Happy Birthday to Me!

Every year my birthdays get sweeter and sweeter. I truly do not deserve the amazing blessings the Lord continues to pour out upon me through my precious family.

See those tears in my eyes?  If only you could read the precious letters I received!

Turning 36 at 37 weeks!

Joshua's Haikus

Cat climbing up tree
Now higher than I can see
Please come back to me



Ninja goes to fight
Comes back with a bloody knife
Washes it in the pond

Written by Joshua Menard
March 17, 2010

Welcome Spring!

Elizabeth Menard  March, 17, 2010
Haikus for history lessons and spring!!

Sun, warming...warming...

Reaching for the earth and me..

Shedding snow and shoes!!

Spring has come to us..

Chasing winter far away..

Such a pretty day!

Snow has melted fast..

Grass is dry enough to play..

Kickball every day!

Do your school quickly..

And finish chores quietly..

Spring wants us to play!!

March is always cold..

Sometimes wet and rainy too..

This year warm instead!!

Kickin' the Cabin Fever

What could be better to chase away the winter blah's than a day at the Beach??!!

After leaving the beach, we enjoyed dinner at one of our favorite, but rarely visited restaurants. Then we laughed our hearts out listening to A Prarie Home Companion. I can't remember having a more perfect day together in a very long while.

Working as Unto the Lord...

I had a great time putting our learning into action with the girlies this week. Having a clean fridge is just the icing on the cake. Seeing my girlies work hard and enjoy it was such a gift.

A job well done!

A Few Things We Are Working On

Children, obey your parents in all things:

for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger,

lest they be discouraged.

Colossians 3:20-21

Matthew Henry writes:

"The duties of children and parents:

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord,

They must be willing to do all their lawful commands, and be at their direction and disposal; as those who have a natural right and are fitter to direct them than themselves. The apostle (Eph. 6:2) requires them to honour as well as obey their parents; they must esteem them and think honourably of them, as the obedience of their lives must proceed from the esteem and opinion of their minds. And this is well-pleasing to God, or acceptable to him; for it is the first commandment with promise (Eph. 6:2), with an explicit promise annexed to it, namely, That it shall be well with them, and they shall live long on the earth.

*Dutiful children are the most likely to prosper in the world and enjoy long life.*

And parents must be tender, as well as children obedient: Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

Let not your authority over them be exercised with rigour and severity, but with kindness and gentleness, lest you raise their passions and discourage them in their duty, and by holding the reins too tight make them fly out with greater fierceness. The bad temper and example of imprudent parents often prove a great hindrance to their children and a stumbling-block in their way; see Eph. 6:4.

*And it is by the tenderness of parents, and dutifulness of children, that God ordinarily furnishes his church with a seed to serve him, and propagates religion from age to age.*"

It is a blessed thing to be in the hand of God, knowing He is molding us, as a family, to bring Him glory and accomplishes His eternal purposes.

A Servant's Heart

 And whatsoever ye do , do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:

for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible:
And whatsoever ye do
"Some have thought that these words, and the two following verses, regard the Colossians in general, and the performance of any, and all good works by them; but by their connection with the preceding verse, and with the beginning of the next chapter, they appear to concern servants only, and what they do under that character, and under the discharge of their duty:"

do it heartily,
"not by mere force and necessity, grudgingly, and with murmurings, but from the heart, and with good will, having a true, real, and hearty affection for their masters, having their good and interest at heart, and a delight in their service; like the Hebrew servant, that loved his master, as also his wife and children, and therefore would not depart from him, see ( Exodus 21:5 ),"

as to the Lord, and not unto men; (See Gill on Ephesians 6:7).
Ephesians 6:7

With good will doing service
"To their masters; not grudgingly, with an ill will; no otherwise, nor longer than when they are forced to it; but of a ready mind, and with a cheerful spirit, taking delight in their work, and reckoning it a pleasure to serve their masters; as an Israelite that is not sold, who does his work (wnwurb) , "with his good will", and according to his own mind {b}; doing what they do"

as to the Lord, and not to men;"not merely because it is the will of men, and they are commanded by them, and in order to please them, but because it is the will of the Lord, and is wellpleasing in his sight."

Though we are not "slaves" in our home in the sense that we have a human master owning and ruling over us, we are commanded by the Lord to be His servants in our world, as He is our Master.  We also know that one day many of our children will grow to be servants to a master in their professions. It is our goal, therefore, to guide our children in building their character to reflect the teachings of scripture as they learn to take on each task "heartily, as unto the Lord". Knowing that their attitudes reflect their hearts. Knowing that the practice they receive in completing work in the home will bear fruit beyond it. Knowing that as they grow in this aspect of worship (i.e. working to glorify the Lord) they have a reward waiting for them that far exceeds any benefit this world can offer. Knowing that as we work to cheer our children on in this area of their faith, we, as parents, cannot help but be challenged and motivated to serve our own Master all the more.