Motivate Me Monday- Don't Hide Your Light

Do you remember the childhood song, "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy?"  Remember the verse, "Hide it under a bushel, NO!  I'm gonna let it shine!"?  I was reminded of this while reading to Jacob this week.  We're reading Bartholomew's Passage (Yes, I know it's an Advent book, but we started it before Christmas and can't put it down until we're done....).  Anyway, we read a section this week about the Essenes:

The Essenes thought that if they followed all their rules carefully, hid from the rest of the world, and spent their days in prayer and study, they would sit at the banquet table of Jehovah someday....

Yes, as Nathan has decided for himself, it is a very good thing to spend much time praying, and seeking God, and studying His Word.  But Jesus told us to be a part of this world without allowing its temptations to lead us into selfishness.  And why would he say that?  Why not just separate ourselves and live godly lives apart from the rest of our community?  

So that we can tell everyone else that God loves them, too!

That just brought to mind so many things....things that I've heard and seen in so many Christian circles.  Why is it that Jesus could go eat with the tax collectors and visit with unbelievers, but we feel we have to shelter ourselves away from anything or anyone who could "taint" our religion?  Seriously....this just gets me upset when I think about it.  I've witnessed so many Christians in their tight knit circles, who are not willing to budge on any of their traditions, not willing to give the time of day to someone who might be slightly different from them, not willing to let anyone else in because they don't want to have an ungodly influence within their midst.  But how is that Christian?  It's more hurtful than anything.  I've often been puzzled by this.  How can we reach them if we don't go out of our circles, out into the thick of it all, out into the world?  How can we truly be like Jesus if we can't do this?  Worst of all, how will our children perceive Jesus and Christianity, if we don't teach them through example?  If we shelter them and stifle them away from everything that is seemingly ungodly, how is this world ever going to be reached for Christ?  I'm not saying we need to needlessly expose our children to harmful things, but I'm saying we shouldn't be afraid to reach out to our unbelieving neighbors and people we come in contact with, even people we might have to go out of our way to be a light to.   

I recently heard a story about a woman who goes around to stripclubs, witnessing to the women who work there.  Now I'm not saying that everyone should run to their nearest stripjoint, but she has a real ministry working with these women, and she has helped to bring many of them out of this lifestyle into true freedom.  What a light she has in a very dark world....honestly, I had to search my heart to ask myself, "Could I be that strong of a light?  Am I willing to go anywhere He asks me to go?" 

I guess what I'm trying to say is to let God use you.  Let him speak to your heart.  Don't be so shut off by your traditions and maybe even the circles you associate with.  Get out there, and be a light to those who desperately need to see that light.  Don't stifle the light that God has given you by refusing to go out into the world.  Don't push people away by the way you view them.  Walk confidently out into that big, ugly, sometimes scary world, and get ready to put up a fight with the dark side.  Be a light to those who desperately need Him.

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.

CFBA: Kelly's Chance

Just a few thoughts from me: In this story, Kelly is a girl who is torn between family and ambition/dreams of some day becoming a professional artist.  She's constantly drawing, which is much to the dismay of her father.  She doesn't want a marriage like her parents have, and her father also is afraid that she'll go off and leave, just like her sister Sarah did to marry; but on the other hand, she has so many hopes and dreams for her future.  When she was little, she gave her heart to God, but now, it seems that she's grown so far apart from Him....although everything begins to change when she meets Mike Cooper.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Kelly’s Chance Barbour Books; Reprint edition (January 1, 2010)

by

Wanda E. Brunstetter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Note From Wanda:

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. When I was in the second grade, I wrote my first poem about a moth. Luckily, I received encouragement from my teacher. During my teen years, I wrote skits that my church teen group performed during special holidays.

It wasn’t until 1980, that I took a course on writing for children and teenagers. I became serious about a career as an author. Soon after that, I began to write stories, articles, poems, and devotionals, which appeared in a variety of Christian publications. Later, I had 5 books of puppet/ventriloquist scripts published. *These books are currently available by contacting me. (wanda@wandabrunstetter.com)

My first novel was released by Barbour Publishing’s book club, Heartsong Presents, in Dec. 1997. I have now written nearly fifty books, with over 4 million books in print. Many of the novels I've written are Amish-themed.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Life for Kelly McGregor is a daily drudge of driving her overbearing father’s mules along Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Canal. She dreams of one day owning an art gallery where her own drawings and paintings are on display. But these dreams don’t include marriage. . .not after seeing what her father has done to her mother. How then can Mike Cooper, a general store owner, make her realize he is different than her father and wants to support her artistic talent? Will Kelly learn that dreams can walk hand in hand with a love created by God?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Kelly’s Chance , go HERE.

My New Cave

You know how sometimes you just want to go find a cave to get away to sometimes?  Well, I think I've found my version of my cave....scrapbooking.:)  I love, love, love it.  My mom-in-law got me a Michael's gift card for Christmas, and I instantly knew what I wanted; I'd been eyeing it for two years; it was the Martha Stewart Essential Colors Glitter Set.  

While I haven't been able to bring myself to open it yet (it's just too beautiful), I'm waiting for just the right project, like maybe our wedding scrapbook.  

BUT as long as it took me to do this first layout this weekend (my first real layout, even though I've attempted to come up with others on my own), it could be a while before I get to the wedding album.:)LOL

I've decided to start using my Michael's coupons to just get stuff here and there when I can to feed my new "cave" hobby.:)  There are so many layouts to look at online and get ideas from.  That's exactly how I did this layout, by looking at another similar one.  No, I really don't know what I'm doing, but I guess I'll learn as I go.

I'm just so excited!  I love my Xacto knife (well, my generic Xacto knife), and I love layering designs....it's just too much fun!  I'm thinking with as much fun as I had just cutting designs out, maybe I should have been a surgeon.:)  Seriously, I had to make some of the stuff on this design, since I didn't have a ton of supplies....so much fun, though!  (By the way, anyone got any great ideas of where all to get affordable scrapbooking supplies online?  I'm new to this, so I'd love your advice.) 

Friday Funnies- Hedge of Protection

Gotta love Tim Hawkins....I would give my eye teeth to go see him live.  Oh my goodness....I laughed and laughed on this one.  "A hedge, huh?  I don't mean to complain, but is that the best you can do?"  LOL  Laugh it up! 

For more Friday Funnies, visit Kim at Homesteaders Heart.

TOS Crew: Kinderbach

Music education is very dear to my heart, since I grew up with years of piano lessons.  It's something my parents started with me when I was 5 years old.  Naturally, I want to instill a love for music into my own children.  I've started trying to teach Jacob the piano this year, and when we had the chance to review Kinderbach online piano lessons, I was so ready.  

Kinderbach is a program that doesn't just sit your child in front of a piano with a book and expect him to learn rhythm, music theory, etc.  Kinderbach actually uses all of the learning styles together to make music interesting, learnable, and fun for your child.  Designed for ages 3-7, it's meant for those early preschool ages; I did feel, at first, that the lessons were a little "childish" for Jacob, but as we got into them more, he was really learning, and he was enjoying it too.  Using the computer, basic rhythm instruments (we used pens; hey, they worked), and a keyboard, Jacob has been able to comprehend more than I could have taught him myself right now.  I actually enjoyed staying with him through the lessons and doing the rhythm beats, song singing, and activities together.  The nice thing is that if you don't have any musical background, it's ok.  You can learn right along with your child.  The lessons are very simple and short, so they don't require a long attention span either, which was nice for Jacob, as he's a mover.  Here are some of the things your child will learn from Kinderbach:

• Music vocabulary
• Music theory- note reading, time signature, fingering, different types of notes, etc.
• Rhythm and beat value
• Physical technique
• "Do Re Mi" singing
• Listening skills- learning high vs. low sounds, etc.
  
• Ear training
• Introduction to music composition- with Bach.
• Keyboard landscape- using characters, activities, etc.
  

The lessons include several colorful characters, including Miss Diddle, the Beat Bug Brigade, Frisco, Dodi, and others.  Jacob absolutely loved Dodi and Frisco.  The keyboard is the home for all of these characters, as you will see when your child begins learning where different keys are.  The characters are also included in the printable worksheets that came with our lessons.

With several lessons, your child will have games, puzzles, coloring activities, and more to help reinforce what he is learning.  He will sometimes work right along with the video.

There are 6 levels to Kinderbach, each level having 10 lessons.  You can use Kinderbach for one or all of your children, which is nice when you consider the cost of having multiple children in piano lessons.  You can purchase a Kinderbach online membership for $7.99 a month, paid in one lump payment of $95.88 annually; or if you choose to pay monthly, it's $19.99/month.    They also have DVD packages available, as well as extras (worksheets, coloring pages, etc.) to go along with the lessons.  You can try it for free here.  I definitely recommend Kinderbach, especially with the cost of music education nowadays.  In my opinion, it can give your child an early start  and an education that's going to stick with him for a lifetime, possibly helping him if he chooses to keep playing piano or chooses to play another instrument later on.  It has definitely helped Jacob to learn how rhythm works, which is something he didn't quite understand before.  Here's a video that tells you a bit more about Kinderbach.

To read more reviews, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog. 

(Disclosure: I was given a Kinderbach trial, free of charge, by Kinderbach, in association with the TOS Homeschool Crew.)

Split-Second Cookies

This recipe is one of my favorites; it's so delicious! I actually got the recipe from my Taste of Home cookbook, but I've tweaked it just a bit.  The recipe is for Split-Second Cookies; the link will take you to the recipe.  These cookies are even better because they don't take forever to make....

The only things I've done differently is I use blackberry jam instead of raspberry, and I also add powdered sugar at the end, when I take them out of the oven.  I sprinkle it on; it just gives a little extra to the cookies. 
 
Enjoy! 

TOS Crew: Worship Guitar for Kids

When I was a teenager, I wanted so badly to learn how to play the guitar.  I got myself a book, and I made several attempts at it, but it just never came together for me.  Now, though, I have the opportunity to teach Jacob how to play, and I can learn right along with him, using Jean Welles' Worship Guitar Class for Kids, Volume 1. 

I actually received Jean's e-book to go along with online streaming videos for beginner lessons.  The book goes through all of the different lessons in written form, so that Jacob can read what Jean is talking about, also visually looking at the different notes, chord charts, and the written music that he will be learning.  It helps to reinforce what he is learning through the videos.  The videos feature Jean Welles, who has a guitar in hand, teaching your student different aspects to the guitar, as well as how to play.  Throughout the videos, she has the help of a 7 year old student, Abigail, who is also learning how to play the guitar.  There are 9 lesson videos, as well as 9 practice session videos.  The practice sessions run for about 5 minutes each, and she begins each one with prayer. 

Throughout the lessons, Jacob can learn how to tune his guitar, the parts of the guitar, how to catch the rhythm (using arm swings for illustration), notes and their values, how to read chord charts, how to thumb strum, different chords and how to play them on the guitar, and even extras for songs, such as a bass run.  

He'll also play several worship songs, some of which include Thank You Father, I Will Trust You, This Little Light of Mine, I Worship You Lord, etc.  I love the worship aspect to this series because not only can Jacob learn how to play the guitar, but he can worship God right along with the lessons.  He's even encouraged to try making up his own verses throughout. 

Jean recommends this series for ages 5 and up, and she recommends spending this time with your child each day, helping him as he goes along in the lessons, even offering praise.  She gives a practice box at the end of every lesson, in which she recommends the student practicing for 5-10 minutes each day and then gives an outline of what he should practice for the week.  She also provides practice charts, as well as suggestions on how to use them to motivate and encourage your child.  

I look forward to using this more with Jacob, as he has been asking for a while now to learn to play the guitar.  Lesson prices being what they are, though, we had refrained, especially in light of him doing Tae Kwon Do right now, but now we have this opportunity to learn right here, in the comfort of our own home.  I'm pretty excited about this.  

You too can either learn how to play or teach your kids how to play.  You can purchase the Guitar Worship Class for Kids online streaming videos for $28, which honestly, is quite reasonable, given the cost of lessons; 9 lessons for $28 is a true bargain, in my opinion.  If you'd rather have the DVD, you can purchase it for $29.97, or you can get both the DVD and access to the online lessons for $33.  You can also purchase other videos/DVDs from Jean, such as How To Master Finger Picking, "Be Thou My Vision" Arrangements, or Christmas Songs and Solos.   You can see more of what Jean Welles has to offer on her website, Worship Guitar Class.

To read more reviews, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

(Disclosure: I received the Worship Guitar Class for Kids, Volume 1, free of charge, from Jean Welles, in association with the TOS Homeschool Crew.)