This graduation ceremony was one of the best I've ever attended! It's very much like a church service, with special music, a song including the congregation, and a message from Pastor Chappell to the graduates. Then the fun of receiving diplomas begins - and with 200 students, it takes a while! 

After the diplomas are presented, there are several awards presented to the students. Most of the student awards are given during chapel the day before graduation. Beth was included in Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, and her grandparents were there to see her receive that honour, while we were still traveling. 

During the graduation ceremony, the highlight of the awards is the President's Award, given to one man and one woman graduate who each showed extraordinary servant-leadership, which is a central theme of WCBC's training. Beth was this year's woman recipient! That was a highlight of her graduation for me!

I'll have more pictures later of the rest of our family, but I wanted to share the pictures of Beth with you today. There's a caption with each picture explaining what's happening in that pic. Enjoy!

In Acts 10, Peter is faced with the dilemma of taking the good news of the Gospel to a Gentile man. As he hesitates, he is confronted with the vision of a sheet let down from heaven filled with all manner of unclean animals which God commands him to eat. God had a reason for using this vision, but Peter is astounded that he, a devout Jew, is being asked to eat unclean animals! He replies, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean." 

Peter was resisting the very will of God, holding on to the old way, even though God is showing him that there's now a new way: salvation is not just for the Jews anymore; it's also for the Gentiles.

Before you dismiss something you feel God might be asking you to do, ask yourself a few questions first.

1. Does this new thing violate Scripture? If it's something that will definitely violate God's direct command, then don't do it. However, if there is no command against it, maybe you should give it more consideration. Peter didn't have the completed Scriptures like we do. God Himself was speaking to him. And you know what? God Himself speaks to us today - through His Word.
   
2. Have I sought godly counsel? The Bible is clear that there is safety in a multitude of counsellors (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). You won't go wrong by asking godly, trustworthy people what they think about your new venture. Choose people whose advice will be scriptural, and don't just go to people you know will agree with you. Seek scriptural advice!
   
3. Have I prayed about this new thing? Ask God to guide you. Ask Him to put a check in your spirit if it's the wrong thing to do. Ask for confirmation from Him that it's the right thing to do. He will answer!

Using the three guidelines above, don't hesitate to do a new or different task. Obey Him! Don't let the old hinder the new that God has for you!

What "old way" is holding you back from obeying God by going the "new way" that He commands? 

What something is God prodding you to do that seems impossible, because "I have never . . .?" 

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,
but have not love,
I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.


If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements,
but have not love,
my children learn cleanliness, ­not godliness.


If I scream at my children for every infraction,
and fault them for every mess they make,
but have not love,
my children become people-pleasers,­ not obedient children. 


Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys. 


Love accepts the fact that I am the ever-present "mommy,"
the taxi-driver to every childhood event,
the counsellor when my children fail or are hurt. 
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, and runs with the child,
then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood. 


Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.
All the projections I had for my house and my children
have faded away into insignificance,
And what remain are the memories of my kids. 


Now there abides in my home scratches on most of the furniture,
dishes with missing place settings,
and bedroom walls full of stickers, posters and markings,
But the greatest of all is the Love
that permeates my relationships with my children.


Adapted by Jim Fowler

Just a quick reminder that the West Coast Baptist College graduation ceremony is this morning at 9:00 a.m. PDT. If you're interested in watching, you can see it live on lbclive.tv. We're here celebrating with our girl!

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15,16

These verses are favourites of mine! In their context, their primary application doesn't apply to housework, but I believe that we can make application to our homes.

The word circumspectly means "cautious." We're to live carefully; maybe you could even say on purpose.

Live purposefully.

Buy back your time.

To apply this to our homemaking . . .

• Household routines help us to walk carefully, on purpose, through our days. When we get up in the morning, a routine means we have a plan in place to start our day, and at night we have a plan to wrap up our day and prepare for the next. Afternoon routines can help transition from the morning to afternoon and dinner time.

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Proverbs 4:25, 26

• Cleaning routines also help us to redeem (buy back) our time. Following a routine each day for cleaning up the kitchen after meals helps me to clean up in 15 minutes right after a meal, rather than taking 2 hours the next day because I've let it pile up for 3 meals. Let's see . . . that's 45 minutes today, in 15-minute increments (after each meal), compared to 120 minutes (and a lot of stress) tomorrow. Just one routine - cleaning up after each meal - saves me an hour and 15 minutes to do something else, playing the piano, visiting with a friend, reading, studying, sewing, blogging . . . any number of things that I'd rather be doing than cleaning my kitchen! That one routine redeems 75 minutes of my time!          I've also learned that having a routine for larger cleaning tasks can save time. For example, doing all the dusting on one day, the mopping on another day, and the bathrooms on another can save having to do them all at once. 

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and earth not the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27 

What kind of routines do you have around your home? Please share them with us in the comments. I love to read about how others implement routines!

Beth will be graduating from West Coast Baptist College with a degree in secondary education on Wednesday, May 6th, at 9:00 a.m. PDT. If you're interested in watching the ceremony, you can see it live at lbclive.tv.

We're excited to see all of our children and spend a bit of time with them, especially at our traditional graduation dinner on Wednesday evening. Beth will be coming home with us to spend the summer, and in August, we'll drive her to Minnesota to begin her first teaching job. She'll be on the high-school faculty of First Baptist School of Rosemount, MN.

I have a few posts scheduled to publish while we're away, and I'll have internet access each evening as we stop in hotel rooms along the way. We'd appreciate your prayers as we travel! See you in a week!

Welcome to my weekly feature, Worth the Read, where I share with you the things I've read this week that have blessed me, inspired me, or convicted me. So grab a cuppa and join me. I hope you'll find something that you feel is worth your reading time!





The Rare Jewel of Christian Commitment - An excellent article on the rarity of commitment among Christians today (probably throughout history, too!). Timely and helpful!

How to be Productive According to the Bible - If you enjoy learning how to be more productive, you will like this article. Plain truth from the Bible about true productivity.

Don't Lose the Moments in the Middle of the Busyness - A fellow Etsy seller, who has created a successful business, reminds us to remember to keep the most important things the most important things.

Why Nobody Can Rationally Deny Jesus' Resurrection - "Is Jesus’ resurrection believable? Absolutely! In a court of law, the body of evidence is BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT!" By Pastor Cary Schmidt

Wings Like a Dove and a Back Like a Duck - "You can take a lot of criticism from the outside—you expect the world not always to like you. But when a Christian attacks—especially a friend—it hurts deeply." Advice intended for missionary women, but very helpful to anyone who experiences criticism and hurt. It was a great encouragement to me!

Did something resonate with you with you this week? Let us know in the comments!