "Are ALL five yours?", and my personal favorite, "You DO know how that happens, don't you?" You have to laugh at that kind of ignorant, closed-minded view...if only to keep yourself from punching a total stranger in the face.
   We feel so blessed to have such lovely daughters, both inside and out. We hope to train them for life and godliness, by teaching them to be loving, responsible adults. From early on we teach them to obey the first command with a cheerful heart, but we also have to teach them when NOT to obey. It is a sad truth that in our world we have to teach our children, girls and boys, to resist an adult who would abuse their bodies sexually. I hate this topic, but I think it is one we must mention in our talks about parenting.
   Statistics are cold truths, so I won't post any. A more meaningful truth is that almost all of you who read this blog will either have experienced this kind of abuse first hand, or know someone who did. It is a difficult thing for a child who is taught to trust authority, is then abused by it. The emotional and physical damage is great.
    From an early age we teach our children about their private parts and who may touch them, and for what reason: a doctor who is caring for their health, or a parent who is helping to clean them until they can care for themselves responsibly.   If any other authority such as a pastor, teacher, relative, etc. should approach them and touch them, they are told to yell and run. Details are not needed to equip our children to deal with the world's ugliness. I hope and pray that none of these ladies have to experience this kind of evil, but I want them to know that this situation is one where it is needful to disobey an authority.
My oldest and I had to have an even harder talk recently, prompted by a near abduction of a homeschool girl in our area. The girl was out playing in her yard, and a man jumped out of a white van and quickly approached her. The girl ran quickly into the house. The man, thinking that she was home alone, came to the front door and banged on it loudly. He retreated quickly when the mother came to the door, making some thin excuse and jumping into the van. So, I had to explain about the dark truth of human trafficking and young girls of 12 or 13 being prime targets. We talked about running from strangers who might ask her to help them find a "lost puppy" or some other excuse to prey upon the tender feelings of a young girl in order to make her come with them. We talked about screaming, "This is NOT my parent, call 911!", etc. We can not protect her from every evil, but we certainly do her no favors by keeping her unprepared and ignorant.
It is a hard world, and it seems to be getting harder every year. We do not need to live in fear, but we do need to be equipped, prepared and wise. I hope that you will make time to have the hard discussions, even young ones can be equipped without terrorizing them. Tailor the talk to the age of your child. Please, don't think it could never happen to your child, you do them a great disservice by not being aware, and not making them aware.

Good Mom, Bad Mom

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Fri, 20 May 2011 19:58:00 +0000

Recently I heard that certain government boards were throwing around the idea of paying teachers according to their student's performance. Seriously? I wonder if we applied that approach to the health profession if we could solve all our health care problems. If the doctor makes you well, then he gets paid. Surely, there are certain professions where your performance gauges your pay, but it is usually related to your performance and not that of another. Even an excellent teacher will get students who are determined not to learn. Should their pay really be in the hand of hormonal adolescents? The thought is ridiculous, and I hope that those in the world of politics will see how obviously wrong that idea is when played out in the classroom.
Yet, how often do we gauge our performance by our children's behavior, especially in public? None of my children came ready-made examples of politeness and thoughtfulness. I'm imagining that few of yours did either. But here we are, after just a few attempts of teaching them how to act, feeling devastated as a mother when they act rudely, or when they fight with their sibling. (Not to mention how destructivie it is to compare ourselves with mothers whose children are farther along in their training than ours.)
A mother recently told me how she felt like a bad mom because her children were fighting. I hope you hear me when I say that your worth as a mother does not hinge on how your children behave at a given moment, but rather on how you react to their behavior. Did you catch that? Your child acting poorly does not mean you are a bad mother, but your response to her behavior is the guide to your performance. Any time we wrap our self-worth into the performance of others, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Your consistency and creativity in delivering the consequences for her actions is the true test of your mothering. If your children are like mine, or like we were as children, then they will test those boundaries, and forget how to act, and let their emotions control their responses. They are people in training, not performing monkeys to dazzle all your friends and relations.
To be consistent, and observant, kind, but firm, are the marks of a good parent. And just like our children, we need the grace of God to fulfill our role daily. It is exhausting, exhilarating, demanding, and rewarding...and completely unattainable without the proper perspective.

Purging the Home, and the Heart

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:12:00 +0000

The birthday trifecta is about to descend on the Zwemke family. Every year I determine to get a head start on the festivities so that I won't consider checking myself into a mental institution after the dust clears. It is a wonderful thing to celebrate birthdays and we have four of them in our family within three weeks, plus our anniversary right on the heels of the last birthday. So in efforts to get ahead of the game, I began ordering all the birthday presents in one lump sum last night.
I don't know how you handle things in your home, but whenever I start thinking of adding all the new toys and gifts into the home inventory, I immediately think of things we must get rid of in order to make space for the coming bounty. Many things I know would not be missed, but some things, although unused, would cause some tears if removed permanently. I believe it is important to teach our children to be good stewards of the things they own, and to practice respecting the rights of others' ownership. So I don't want to force them to give up their toys, but I do want to teach them to hold all they own with an open hand, ready for God to take and receive as He sees fit.
Many a discussion has come about in these purging times (we do it before Christmas, too), and I'm happy to report that the show "Hoarders" has helped us in our case for giving up the little trinkets and such things that little girls love to cling to...petals from a flower picked last summer, stones from the driveway, little pine cones kept because...well because they are cute...and the like. Not to mention the toys that have been loved and need to move on because they are no longer used, or the toys that were never really loved after being opened at a previous festivity. How can we make way to receive the new, if we are not prepared to let go of the old?
The memories attached to an object can keep us too grounded in the past. It is too easy to think you need the object to keep your memory special. There are ways to help preserve a special moment without keeping yourself fettered from living in the present. So many sweet pictures drawn by little hands would fill a library, but perhaps our digital world can lend a hand. Taking pictures of the special scraps of paper and turning them into a compact picture book could help keep the clutter down, and remind the little ones that you love their offerings. But, our children need to learn to give generously, and to live freely in this materialistic world, and they will not be able to love people and like things if they are holding their possessions in too tight of a grasp.
Children aren't the only ones that hold tightly to their things. Parents, too, need to hold their possessions lightly, ready to let go when asked by the Master, for our children will see and learn from our example. But my mind began to ponder this purging to things less material. Do we not sometimes hold a past offense of a family member or friend a little too tightly? Sometimes we allow the pain of things gone by to cripple us from receiving the freedom of the life God offers now. We build a little fortress of self-righteousness and we think that the other needs to pay penance before we will let go of the offense. We seldom realize that the only one fettered by our un-forgiveness is ourselves. Lonely in our grief, we linger too long over the pain and it begins to turn to a caustic substance called bitterness. There is no room in a heart full of bitterness to receive the new gifts God wants to give. We can not see where we are going if we are constantly scrutinizing where we have been. Forgiveness purges the heart, freeing us to make room for what God offers next.
So today, I have been examining my home and my heart, and the purging of both, keeping me free from the ties that bind.

Leaving a Barrier

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Fri, 06 May 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Spring is the busiest season in our home. It's filled with testing and field trips, and multiple concerts for band and chorus. By the time Spring Break rolls around, I am more than ready to find a quiet place to curl up with a cup of tea and a book. But there have been several weeks recently where I found that life was hurtling at such a monstrous pace, that I couldn't give an honest answer to my husband when he asked me how I was doing. I honestly didn't know. I hadn't been still long enough to have any clue as to HOW I was doing.
This strange occurrence has been happening more frequently than I would care to admit. So I began to take stock of our life, and tried to find a few things we could cut out in order to leave the much needed barrier for quiet and reflection. I don't know about you, but I desperately need that barrier, or buffer, of time to allow space for evaluation. Space to know how those in my care are faring, including myself. As the main nurturer of the family, it is my job to have my finger on the family's pulse. And what I was feeling and seeing wasn't good.
Too many responsibilities, expectations taken on from those around us, and too many activities, makes for a group of harried roommates, but doesn't build the foundation of a family team. Ryan and I have had a call and vision for a family team since day one, and we would be fools to think that we need to take on more during this time of our lives if it caused us to sacrifice that dream. Even ministry and church activities can put a strain on a family team, especially during the young, foundation-laying-years of raising elementary and pre-school aged children. Just because an activity is a good thing, doesn't mean that it needs to be in your life. There are more good opportunities out there than can possibly be incorporated into a family's life, one must be careful in her choices.
This is one of the reasons our girls do not participate in group sports. Don't get me wrong, we have nothing against them, but we have seen how disconnected our lives would be as a family if we were always separating to follow each child's practice and game schedule. So when the girls have lessons we work hard to find something they are all interested in doing, and then pray for the opportunity to find those lessons so that they happen all at one time. It has taken patience, and creativity, but the Lord has always provided a way.
This time around, I had to take a break from blogging, and talking on the phone with friends, or even watching t.v., until the whirlwind settled. I also had to turn down a couple of leadership roles for our homeschool group next year. Knowing that the youngest child will be joining the ranks of the homeschooled in our family, means that I will be homeschooling all five little ladies in our home, and there will be even less time for me to know how I am doing. So leadership roles and other roles of ministry will have to take a back seat until my family matures and is more able to stand on their own firm foundation. Then I may be free enough with my time to take on more outside opportunities to share. If I concentrate on how God wants me to walk during this stage of my life, perhaps He will give me the honor of teaching the younger ladies in the way they should go. But, for now, I would only be the blind leading the blind.
There is a scripture verse that God has been making a theme in my life:

Psa 16:6 "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance."

These "lines" are my boundaries, and life is full of them. We can kick at them and push them, but the ones that God places in our lives are for our benefit and rest. I want to remember to leave room for them, for they are a barrier of protection for us as a family, and as followers of Christ.

Stop and Breathe

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 02:20:00 +0000

It's been a busy week in the Zwemke home. Planning for a birthday party, planning and practicing music for the Resurrection Sunday service, and of course planning and preparing food for all these events as well. My eyes are blurry from all the frantic commotion. I have been deep in task mode for more than 48 hours, and my heart feels the weight of it.
This evening, the evidence of a successful party is scattered all throughout the house, and the music for tomorrow is floating in the air. I had a cup of tea, and sang my songs, and now I am realizing that I have hardly taken more than 5 minutes to think and meditate on the glorious work Christ has done by paying the penalty of my great sin, and how He arose and sits victorious at the right hand of God, awaiting His perfect timing to return and claim His own.
Our tradition this time of year is to build a tomb of sorts, and place a doll, or something signifying Jesus, wrapped in a cloth inside, and then roll a "stone" in front of the tomb. In the morning, before going to the Resurrection Sunday service, we enact the women arriving at the tomb to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. We usually leave some Easter baskets with gifts for the girls inside the tomb, where there is a sign reading "He is Risen!" It's a wonderful tradition, and the girls truly look forward to it, but in all my busy-ness, I forgot to get presents...and there was no energy left to think about the tomb. I sat on the couch, begging the girls to let it go this year.
It is at moments like these that I am reminded that Mom doesn't have to do it all alone. Ryan and the girls busily worked to make a tomb, and by the judgment of the 8yro, "It's the best tomb, ever!" Then, I had to admit that I didn't get them any presents...only to find moments later, the 12yro stealing the baskets from my closet for "a surprise." I am looking forward to what she will do, and my heart is touched by her generosity, and care.
Grace...grace is what is needed in my heart tonight. I am sad, that I have grown weary with all the work to make times special. What I truly need is to stop, breathe, and meditate on the grace of Jesus, unbounded, and free. Grace that is greater than all my sin. I am thankful, that I have teammates, working with me to make memories for the younger ones. I desire for God to strengthen me tonight, so that tomorrow I will not just check off the rest of my to-do list, but will have the eyes to see past it, to the eternal, lasting things of God.

Ogres and Faries and Trolls, Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (The Zwemke Family) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:56:00 +0000

   Roll up your sleeves and buckle your seat belt, we're going to embark on yet another controversial subject. Should Christians read fantasy literature, and how do we allow our children to develop their imaginations without delving into the world of witchcraft: which the Bible clearly states, has no place in the life of a Christ follower?
   Let's start with some of the scriptures that define witchcraft and God's view of it. The main passage of interest is found in Deu 18:10-11 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. ".
And in the Hebrew law we find, Lev 20:27 'A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.' " Regardless of your feelings on the subject, it appears that God has stated His firmly. His people are not to participate in any such activity.
But then we come to fantasy literature....hmmm. So much of it deals with magical lands, creatures, and the like. Many parents have a healthy caution when it comes to what they allow their children to watch and read, and I would commend that feeling. It is true that God has placed us in the position of protecting and guiding our young ones, which includes the guarding and training of their minds, spirits, hearts, bodies, and character. Every family must be careful of what they choose to allow their children to view and read, and it will look different for each as they follow God's leading. For us, being a homeschooling family, we place a great value on the power of literature to form the patterns of thought and learning in our children, and we happen to love fantasy literature.
   We love the creative worlds and courageous adventures found in many of the stories we read. In C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, we find a beautiful allegory to the Gospel and the Christian's sanctification. In the J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, we find friendship, loyalty, courage, and the weak and frail overcoming the strong and evil. Some of these books have magic in them, and mythical creatures, such as elves, and fairies, etc. Even in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress we find giants and other such fantastic creatures.
For us, the presence of magic or fantasy creatures is not the main criteria we use when deciding which stories to read.   It has more to do with how those items are presented. For example, we do not choose to read fantasy literature that encourages the reader to find the magic within themselves, or to seek spiritual guides, or that present the magic in such a way as to suggest that it is available to those who would seek it in this world. We feel that this type of presentation would trespass the above scriptures by encouraging its readers to seek after and participate in sorcery, etc.
But if we were to rule out anything that mentions witchcraft or shows others participating in them, we would have to rule out the Bible itself. Sunday School quiz time....Which King of Israel sought the advice of a medium? That's right, the very first...Saul...found here: 1Sa 28:7 "Then Saul said to his servants, 'Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor'.''
(Don't you just love the town's name "En Dor"? Sounds like it came straight out of a sci-fi book.)
And the end of his story is recorded for us...1Ch 10:13 "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance." This is not the only time these things are mentioned in the Bible, yet the Bible does not condone these activities, even though it records them.
Fantasy literature is a removed world from our own, and in that setting one is sometimes more open to learning issues of character than in literature that relates so closely to our own experiences. Richard Scarry, the famous children book author once noted that he chose to use talking animals as his main characters because he found that children could identify with the lessons to be learned more readily than when the characters were humans. We have found that fantasy literature allows us to do the same with our children.
   So when you are deciding what to allow your children to read, ask yourself if this story encourages the reader to seek after witchcraft, or whether it mentions magic as some happenings in the story? Is magic the main thrust of the story, or just one component of it? Is there a deeper more valuable message to be found in the story, beyond the creatures and magic? Are the creatures, such as fairies simply doing what they were created to do in their world? Or is the author attempting to make you believe that such things are to be sought in this world? There is a difference, and you will have to seek God in guiding you as to what would instill a love and reverence for Him in whatever you read, whether full of fantastical creatures or not.
(On a side note, some have voiced uncertainty toward the Disney Fairies, etc. I cannot tell you what you should do for your own family, but I will tell you what we have done in ours. We have no problem with these fairies (although we wish some were more modestly dressed at times), as we see them doing the tasks that they were created to do in their world. We don't mind our girls painting pictures of them, etc, but we do not allow them to think that these fairies truly exist or make our seasons change. They belong in the category of pretend...and we have found many useful character lessons come out of the land of pretend to find root in our world quite nicely.)