http://sprittibee.visibli.com/049fba0c7d188e80/?web=3e2bb6&dst=http%3A//homeschoolhowtoconference.com/past-events/2012-hhtc-audio-set/

This succinct and usable resource offers practical advice that can be easily incorporated into daily living and contact with not just children but employees, as well. Clark outlines attributes that I strive to possess, doing so in an easy manner that makes me believe that I can.

These eleven qualities ring true because they are biblically sound and are a path to ‘the good life’, ensuring smoother and more wholesome interactions and relationships.

It is the man in us who works;
Who earns his daily bread and anxious scans
The evening skies to know tomorrow’s plans;
It is the man who hurries as he walks;
Finds courage in a crowd, shouts as he talks;
Who shuts his eyes and burrows through his task;
Who doubts his neighbor and who wears a mask;
Who moves in armor and who hides his tears.
It is the man in us who fears.

It is the child in us who plays;
Who sees no happiness beyond today’s;
Who sings for joy, who wonders and who weeps;
It is the child in us at night who sleeps.
It is the child who silent turns his face,
Open and maskless, naked of defense,
Simple with trust, distilled of all pretense,
To sudden beauty in another’s face-
It is the child in us who loves.

I am the stories we’ve read in books and the ones written in my heart.

I am the traditions passed down through the years and the new ones picked up along the way.

I am my mother’s daughter, different from her, and yet the same…

Think about it. What if Eve had not entertained a ‘wonder’? I won’t overstate the point by quoting every scripture or quip like the, … you can stop it from building a nest…. or …gird up the loins of your mind… or … cast down every evil imagination…

It’s for our own good. We can avoid discontentment. Lust. Envy. Strife. Divorce. Discord. We gain contentment. Purity. Thankfulness. Generosity. Peace.

New Living Translation (NLT)
A Father’s Wise Advice

4 My children,[a] listen when your father corrects you.
Pay attention and learn good judgment,
2 for I am giving you good guidance.
Don’t turn away from my instructions.
3 For I, too, was once my father’s son,
tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.

4 My father taught me,
“Take my words to heart.
Follow my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom; develop good judgment.
Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
Love her, and she will guard you.
7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
8 If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.
Embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will place a lovely wreath on your head;
she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

10 My child,[b] listen to me and do as I say,
and you will have a long, good life.
11 I will teach you wisdom’s ways
and lead you in straight paths.
12 When you walk, you won’t be held back;
when you run, you won’t stumble.
13 Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.
Guard them, for they are the key to life.

14 Don’t do as the wicked do,
and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
15 Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.
Turn away and keep moving.
16 For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day.
They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
17 They eat the food of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence!

18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.
They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

20 My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
21 Don’t lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22 for they bring life to those who find them,
and healing to their whole body.

23 Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

24 Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.

25 Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.

What I loved about these dishes was the ease in assembling, the relatively few ingredients – although they did require a special trip to the grocery for a few things I don’t normally grab – as well as the active time spent preparing.

Our favorite:  Slow-cooker Sweet and Spicy Chicken.  Oh, my!  Oh, MY!  Cumin, cinnamon, 4 chicken leg quarters (I actually used boneless, skinless thighs, which are more moist than white meat.), yellow onion, peeled and sliced fresh ginger (Zing!), diced tomatoes and raisins…  Three hours later we were huddled over our plates groaning and shoveling.  (Sorry if the vivid yet accurate picture offends.)  What normally would feed us twice.  Weeeelllll – didn’t quite go so far.  I think the low-budget part was a scam.  Or perhaps just the tiny, ridiculous  ‘per serving’ sideline.  Skillet fry a few tortillas (or naan) and turn this into a wrap or serve over rice (Basmati is my favorite).

ANYWAY  – I have wanted to share insight from this book that is a new perspective.  About Eve.  About ‘helpmeet’.  About me.

Let’s go back to the beginning.  That part where something was missing…from the whole young and unstained world.   Eve.  Woman.  Femininity.  She is the single, last flourish of God’s creative power.  The final touch.  “God has beauty to unveil.  Beauty that is captivating and powerfully redemptive.”  Instead of helpmeet, let’s use a synonym:  sustainer.  In our creative form we reflect the image of our God.  He is relational.  This is not a weakness but rather glory; glory that “reflects the heart of God.”

So here it is…  from page 31 of Captivating.   When God creates Eve he calls her an ezer kenegdo.  (Genesis 2:18)  Robert Alter, a Hebrew scholar, says this phrase is ‘notoriously difficult to translate.”  In English, it has been translated as “helper,” “companion,” or “help meet.”  Help meet – as in Hamburger… helper?  As the authors query, “What little girl dances through the house singing, ‘One day I shall be a help meet’?”  Companion?  Get a dog!  Alter translates this Hebrew phrase ezer kenegdo as “sustainer beside him.”

In every other instance in the Bible ezer is used refers to God himself, specifically when you need Him to come through for you.  Desperately. Think life and death; God is your only hope.  Your ezer.

• There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you… Blessed are you, O Israel!  Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?  He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword.  (Deuteronomy 33:26,29)
• I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
• May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.  May He send you help.  (Psalm 20:1-2)
• We wait in hope for the Lord, He is our help and our shield.  (Psalm 33:20)
• O house of Israel, trust in the Lord – He is their help and shield.  O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord – He is their help and shield.  You who fear Him, trust in the Lord -O He is their help and shield.  (Psalm 115:9-11)

We recognize this God-trait in others but it is also within me.  God doesn’t desire to be an appendage, merely a companion, but essential.  He wants me to need Him-desperately.  He gave this message when He created Eve.  Essential.  An irreplaceable role to play.  He has gifted me with fierce devotion, an ability to suffer great hardships, a vision to make the world a better place.

Yes, me.  And you. 

Ezer kenegdo.

A little friend was wallowing.  Copious tears while peeking under her lids to see who was watching.  Twisted facial features designed to mimic sorrow for the benefit of others (and perhaps self).

Sometimes we all wallow.  And enjoy it.  Hence the coined phrase, ‘pity party’.   When sadness encroaches we can recognize it but choose to deviate its course.  Staunch it.  So here’s the remedy:  whether you’re missing a friend, a pet, a place or an event – transplant the sadness by either a happy (see, I warned of triteness) or even an angry or annoying memory.  It’s very, very difficult to be fully angry and fully sad in a precise moment.  So Transplant.  Or be sad, if you really, really want to.

Stifled movement.  Old fears cause us to alter our course.  Something bad happened at the public library when I was a kid.  Now I hate that library.  I’ll drive across town to avoid it and go to a substandard, musty book source rather than revisit bad-ness.  Even twenty years later.  Seems crazy, doesn’t it?  We all (okay, not all – but many.  Or maybe several.  Or a few?) do this, too.   Again – it’s about transplanting.  Get rid of that old week and replant a beautiful orchid.  Peony.  Hydrangea.  Have a party in the place where bad-ness was.  Invite your roudiest, silliest, funnest friends (and enemies) and root that bad boy outta there!

Lastly, a laughter book.  Yep.  Created one this week for my said little friend.  Little scrapbook-y items and verses about laughter… dropped in the mail.

Please, please remember and befriend your mailbox.  It is still pleasurable to be the recipient of a personally addressed letter, card, package, etc.

Remove the stigma.  Minimize the stumblers and you may just find that they disappear completely while you or your friend sail confidently over them!