ASSIGNMENTS

The last couple of weeks have been very introspective for me as I have considered the changing pace of life- for myself and for others.

Stress and difficulty plays no prejudice to anyone. We all experience it. What we we do during those times is the key. Most of the time it is the springboard into our next assignment in life.

Teaching has given me the opportunity to give many assignments. My children have not always taken them with the excitment that I have hoped for; nevertheless, it has been an assignment that they must complete.

There have been days that our 2 hour work schedule turned into an all day marathon of completing a few simple assignments. And being the persistent teacher I am; we deadlocked until the objective was met. During the afternoon, friends would come to the door to play. But because he wasted his valuable learning time, the luxury of playing the inviting, warm sunshine had been missed. When my little one realized that nothing else would take place until the assignment was done; he dried his tears and amazingly began to work out the IMPOSSIBLE problems with ease. I knew that it was never a matter of his ability to complete the assignment; but his attitude. My G-man now makes himself a checklist everyday of his assignments. He finds much pleasure in completing his own to-do list. He told me the other day, "Mom, you know, if we all will just accept our list of to do's without complaining; we get a great reward at the end of the day."

Brilliant kid!

Then my Father, God spoke to me. He reminded me that He has given me some assignments. And just like my boy, I have been obstinate- refusing to face the work and problems that are easy to solve. It's just I have an "I don't want to." And the longer that I refuse to do the work that He has intended to do; the longer this season will last. Time for an attitude change. I would hate to miss opportunities that await me because I refused to "do my assignments."

I now feel that God has given me a new assignment. No, I am not jumping up and down and excited about it. But He has shown me; it's time to move on to learning some new challenges so He can open up brand new opportunities for me.

Father, help me become the student that I and You would desire. Teachable and Obedient, ready to learn the easy and hard problems You give to me.

Happy New Year!

Like most people, the new year has brought many thoughts on the upcoming year and what it has in store. I would have to say that this year has a very different feel than others. My dh and I have a strong family focus this year. For the last 13 years, our lives have been about full time ministry but this year it is about The5chaps. Serving others in ministry has been very rewarding and fulfilling, but I allowed it to consume me to the point that I lost myself. This year is about finding me. I don't mean in a selfish way. I have no plans of trekking my own pursuits and serving up a piece of life for me and mine. I simply want to find myself in "beauty of the Lord... as he establishes the work of my hands" just as David pens in Psalm 90:17. (Thanks Rachel Anne @ http://www.homesanctuary.com/!)

With all of my heart, I believe God brought my husband and I out of full-time ministry to bless us and to show favor to our family as we learn to walk with Him in a new context. I am not sure where God is taking us ultimately, but I am okay with it as long as He remains in control. I hope to pen more about this journey along the next year.

So with that I have fashioned a blueprint for the new year called
"2008 Revolution"

1. Faith: Establish a fresh pattern of reading, studying, and serving God just because I really, really desire to and not out the responsibility of being in ministry.

2. Family: Rediscover and fall in love with my husband again! Share lots of family fun times with my children. LAUGH TOGETHER OFTEN!!

3. Friends: Develop new relationships with others that can add and multiply into our lives and purpose to reciprocate that back.

4. Fitness: Learn to love running. 5k here I come!

5. Finances: Become more generous. But not just with my money-- with my words, my thoughts, my time, my effort.

6. Fun: Being a choleric-type personality; I have determined that this year is a year to let go and just have loads of fun and do some things I have never done! Bottom line-- ENJOY THE LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN ME!

Here's to '08!! Ready or not, here I come!

Holiday Reflections

Christmas '07 has been the best yet for The 5 Chaps! Filled with a family focus more so than any other year, the opportunity to zero in on our little nest has been a worthwhile investment! We have been able to make some wonderful memories with our old traditions and the beginning of new ones!

Santa kept his word for "Lil' Caboose"--- A Big Red Car! He specifically told me, "I've got to tell Santa thanks!" What a thoughtful kid!

Kit meets Lily's new American Girl doll. Lily named her Grace!

G-man works on his Mission To Mars Lego sets for a good part of the day!

But we also have time for some fun rounds of Twister!

This year we also began the tradition of Christmas Fondue to end our Christmas day fun using some of our leftovers from our Christmas Steak Lunch! What a treat!

I am so thankful for the Lord's goodness to us this year! We have taken the wonderful times we have shared and stored them as treasured memories. God is so good and has been so gracious to my family! I truly love what He is doing in my life!


Christmas Blessings!

Christmas 2007

I would have to say that I am quite excited about calling 2007 to a close! It has been quite a year! It definitely superceded every expectation that I had for it- some in good ways and in others, well let's just say it was unexpected.


For The 5 Chaps, this Christmas is all about focusing in on family. And what a wonderful treat it is! My dh and I celebrated 13 years of marriage! I was surprised with a wonderful dinner out---WITHOUT CHILDREN--- to "The Melting Pot" which is a fondue restaurant that I have wanted to go to for over a year! And I thought I was going to make a turkey dinner and go to the gym!

This past weekend, our Lily made some wonderful memories for herself. She performed in our church's Christmas musical "Go Light Your World." She was one of the main orphans who gets adopted by the end of the play and gets a town thinking about the true meaning of Christmas.


Here she is at the end of the play after she is adopted. I was so proud. She didn't act nervous at all and really performed perfectly. I think she has found her niche!

Our 2 year old went to see Santa! This is the first year he would actually sat in Santa' s lap. He told him we wanted a "big, red car." We'll see what happens.

From Our Family To Yours!

The 5 Chaps

Live to Love; Love to Live!

As I create my blog, I am beginning to realize that my life right now is totally centered on my 3 growing children. Movies I watch, music I listen to, books I read, places I go are chosen as a result of these 3 incredible personalities. Surely I will move out of that phase soon enough; but right at this moment I do not want to take for granted what I have now.

Sure, I have seen High School Musical more times than I can count and the lyrics are stuck in my head when it is time to sing a cheery tune. I know every name to the engines of Thomas the Tank due to my 2 year old! And I have read most of the Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House books!

My life is for my kids for now, but that's okay. That is my assigment for life now. I live to love them so that we all will love to live! In the living, I find myself breathing a prayer-- "Let my love be patient, let my love be kind, let my love be a reflection of how my Father, God loves me."

Sitting on a Plateau

My name is Hope and I turn 34 tomorrow. I always had looked forward to my mid-years for some reason growing up. I suppose it was because I had a lot of goals I had wanted to accomplish by my mid-years-- go to college, get married, become a teacher, have a family, be a stay at home mom, own a home, etc.

Now that I am here, it seems surreal, although sometimes it has been nightmarish. Have I really accomplished what I wanted? It certainly came with its bumps. There are many unexpected turns that took place on this journey, and now I find myself looking to the future aksing God "what's next?"

Today I am sitting on a plateau not sure about what the future holds. I continue to take classes to further my education and retain my teaching certificate. As I take these classes, I am reminded how much I truly love teaching and being in the classroom.

I dedicate my everyday to my 3 fun-loving children who make me laugh at life daily. Who would I be without them? As a mother it is my responsibility to shape them, but the truth is they have impacted my life more than they will ever know. Having the opportunity to be as involved in their lives as I am is priceless.

I have a wonderful part-time venture through FOCUS Co-op. I have been able to have the best of both worlds as an educator and as a homeschool parent. I love being an educational advocate for the community offering exciting, out-of-the-box learning experiences for homeschool students. The opportunities for this type of resource center is really on a new curve for a growing community of parents and students.

I pray and inquire of the Lord of the purposes of my life. I truly want to fulfill them all. I want to come to the end of my days knowing that I didn't miss it- and that my life was full and meaningful. Tomorrow is important for me. It is a reminder to move foward no matter what is behind me-- good or bad.

So today, I sit on a plateau looking toward the future, preparing to make my move. But for now, I am going to sit on this flat-top for a bit. This plateau is about me enjoying where I am in life at this moment. And being completely satisfied right now with the good things in life I have in front of me- a loving husband, great kids, a supportive family, kind-hearted friends, and a wonderful God who has everything under control!