And now these three remain:
FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE.
But the greatest of these is LOVE.
(I Corinthians 13:13)
...THIS
is our new family secret...
is our new family secret...
We have a green plant that we use as a center piece on our dining room table. It is a simple houseplant with cheery spreading green "arms" and heart leaves.
Each night conversation, laughter, and singing,and prayer flows over this little humble plant as we sort through the days' business, lessons, trivia, triumphs, stories, and testimonies. And at the end of the meal we purpose to make sure we have fed everyone REAL,LIVING FOOD that keeps us ever-full and nourished--God's Word.
We bring verses that have impacted us in our day with the Lord and share them...or listen to one of the littles read a chapter that they have been reading in their cute lispy way...or we memorise a verse all together...or sing a verse together...
...the Holy Spirit will press on one of us to open up a piece of the Word and share it/ digest it with whoever God has brought to our table that evening. The corporate "chew" is an incredible dynamic.
I have learned and been taught by every member of my family here. For there is no "JR. Holy Spirit"!! He can speak through a child powerfully and clearly ~ maybe even more so than the adults many times! We are a flowy family more than a systematic one--so each night looks REALLY different but is rich and precious ~ truly alive. Then, after Word, we "work out" this word in worship in the living room--or I could say, since what God is doing here is so organic--our Word time that vines around the table springs into blooming,fruitful praising worship in our living room...
Before dishes...before bed... THIS...is my favorite portion of the day...
Recently, our fresh green "friend"lost a few leaves the night after our day spent picking blueberries this week. But for a very noble purpose! (Aren't the humble so often used for noble means?) :)
We love the Hebraic model of teaching aka. asking questions. As we impart things to the children. Our time had gone something like this:
"What was it like to find fruit on the blueberry bushes today?"
Oh, YES...EATING the fruit...that's best part for sure!!
"What was it like to see your bucket filling up with fruit?"
"What do you plan to do with all of that fruit?"
"What happens to a bush that is picked?"
YES! It makes MORE fruit..!"
"What about the branches that did not have fruit on them? What about them?"
"Why do you think they did not have fruit?"
You know...JESUS spoke about gardening and pruning and picking and fruit...does anyone know about this?
And God moved the conversation to our little plant on the table...and at this point our little friend lost two leaves for the betterment of our hearts!! :)
"AW! Don't pick off her leaves!!"
"But what do you think will happen to these leaves? Can we reattach them?
Are they getting that good life from the roots of our little plant or from the vine?
What's going to happen to these little leaves?" Lets watch them for a couple days and see... (...hint...for those who want to know...shrivel...shrivel...shrink...dry...dust....Poor little leaves...)
And now for the Word...Children, did you know there are SECRETS in the Bible? God says that if we seek Him out, He will be found and He will share the secrets of His heart with us ~ the secrets of the KING!! We are going to hide ICor. 13:13 in our heart.
It is a SECRET to life.
To ABIDING...
In Christ...
In anything that we are doing whether it is getting along in our family, or doing our work jobs, or in friendships or talents, we can ask this question of ourselves:
"Are we growing in Faith (in this area), Is (this area) full of hope to God? Do we see more and more love (here, in this area?) Let's take LOVING YOUR BROTHER as an example (hee!hee!~it had been kinda a rough day for this!!) You could love God in your room or anyplace and just lift up in your hands your love for your brothers~ you could ask yourself, "Did I grow in faith with God in the way I loved my brother today?...Or in the way I forgave my brother today?...cause growing in Faith is actually more important than being right about the card game..."How about my love, God? Did I grow in love with you today?"
Jack relates..."you know...its like God is always there but you have to accept Him and let His love grow UP,UP,UP around you. You gotta CHASE it down...like when I chase Bruik around the house!!!"
Bruik beams with pleasure.
"Yeah, you gotta chase love down"
And we read that NEXT verse about "pursuing love"... (later he dances this out in the Spirit in the living room...(see video below)
Then it is 10 year old Anderson who makes this connection. "OH! and when you find out that you need to love more you will realise that you JUST DON"T have the love you need. Then you are like the little green leaves on this plant...as long as you STAY close to Jesus,stay near to Him and repent from what is not love...HIS love will flow THROUGH you...it won't be work! The leaf just rests on the vine!!!" He puts his head on the table and grins. :)
"Whoa! " He rests...in knowing...in loving...in connecting with the one who brought this revelation to his heart...then...
"You know what? I found out today that I never have to be bored!"
All eyes on Anderson--after all we have been stuck in the house ALOT on 110 heat index days in Missouri summer heat. "All I need to do is to go in my room and turn on worship music on the radio and sing to God...and I'm never bored!" (and you are abiding my son...)He bounces over to our computer and puts worship music on REALLY loudly and I do not dare turn it down for the children are all so ready to dance...and we flow into worship...
Untitled from gillian tucker on Vimeo.
"What was it like to find fruit on the blueberry bushes today?"
Oh, YES...EATING the fruit...that's best part for sure!!
"What was it like to see your bucket filling up with fruit?"
"What do you plan to do with all of that fruit?"
"What happens to a bush that is picked?"
YES! It makes MORE fruit..!"
"What about the branches that did not have fruit on them? What about them?"
"Why do you think they did not have fruit?"
You know...JESUS spoke about gardening and pruning and picking and fruit...does anyone know about this?
And God moved the conversation to our little plant on the table...and at this point our little friend lost two leaves for the betterment of our hearts!! :)
"AW! Don't pick off her leaves!!"
"But what do you think will happen to these leaves? Can we reattach them?
Are they getting that good life from the roots of our little plant or from the vine?
What's going to happen to these little leaves?" Lets watch them for a couple days and see... (...hint...for those who want to know...shrivel...shrivel...shrink...dry...dust....Poor little leaves...)
And now for the Word...Children, did you know there are SECRETS in the Bible? God says that if we seek Him out, He will be found and He will share the secrets of His heart with us ~ the secrets of the KING!! We are going to hide ICor. 13:13 in our heart.
It is a SECRET to life.
To ABIDING...
In Christ...
In anything that we are doing whether it is getting along in our family, or doing our work jobs, or in friendships or talents, we can ask this question of ourselves:
"Are we growing in Faith (in this area), Is (this area) full of hope to God? Do we see more and more love (here, in this area?) Let's take LOVING YOUR BROTHER as an example (hee!hee!~it had been kinda a rough day for this!!) You could love God in your room or anyplace and just lift up in your hands your love for your brothers~ you could ask yourself, "Did I grow in faith with God in the way I loved my brother today?...Or in the way I forgave my brother today?...cause growing in Faith is actually more important than being right about the card game..."How about my love, God? Did I grow in love with you today?"
Jack relates..."you know...its like God is always there but you have to accept Him and let His love grow UP,UP,UP around you. You gotta CHASE it down...like when I chase Bruik around the house!!!"
Bruik beams with pleasure.
"Yeah, you gotta chase love down"
And we read that NEXT verse about "pursuing love"... (later he dances this out in the Spirit in the living room...(see video below)
Then it is 10 year old Anderson who makes this connection. "OH! and when you find out that you need to love more you will realise that you JUST DON"T have the love you need. Then you are like the little green leaves on this plant...as long as you STAY close to Jesus,stay near to Him and repent from what is not love...HIS love will flow THROUGH you...it won't be work! The leaf just rests on the vine!!!" He puts his head on the table and grins. :)
"Whoa! " He rests...in knowing...in loving...in connecting with the one who brought this revelation to his heart...then...
"You know what? I found out today that I never have to be bored!"
All eyes on Anderson--after all we have been stuck in the house ALOT on 110 heat index days in Missouri summer heat. "All I need to do is to go in my room and turn on worship music on the radio and sing to God...and I'm never bored!" (and you are abiding my son...)He bounces over to our computer and puts worship music on REALLY loudly and I do not dare turn it down for the children are all so ready to dance...and we flow into worship...
Untitled from gillian tucker on Vimeo.
...This is sweet Jack "Chasing God's Love Down" ~ Look, Mom! He said, "I'm Chasing Down ...I PURSUING God's Love....I chase Him and He chases me....and His love goes UP, UP,UP all around me...then I bring it to other people too...It heals them...God is chasing them down in His love too..."
Blessings, precious friends!!
Love,
GG
p.s. Blue Scarf Jack is using for dancing was brought back to us from Ethiopia by Ally P. at the time of the P. family's addition of their beautiful two Ethiopian girls :)
