The Fruitful Season: Part 7

It is time to continue with our series of “Fruitful Season” blog posts. As many of you know this summer Steve wrote a men’s book, Redeeming the Time, and Sarah completed another book in the Moody Family series, Summer Days with the Moodys. Therefore I spent my summer working with Steve as he developed his outline and helping with editing on both book projects.

As summer was approaching, we asked Mary, age 12 at the time, if she was willing and thought she was able to take over my daily household tasks so that my time was available for book work. She happily agreed. For the summer, since she didn’t have school work to do, Mary did my morning and weekly chores, oversaw the laundry, kept up the grocery list, and did what I normally do with meals.

Recently Mary (13), Anna (17), and I were working on a new chore plan. Through the years, the children each had from fifteen to thirty minutes of weekly chores that they did on Fridays, our light school day, while I usually spent at least three hours doing my weekly chores. When we were building the house, converting the bus, and since our return from our trip, the boys have been released from their weekly chores. Their time is being utilized in jobs for which the girls are not well suited, and the girls have taken over their weekly household chores.

When the girls were discussing reassigning the chores, Anna said, “I would like to just have a general list that we would all work from until the jobs are completed.” The past couple of weeks when I have come home from my morning walk with Steve on Friday, Anna has been doing the vacuuming, which is my chore, and the damp mopping. Mary has been doing my main floor dusting. I asked them what was left for me to do, and they said my bathroom and then I should rest my back.

These are the fruitful years, but I remember the weary years. They were the years when the children could do little productive work themselves, but they required much maintenance and made significant messes. I remember the years, and often discouragement associated with it, of teaching them to do chores, checking the chores, calling them back to redo a poor job, and giving consequences when needed. I wanted them to be independent, diligent, and responsible from the first time I taught them a chore and gave it to them to do.

There were times I wanted to give up trying and to stop putting forth effort in the area of chores and personal responsibility – times I didn’t think they would ever be responsible or helpful unless it was required of them and I was overseeing them. But I never felt the Lord allowing me that option, and I had a husband who was always encouraging me to stay the course while he was working with the children toward the goal. If you want to know what we learned along the way that has to do with chores, you might be interested in Managers of Their Chores.

Now my girls can run the household. They choose to do work that I consider my responsibility in order to help me, ease my physical load, and free up my time for other activities. These are the fruitful years. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

Life with a few pictures

I know we haven’t posted much of daily life the past few weeks, and for those wondering what we’re up to, I’ll post a quick summary 🙂 …

  • School, for the three left!
  • Titus2 Ministry Work (Dad, Sarah, and Joseph some of the time)
  • Doctor’s Appointments (for Grandad and Grandma; Mom takes them)
  • Replacing windows/siding for a lady (Joseph and John)
  • Music practice (beginning to prepare for our next trip, which is just five weeks away!)
  • Working on new sessions for the Christ-Led Family Conference (to be given in Tucson, Arizona, Jan. 15-16th, and McMinnville, Oregon, Jan. 29-30th)
  • Family time — on Thanksgiving, we had a nice, quiet day, which included decorating for Christmas and visiting our dear friends at the nursing home.
  • Bus work — our “final” furniture for the bus will be arriving early this week, Lord willing. This includes two long “benches”, which will replace the couch/love seat/recliners we currently use, plus a captain’s seat for Mom. We also ordered flooring for the front part of the bus.
  • There is much to be done before we embark on our West Coast trip in early January! The trip is still having new stops added, so check it out when you have a chance.
  • I had to send my camera in for service; it was hard to part with, but Joseph is graciously loaning me his. I didn’t realize how much I enjoy taking pictures until I was without one!
Grandma watched the process.
Grandad enjoyed it too!
Joseph did a wonderful job on the mantle.
Joseph did a wonderful job on the mantle.
We love having the names of Jesus on our mantle.
We love having the names of Jesus on our mantle.
Mary and Mom were a team.
Mary and Mom were a team.

I’ve been reading in Isaiah in my personal Bible time lately, and I’ve been enjoying it. Our Lord is so merciful and gracious–when we are so undeserving. May you have a blessed week, resting in Him.

Sarah

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah 44:22).

John’s Graduation Celebration

John’s graduation day finally arrived. Because of his investment working on our house and bus, John wasn’t able to finish his graduation requirements until we were on our last trip in September and October. He then turned these in to Steve, who needed to find time to go over them. The rest of the family was very anxious for John’s graduation. Last Sunday, Steve said John had completed his work, and we all voted to have the graduation right away.

John is the third of our five graduates to choose to have a family celebration for his graduation. Sometimes I have wondered whether we should include others in the graduation and whether the family graduation is too much like a birthday. John’s graduation dispelled those thoughts from my mind.

After eating John’s favorite meal and having family Bible time, we joined our hearts in a celebration of blessing and prayer. We each came prepared with a verse or two of Scripture written out to share with John and give to him. After presenting John with their verse, most also prayed for him expressing gratitude for where the Lord has brought him and blessing for his future. This was a very special time, filled with emotion and tears. The intimacy of those moments could only have come about within the context of our family.

The other children had prayerfully chosen and sacrificially purchased graduation gifts. As a mother, that conveyed so much to my heart of their love for their brother and desire to invest in his life.  John had written a precious card, which he presented to me, of gratitude to me for my investment in his education, and it included an invitation to go out to dinner with him.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).

We had our special time in the Word before we began our prayer time.
We had our special time in the Word before we began our prayer time.
Dad praying for John
Steve praying for John
While Grandpa was praying for John, Abby took his spot!
While Grandpa was praying for John, Abby took his spot!

Maxwell Homeschool Graduate #5

More details and photos from the family celebration later…

Congratulations, John!

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

A Push-Up?

A Picture from Life on the Road

I'm not sure this qualifies as a real push-up?! Because of the bunk, it would be even easier than doing one on one's knees...

I won’t say who it is, but someone was having a little bit of exercise while waking up! Some of the boys like to do a few push-ups to try while on the road, but usually they try to keep proper form. There’s an open Bible on the right (some choose to have their Bible time in their bunk) and at the top you’ll see someone’s hand pointing out what was going on. The blue tape that’s on the floor was from the floor plan mockup that we did while designing the bus conversion. A towel is drying on Dad and Mom’s bed (we haven’t yet come up with a good solution for drying towels).

You just never know when your camera will come in handy!

“For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things…”
(1 Timothy 4:8)