What I Learned This Week: My husband told me I had to write this post

Seriously, my husband told me I had to write this post and share this knowledge. This isn't something that I learned this week but it is great information to have. And I guess that, technically, I could say that I learned (from Jason) that it was my civic duty to tell you this.

How can I argue with that?

Do you have people calling you from various charities asking for contributions or pledges? Do you have a hard time saying "no" but can't actually donate anything, or have agreed with your spouse "These are the charities we will contribute to this year/month"? We don't have caller id...which is probably why we feel like we are the only ones taking these calls. But in case I'm wrong and we aren't the only ones without caller id, here's my (so far) fool-proof way to get off their calling list without all the added guilt they throw your way via their scripts.

1. Tell the person on the other end of the phone line that you believe this is a fine organization/a good cause/a worthwhile program...whatever is appropriate. (It helps if you actually mean this. I'm not encouraging you to lie!)
2. Immediately tell the caller that you really cannot contribute anything at this time. Mention your budget if you would like. (Again, it helps if you actually mean it. They can't argue with your budget.)
3. This is key: Immediately follow up with "And I need to be taken off your calling list." This is crucial, or else you will be reciting the first two steps every month or so while they check back to see if your resolve has weakened situation has changed.
   

Nine times out of ten, this ends the call! If it does not and the caller refers back to their script, repeat steps 2 and 3 in one breath. If they still persist (this has only happened to me only once), repeat steps 2 and 3 and then follow up with "and I need to hang up the phone now." You can do this sooner if that makes you happy, but sometimes the caller keeps you on the line to verify that your phone number has been removed from the system.

Remember throughout the entire dialogue to be kind to the caller. This is their job, and they may not like making the calls much more than you like receiving them, but it is their job. It's not personal, and you have better things to do than get in a huff over this.

Maybe next week I'll tell you about how I make telemarketers hang up on me. Oh, wait, I already did that...

What have you learned this week?

What I Learned This Week

This post nearly wrote itself as I was hacking away at brambles in my back yard. It's been a long time since I linked up with What I Learned This Week...not that I haven't been learning anything, but we have taken the week off from school so I actually have a little more time to devote to my poor, sadly neglected blog.

This week I also have had a little more time to devote to my poor, sadly neglected back yard, which is how we got here to this post.

You see, the house next door is vacant and the yardwork has been tended to by us and the neighbor on the other side of that house so that, you know, it doesn't look so vacant. However, it has been years since the previous owners mowed the back half of their back yard, so it looks like this:


Seriously, there are about a dozen trees in that back section that weren't there 10 years ago when we moved here.

There are also brambles...lots of brambles. And over the summer, these brambles crossed through the fence and grew into our back yard.


Why, yes, that is ragweed. That's growing and spreading, too. Yay.

While I was cutting away the brambles, I noticed that my mind kept returning to the spiritual applications I could make with this whole process. With the brambles representing sin in our life:

1. Our sin affects those around us with the resulting consequences. Our old neighbors didn't envision brambles and ragweed (and oddly spaced trees) growing to fill the back portion; they simply wanted to pay their lawn guy less money when they made the decision not to mow that area.

2. If we are watchful and stop sin in its track early on, it is easier to deal with because it has not established deep roots in our lives. If I had taken the time to walk around and look at what was happening in my own back yard, I would have seen the brambles sooner. If I had seen that the brambles were growing through the fence earlier, there would have been less work involved to remove them.

3. There is no use going through all of the "if onlys"--you simply have to start where you are and deal with it...and, hopefully, learn from it. Thinking about how I could have/should have done something earlier did absolutely nothing to get rid of the brambles. I could, however, ask Robert to tell me as soon as he started noticing the brambles while mowing our yard.

4. It's easier with someone alongside you helping you. Even if that person is an 8 year old who would just as soon be sitting on the driveway smashing rocks with a hammer...or smashing the driveway with a hammer...whatever. Having Josiah help cut away the brambles helped the job go quicker. And, as a bonus, it kept him from smashing more of the driveway, too. (I wish I weren't joking...)

5. When you are helping someone else in dealing with their entanglement in sin, you have to establish clear boundaries to protect yourself from getting entangled along with them. After I finished cutting away the brambles in our yard, the only thing I could do across the fence was to cut as wide of a gap as I could into the neighbor's brambles. At the very least, this will keep the brambles out of our yard for a little longer next year.


6. You cannot do the job correctly without the right resources. I need better work gloves! However, even though the job was a little more painful without thicker gloves, I would have stopped long before I was done if I had not had the long-handled clippers and lopper.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 21-24 NIV)

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 NIV)

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NIV)

...for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13 NIV)

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body. (2 Peter 1:12-13 NIV)

What have you learned this week?

Overheard: What I Learned This Week

I'm joining Julie at From Inmates to Playdates for What I Learned This Week, which I haven't participated in in a while...not because I haven't been learning anything, but because I've busy learning how to set up and facilitate a Facebook group for our women's ministry, and then having guilt over not posting frequently to it to keep the chatter momentum going. And it's only been up for less than a week now...

I think I have a lot more guilt in my future. But on with what (else) I learned this week.

~~~~~

There is a song in a ministry video Jason found that the kids have loved to see over and over...and over...again that is to the tune of the "Boom de yada" song. It's called "I Love My Church," and Josiah and Grace have been singing the words they've memorized (or almost memorized) for days now. Grace still occasionally forgets the words:

Josiah [correcting Grace's misunderstanding of the lyrics]: No, Grace. It's "I'm part of something big." Ya see, it's a big church and if you mess up, everybody's gonna know about it.

Well, I really wish I hadn't learned that. ;)

~~~~~

I learned that Grace will eat bats. Not that she has actually eaten bats, but she's not against the idea. Jason gave me a case of dark chocolate bars (with cacao "nibs") that he bought online, and they have a photo of a beady-eyed bat on the wrapper because the sale of the chocolate bars support endangered species. We've been calling them bat chocolate, because...well, why not? These are actual conversations I've had with Grace about the bat chocolate, who has been made to believe thinks these bars have a bat on the wrapper because that's what they're made with:

Me [gesturing to the bat on the wrapper]: Isn't this a cute bat, Grace?

Grace [ever mindful of the importance of tact, and not wanting to be rude and say that the bat is ugly and has beady eyes like her mother will]: Ummmmm....well...it's a yummy bat.

Me [slightly shocked but laughing]: Doesn't it bother you that you're eating a bat?

Grace [coolly]: No, it doesn't matter to me.

Ewwwwww!

~~~~~

I learned that Robert will still draw humorous additions to his school work...The question was "Which continent does the North Sea touch?"

~~~~~

I learned that if you eat dark chocolate and then soon after that eat a lemon Starburst, you will have a taste like lemon-scented cleaner in your mouth. It's going to be a while before I can eat lemon Starbursts again...

~~~~~

On Sunday, as some ladies were setting up tables and tablecloths in preparation for a bridal shower, they noticed stains on the white tablecloths. Our friend Steve said that what they needed to do was to spread flower petals or something else on the table; this would create "texture" and draw the eyes away from the flaws on the tablecloths.

So that's what I'm calling the clutter in my house now: texture.

And that's what I learned this week. Click over to see what others have learned this week, too!

If you are on Facebook, be sure to read what I've written about what I've learned (so far), especially if you use the "Friends of Friends" privacy setting. I also tell how you can easily clean up your home page by "hiding" the apps like Farmville, etc.

What I Learned This Week: A new shape

It's been a while since I participated in the "What I've Learned This Week" blog carnival hosted by Jo-Lynne at Musing of a Housewife.

It's been a while since I posted much of anything over here...but I knew I had to share this. It's big news, folks. Big news! I learned that there is a new shape out there that I have never heard of before.

Really, I thought I knew all the shapes there were to know! But that was before my 7 year old told me he had invented one.

This, my friends, is called a vench, and it is a new shape invented by Josiah, age 7.

You're welcome.

Josiah also told me about another new shape he has invented called a var, but he said it was very hard to draw. He's still working on drawing that one for me.

Now, head on over to Musings of a Housewife to see what others have learned this week! I'm pretty sure there won't be any posts about new shapes. ;)

Click here to see what else I’ve learned in other weeks.

What I learned this week

Jo-Lynne at Musing of a Housewife hosts a blog carnival called "What I Learned This Week." I occasionally join in...you know, during weeks when I've actually learn something.

Oh, I joke.

Soooo...What have I learned this week?

KJ-52 is pronounced "K J five two," and the KJ part stands for "King" and "Jonah" (Jonah is his first name, and "King" and "Jonah" refer to his previous rap moniker...like I know what I'm saying...) and the "five two" part stands for the five loaves and two fish.

I'm older than KJ-52.

I will Google strange things, even artists I'm mildly curious about after seeing them on JCTV, when I am confined to a recliner while propping my leg up for hours on end. (JCTV is a Christian music video channel that we now get thanks to the digital converter box. We may never get to watch NBC after it goes "all digital," but hey, we get this new station that is a favorite of Robert and Josiah. Clearly, it's a fair trade.)

I'm younger than Toby Mac. Oh, wait--I already knew that. I'm just trying to make myself feel a little better about being older than KJ-52.

Wait! Don't click away! How about this one...

The Herodium mountain is a man made mountain that King Herod had moved, bucket by bucket, to build his palace-fortress. (Go here and here to see photos of Herodium; go here and here to read about Herodium.) This is likely to be the mountain that Jesus referred to in Matthew 17:20, when He said, "...if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Bucket by bucket...not "snap your fingers and it will happen." Hmmmm...

Visit Musing of a Housewife to see what others have learned this week! I can almost guarantee no one else will mention KJ-52 or Toby Mac.

What I learned this week

Jo-Lynne at Musing of a Housewife hosts a blog carnival called "What I Learned This Week." I am joining in this week a little late. :)

Soooo...What have I learned this week?

1. I should not attempt to kick a soccer ball. Ever again.


2. It is really hard to sit all day long.


3. It does, however, make it easier knowing that I have three kids who will willingly pitch in to help in a variety of ways.


4. It also helps knowing that I'm off the hook for dinner preparation for at least a couple of nights. (And you can't beat having a dishwasher installed on the very day I learned #1, after washing dishes by hand for 9 months!)


5. I can get my husband Jason Slade to make tea for me, and with only minimal joking about “dirty leaf water.”
   
6. If I am being forced to sit with my leg elevated, I can and will balance the checkbook the day that the bank statement comes in the mail. (That’s the first time in many, many years.)
   
7. Mad Libs will keep 6 and 11 year olds occupied for hours at a time.


8. A 6 year old boy will quickly learn everything from nouns to adverbs while playing Mad Libs.


9. Therefore, Mad Libs can be counted as school time.


10. If you need a body part while playing Mad Libs, “bellybutton” is consistently the funniest one you can pick.


11. If you need a noun while playing Mad Libs, “cat” is consistently the funniest one you can pick, according to 6 and 11 year old boys.


12. I, however, am partial to using the word “platypus.”


13. My 6 year old did not know what a platypus looks like. He does now.


14. The platypus and the echidna are the only two mammals that lay eggs.


15. I already knew this fact about the platypus; I didn't think I'd ever heard of an echidna until I read its nickname, the spiny anteater.


16. I will read aloud about animals from encyclopedias when I am bored sitting with my leg propped up.


17. Both the platypus and the echinida are from Australia.


18. I can read approximately 324 books to Grace in a day if I am sitting with my leg propped up. Or maybe it just feels like that…


19. My 11 year old will still hang around to listen to me read aloud children’s books.


20. My 6 year old can stay outside all. day. long.
    

Head on over to Musings of a Housewife to see what others have learned this week!

~~~~~

Since I have heard from a few people who were concerned about my injury, I wanted to assure everyone that I am doing better. I’m getting around much easier and, no, I didn't break any bones. It’s a muscle injury, and Jason Slade has some experience/training with sports injuries…although I hesitate to refer to this as a sports injury since I got hurt before I actually made contact with the ball…how pathetic is that? Anyway, he has been keeping tabs on the location of my injury as well as my improvement. So, I'm OK...really! :)

The Psalms of Ascent

I am revisiting the Beth Moore study I finished, oh, in late February, so let's pretend this is a time warp and go with it as part of the "What I Learned This Week" blog carnival hosted by Jo-Lynne at Musing of a Housewife, OK?

To keep this a little more readable without citing references constantly, I am simply grouping my notes by the weekly video sessions, since many of the references are the fill-in-the-blanks in the viewer's guide. This Bible study on the Psalms of Ascent brought in the history and the meaning of the Feasts to which the pilgrims were traveling.

To the best of my knowledge, I took accurate notes during this study. If you spot any errors, please let me know. If you want to add something you learned on this topic, whether through this particular study or something else, please feel free to leave it in a comment!

Ready?

~~~~~

Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent

by Beth Moore

Viewer Guide, Introductory Session:
The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) were sung on the pilgrimages to the Three Great Feasts in Jerusalem:
1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread/Passover (Spring)
2. The Feast of Weeks/Pentecost (Early Summer)
3. The Feast of Tabernacles (Fall)


Viewer Guide, Session Two:
Passover pictures the death of the Messiah.
The blood of the Passover lamb was painted on the door frame with the hysop plant (see Exodus 12:7, John 10:11 and Psalm 51:7). The cleansing of sins came through the blood of the sacrificial lamb.

Jesus Christ is our Passover (1 Corithians 5:7).

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:17, Mark 14:1) pictures the burial of the Messiah. Leaven became symbolic of sin (Matthew 16:5-9). Beth quoted The Feasts of the Lord and said, “Ancient rabbis…believed that leaven represents the evil impulses of the heart. This fermentation implied a process of corruption.” The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week of sanctification to get all of the leaven (sin) out of them.

Jesus Christ is our Unleavened Bread because He is without sin and without corruption.

The Feast of Firstfruits pictures the resurrection of the Messiah.

Jesus Christ is the Firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-24).


Viewer Guide, Session Three:
The Feast of Weeks (Hebrew Shavuot) derives its name from the seven weeks separating it from the Feast of Firstfruits. It is also known by the Greek name of Pentecost (for “fiftieth“) as well as the Feast of the Harvest (Exodus 23:16).

The Feast of Weeks was a time of remembering their bondage; therefore, we (present-day believers) should focus on the freedom Christ has given you.

The Feast of Weeks was a time of great generosity: generous grace, and generous giving.


Viewer Guide, Session Four:
The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) has a strong emphasis on the Messiah (Psalm 118:24-26). This is the most Messianic of the Feasts, and there is always a great sense of expectancy with an invitation for God to bring the Messiah.
Palm branches are associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. In Matthew 21, there is an immediate leap forward into the Feast of Tabernacles. The palm branches showed the people’s expectancy that this was the Messiah.

This is also the picture in Matthew 17:4, when Peter asks “Shall I build three tabernacles?” He was thinking, “Is it time for the feast? This has to be the Messiah!”

The pinnacle moment of the celebration was the ceremonial water pouring each day, drawn from the Pool of Siloam and carried back to the temple to be poured out for God. (Beth quoted someone who said, “Those who have never experienced the joy of water drawing have never experienced joy in their lives.“ So…this was big.) The seventh day was the biggest celebration, and this is the setting of John 7:37-39 (see also John 7:2). The Israelite priests are dancing before the procession with torches and music, joyfully singing “Send Messiah now!” (Psalm 118) while the water is being poured out…and then Jesus says, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Jesus Christ is the source of living water (John 4:10, Revelation 7:17).

One of the things Beth said, probably a few times, is "He keeps the Feasts!" or "He keeps the calendar!" As we learned in the Beth Moore Bible study on the tabernacle, the tabernacle was a pattern of the reality in heaven. These Jewish feasts are a pattern of a spiritual reality fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

~~~~~

If you have the chance to do this Bible study, please do it! And if you cannot do the entire Bible study, consider viewing the video sessions online at www.lifeway.com/women. You will be blessed by what you learn!

Visit Musing of a Housewife to see what others have learned this week.

What NOT to do on a Sunday night

Update: I am going green and recycling this post to participate in a brand spankin' new blog carnival hosted by Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife.




If it's Sunday night and your husband is asking if you'd like to watch a movie with him, question him fully on what exactly "action" might mean. And if the movie is Eagle Eye, check the time because you really need at least a few hours in between watching this INTENSE "action" movie and going to bed.

At least.

And PG-13? Who are we kidding? It was a good movie, definitely kept the plot line going at a rapid pace, lots of twists and turns...lots of explosions, lots of edge-of-your-seat scenes, and not a whole lot that I would want a 13 year old watching. There were parts I didn't even want to see.

After the movie was over, I washed up for bed, climbed under the covers, hopped back up to give Grace some medicine for an earache when she cried a few minutes later, and then laid there for a while wide awake before giving up and heading back out to the living room. I figured I would get some of my homework done with the Beth Moore Bible study I'm in, Psalms of Ascent. And, no, it was not that I thought it would put me to sleep, but I thought it would help calm me down enough to where sleep could be a possibilty...Jason has already questioned me on that point! ;)

And do you know what? I can get three days' worth of homework done in under 50 minutes when it's 1:00 a.m.-ish and the house is totally quiet and no one is calling me "Mom-can-I." (Hey--It's a step up from "But-Mommy.")

And do you know what else? I can lay there in bed mulling over some of the personal questions in the homework that I didn't immediately have answers for when I was sitting in my chair. I thought, "OK, I'll think about that later" and moved on...only I really didn't think "later" would be so soon.

I was thinking more like daytime.

Instead, I was still awake and making a mental list of things other people might ridicule me for. Seriously. Now, doesn't that sound like fun?

To check out what other people have learned this week, visit Musings of a Housewife.