Need help with organization?

Dear Meek and Quiet Ladies,

Just a reminder that our next meeting is tomorrow, September 28, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. We'll be covering Chapter 4, "Disorganization," an area in which I struggle, so please bring your own ideas to share! I can't wait to tell you about the Maxwell conference this past weekend!

Looking forward to our time together in the Lord...

Debbie

Dear Meek and Quiet Ladies,

How good and gracious is our Lord! He knows all things, and cares about even the slightest details of our lives. He knew exactly what we needed at last month's meeting -- a sharing and unburdening of our hearts, and then an encouraging as we lifted those burdens to Him in prayer.

So....we haven't yet covered Chapter 3, "Fear and Worry," in our book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell! Hopefully, that's good news for those of you who are interested in joining us for the first time next Tuesday. You are never "behind" in this study, but if you are a Dominant Concrete Sequential learner, you might be "worried" that you shouldn't join us in the middle of a book. "What did you just say?" you say.

I know fear and worry is something that we're all tempted to have and do, especially in the area of homeschooling. "How can I possibly prepare this particular child for adulthood?!" When I find the Enemy taunting me with that question, I first remind myself that I'm where God wants me to be -- feeling broken and inadequate. That's the vessel that can be used by Him. And then I remind myself of my school life verse, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me" (John 7:16). And then usually in just a little while, I'm exclaiming His goodness, glorifying Him, because I know the task at hand could not possibly have been done in the power of the flesh! I don't have to remind you ladies that God never calls us to a task that He does not fully equip us to complete. So He sends us helpful tools from time to time, as we're ready to receive them.

I have found that one of these tools for successful training (and alleviating fear and worry:) is knowing your child's individual learning style, so we'll look at Cynthia Tobias' book The Way They Learn, and take a short survey to find out our own learning styles. Maybe you're Dominant Concrete Random. =O We'll discover some things about ourselves, and our families at the same time. And cover Chapter 3, Lord willing! It should be fun.

If you are new and considering this prayer time/Bible study, you might want to read older posts on this blog. Time doesn't allow me to blog often, but you'll learn more about the Meek and Quiet book and why we're studying it. The book and study guide can be ordered at http://www.titus2.com/.

I can't wait to see each of you! You are such a blessing!

In Him,

Debbie

P.S. The Maxwell family is coming to Birmingham September 24-25! More details are on their website mentioned above.

Joy Is in Our Hearts...

I've been listening to Sara Groves' latest album Fireflies and Songs, and I thought of you, Meek & Quiet Ladies, when I heard "Joy Is in Our Hearts." In case it's new to you, too, here are the lyrics copied from Sara's website:

we were pressed on every side
full of fear and troubled thoughts
for good reason we carried heavy hearts

it is good to come together
in our friendship to remember
all the reasons hope is in our hearts

hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength
hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength

now with patience in our suffering
perseverance in our prayers
with good reason this hope is in our hearts

hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength
hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength

oh we saw the face of Angels
many good things well secured
for good reason this joy is in our hearts

hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength
hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength

for good reason joy is in our hearts

http://www.saragroves.com/lyrics/firefliesandsongs/joy-is-in-our-hearts/

I mentioned when I left our meeting in May that I wouldn't be able to attend in June due to our vacation. Well... I hadn't looked at the calendar! There are five Tuesdays in June, so the fourth Tuesday will be June 22. Mark your calendars... we'll study Chapter 3, "Fear and Worry." I look forward to seeing you then!

In Christ alone,
Debbie

Blessed to Be Numbered Among You, Indeed...

Dear Ladies,

I was so blessed by our fellowship last night! Your prayers lifted to the Lord and your transparency in sharing indicate such a sincere desire to learn and know more about our Lord, and a true desire to be godly women. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to sit for a while and be still before God with like-minded sisters. And heartfelt thanks to our beautiful host family.

As I said last night, if you don't yet have the book set Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit and would like help in facilitating a bulk order, let me know. We need an order of 12 and then each Study Guide is free, as well as shipping.

If you want to participate in the 30-day husband encouragement challenge, visit Nancy Leigh DeMoss's website at http://www.reviveourhearts.com/ and look to the link on the left entitled "Grow." Why don't we officially start fresh with that April 1, to give each of you time to go to the site and print it? I'll be curious to hear reports of how well we've done -- or not (we're still bound in these fleshly bodies), but I'm sure the Lord will use even our failures to bring glory to Himself.

I pray you have a great rest of the week. Watch the blog for upcoming reminders of our next meeting's assignment, April 27.

May Christ alone be glorified...
Debbie

Wow, it's hard to believe...

...it's been almost a year since my last post, almost a year since Abby's successful surgery! She's doing great, by the way. Only God could have orchestrated events to cause us to make the difficult decision for her to stay in school as a "fifth-year senior" before we knew the surgery was even necessary! The blessings He has poured into her life this school year are too numerous to count!

Even though this blog has been "quiet," my life certainly has not! There have been many joys, many challenges, many answered prayers, many days of waiting on God. Many times the Lord has had to remind me that I must constantly lean on Him to keep a quiet heart in the midst of turmoil, recession, fear and worry. So I shouldn't be surprised that He is causing me to revisit the book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell. I just read in Isaiah this morning, "And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher" (30:20). Isn't that beautiful? That's what any Bible study should be about -- pointing us always to behold our Teacher!

I love the Preface of the book. I agree wholeheartedly with Teri that homeschooling moms are a wonderful group of women! Homeschooling may have become more popular since the writing of this book, but we continue to swim upstream in a culture that is so counter to biblical instruction. So like Teri, I am pleased to be numbered among you, and very honored that I've been asked to facilitate another study using this book.

So, ladies, if you've been directed to this site because you're considering being a part of this study with me, welcome! I recently realized while studying, that this blog might be a useful communication tool. It could be used to remind you of our meeting dates, the chapter we'll be studying, your "homework," etc., but I don't want to add another "to-do" to your list, another website you feel obligated to check. If you feel this could be helpful to you and you have an account with blogger (or want to quickly create one--it's free), could you post a quick comment? I look forward to seeing you and serving you...

Debbie

Abby Is Home!

Thank you so much, everyone, for your prayers and concern. Abby's procedure was a success. We did stay overnight at the hospital because of a few minor complications in the afternoon, and arrived home today around 11:00 a.m. She is doing well -- just a little sore and very tired from all the sedation. I'm very tired, of course -- high adrenaline and little to no sleep catches up more quickly with me than it used to! I wanted to post last night from the hospital room, but couldn't get the Internet to cooperate. The guys are tired, too, so we're all going to call it a night real soon. Hopefully, there will be more time and energy tomorrow to post. (We've certainly all got our stories to tell.)

Thank you, again -- the Lord certainly heard the prayers of His people. Abby's up right now for her 3-5 minute walk, and has stopped to play a little piano. I'm sure you can imagine how sweet the music is to my ears! To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Prayer Request for Abby

Dear Family and Friends,

I would like to share a prayer request, and some praise:).

On March 21, Abby had an episode of SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). She had cooked dinner that Saturday night for us and after eating, she stepped out on the porch to give our dogs some scraps. The next thing I know she's sitting on the couch saying her heart was "beating really fast." I could see the rapid heartbeat from a distance. Kelly was unable to count her racing pulse (and he's a certified first responder:), so we took her to our local fire station. There was no one there (!), but only after a minute or so, Nathan saw the crew returning from a call. That's my first praise. My second praise is that the paramedics were very compassionate and thorough, and that they had the equipment to take an EKG. Her heart rate had slowed down quite a bit, but was still 207 when we arrived. They told her to do certain exercises that slowed it to 140-something. We then took her to Children's Hospital, and after watching it continue to slow, they told us to contact a cardiologist first-thing Monday.

Third praise -- our pediatrician was able to talk to a cardiologist, and we went to see Dr. Leland Eaton, a wonderful Christian doctor in the UAB health system, Tuesday afternoon. After an EKG, an echocardiogram, a discussion about the recent SVT episode, a review of those valuable strips from the Minor Heights fire station, and her hospitalization last summer (some of you may remember that she was hospitalized for 3 days after passing out at home), he is certain that Abby has a congenital electrical problem in her heart. Fourth praise -- He called his associate, Dr. Tom McElderry, who just "happened" to be passing by his office (because his flight north had been cancelled due to snow), and he stopped by, pulled up a chair, and fully explained the procedure they would like to perform.

To make a long story short (or at least I'm trying:), she is scheduled to undergo SVT ablation Monday morning at UAB. We are to arrive at 6:00 a.m. It is similar to heart catheterization; they will send catheters into the heart, map the heart to find the problem, and then cauterize the area. If the procedure is successful, she will be permanently cured of the condition (fifth praise), and even of her frequent bouts of "light-headedness." (I've joked with her that she's my swooning Southern Belle!) There are risks involved, as with any procedure of this sort, but the greatest is the possibility of damaging the aortic valve, thereby causing the need for a pacemaker. Sixth praise -- she is still a student with good Blue Cross insurance!

It's all happened so quickly. If we don't opt for surgery, then medication for life is the alternative, and there's no guarantee that the medication would work, or work without negative side effects. And the medication would affect her ability to have future children. And for those of you who know Abby...need I say more? That's her greatest desire, to be a wife and mother of many children!

So we are praying that God will give us clear direction as to what is best for Abby, and, of course, that the treatment would be successful. We are very thankful for family and friends such as you and the awesome circle of His family whose friendship and encouragement we so enjoy. We're thankful for Hope Christian School, for our Hueytown/Pleasant Grove support group, our Foundations support group, our wonderful family and friends that live close by (counting Jasper:). We're thankful that God placed us almost six years ago in a church and Sunday School that has provided wonderful, solid teaching of the sovereignty of God and enabled us to closely observe how others handle trials. We have been influenced, and convicted, by the precious prayer requests that God would be glorified through their trials. Not many years ago, our thoughts and requests would probably have only been turned inward. More praise:).

We covet your prayers for discernment that this course of action is, indeed, the right one to take, for wisdom and skill of the surgical team, for a quick and successful procedure, that our lives would influence others as we've been influenced, and, yes, that God would receive all the glory. We've already seen His hand in so many ways, especially Tuesday, in how all the necessary tests and meetings with doctor and electrophysiologist were accomplished in one afternoon. And with the procedure being Monday, the anticipation is even cut shorter than expected. Our God is truly an awesome God!

Thank you for reading, and for your prayers! I'll try my best to keep you "posted."

In Him,
Debbie

"But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you'" (Isaiah 43:1-2).