Doing the Next Thing

On this date in 1517 Martin Luther posted his "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences" (otherwise known as the 95 Theses) on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. Though there were some who came before him - such as Wycliffe and Hus - who began to re-open the doors to justification by faith alone, it is Luther that we consider the Father of the Reformation. And so began a rich spiritual heritage and today we celebrate Reformation Day. One of my favorite of Luther's works is his Commentary on Galatians . He wrote it to encourage Christians to hold fast to the newly rediscovered "doctrine of faith" and keep from slipping back into the "doctrine of works and men's traditions." Here's a quote: "For in the righteousness of faith we work nothing, we render nothing unto God, but we only receive, and suffer another to work in us, that is to say, God." Luther also composed one of my favorite hymns, sung at our wedding:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 " So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works" Ephesians 2:10 " The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1 I am not an interior decorator. I am not even particularly artistic. But over the years, I have been convinced by some of my heroes - like Charlotte Mason and Edith Schaeffer - that since we are image-bearers of The Creator, we ourselves have some inborn creativity. God is a God of beauty and we should reflect that in our lives. It's so easy to get tied up in the mundane events of daily life that we push creative efforts - like beautifying our homes - to the back burner. Several years ago, I was inspired by Edith Schaeffer's book The Hidden Art of Homemaking . She defines

Looking out over the southern part of Tampa Bay from the De Soto National Monument

Go give a high five to Wendy at Showered With Grace who just ran a marathon yesterday. I have so enjoyed her posts along the journey -- telling of the hills and valleys of training, with lots of spiritual applications. She's a sister in the Lord and an encourager. Way to go!!

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I have a couple of books in my "What I'm Reading" list that have been there quite a while! It's not because I'm not reading, but because I keep getting pulled away from those particular books to read something else - usually for school. I've put Sense and Sensibility aside to catch up to my Sweetie in the Mitford series. (I read the first 5 years ago; he's listening to the audio version and is on book 7!) I recently finished reading the 6th book, A Common Life. I was somewhat reluctant to get into it, since the story doesn't pick up where book 5 leaves off, but rather goes back to tell the story of Father Tim and Cynthia's wedding. Once I began, however, I couldn't put the book down. When I finished the last chapter, my soul sighed and said, " Ahhhhh." Jan Karon masterfully weaves great storytelling with spiritual truth. I laughed and I cried. After reading this lovely, short novel, I wanted to

Life has been full around here lately. Let me clarify - life is always full around here, but lately it has been more full than usual. On top of the typical activities for a homeschool family of seven, I have prepared for selling in a local consignment sale, attended a women's retreat, and had a visit from my Mom. Each time I get ready for a consignment sale, I wonder if it's even worth it anymore! The hassle of sorting, ironing, tagging - you know the drill. But this particular sale is low key and I actually enjoy shopping it. I usually find a few essential pieces for each of the 5 kids and make enough money to cover what I spend. So it's a wash - I just think of it as hand-me-downs that I select from perfect strangers. :) Today I actually found coats for 2 kids that desperately need them, an adorable Piglet costume ($2!) for my little one, and some "cool" clothes for my teen and pre-teen boys. I think I can say it was worth the trouble this time. The

Mary over at Not Before 7 is hosting a "Tiny Talk Tuesday." So even though most of mine are not "tiny," here goes: "Hey, C.! It's about time for our leaf pile!" - 8yo M. to her brother - the two built "Mini Mt. Everest" out of leaves last year next to the swing set and jumped off the swings into it. And yes, M., it is time - Welcome, Fall! "Mom, I gonna take all my buddies down to safety." 3yo A., carrying his "buddies" (stuffed animals) down to the landing on the stairs. Safety from what?? Some manly character in my little guy! "Hey Dad - this coupon is only worth 1/1ooth of a cent!" 11 yo C. discovering that coupons have "cash value." I wonder how many he'll try to stockpile to redeem for cash.... "Uh" Translation: "up" - 17 mo K.'s new word And the winner of the Split My Sides Laughing Award... "Please don't use me as a napkin!" 13yo S., sitting next