A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Word Prompt

Touch in Stages

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I made the mistake of checking in with Andrew before seeing today’s word prompt. As I read his post I saw how Jesus, and being touched by God’s love is so pivotal to him as he battles cancer, and his life coming to a close. It’s a hard battle, and those thoughts fill my mind. It’s hard to tear my thoughts into another direction.

Today’s word prompt is touch.

The start of life
A baby born
Parents coo, reach out to touch
A finger reaches
A hand grasps.
Signifying the depth of bond.

Peals of laughter fill the room
A running boy has learned
the joy of tower falling.
A run to hug then off again
That touch enough
Before another tower to build.

Angry looks
Hurled words
Slammed doors.
Disappointment reigns
Quietness ensues.
Slowly in time
A hand reaches mine
Apologies made
Then peace, by grace, restored.

“Mom, I want to learn
Teach debate, if you would”.
Questions asked
Answers made
“What do you think Mom,
is my reasoning sound?”
Minds meet, smiles touch
Growth assured as lessons learned

I wonder now,
As I sit and think
Remembering Andrew
Life choices to make
How will be at the end of life?
What will touch?
Will there be seasons of strife?
Seek God be my bent?
Will I feel God seeking me?

Then as I ponder
How do I show this to my lad?
To know the intangible
Of God touching man?
Each season brings a variation of touch
How do I show the true touch of God
Seeking me, knowing me?
Grace upon Grace
show me the way….

Touch, in stages A Poem

What Will Come Next

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Miss Kate has given us the word prompt Next this week. The Five Minute Friday community is a group of people that gather weekly to write on a one word prompt. We offer encouragement to each other. It would be lovely to have you join us. Think on it won’t you? This is my poem, what will come next.

what will come next

Good Friday
A yearly occurrence
a time to remember
to reflect on what
God, the creator of my very soul
Did for me
and
For the whole of mankind.

A son
A dearly loved son
The only son that came directly
From him.
That Son.

Given
For a people
Determined to ignore him.
To find another one
to love and follow.

Except there are some
A chosen few
A chosen people who
With soft hearts
Seek
and seek find
Finding more they ever imagined they would find

Sometimes
Sometimes as they seek
they wonder what’s next
What will happen
When new truth is discovered?

As God reveals his glory
to those who seek
How will life be changed?
What is next?
What new souls is
this seeker going to help
hearts soften?

It’s amazing this journey
This looking deeper
into the heart of love.
The changes wrought in a soul.

Do you ever wonder what’s next?
If not
Just ask.

Lord, Make Me an Offering

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Miss Kate’s word this week for us is offer. Five minutes of free write on a single word. Always fun to see where it takes people. Why don’t you join in? The more the merrier!

Lord, Make Me an Offering

Lord, Make me an offering

Lord, Make Me an Offering
It’s what I am to be.
An offering of sacrifice
Of pleasing YOU not me.

Sometimes that offering,
Is making a favourite meal
To welcome home a hard-working man
It brings a smile or two.

I have to admit,
It’s often hard to look beyond myself
Self-desire and innate pride
Make it hard to give.

I have to stop and think
What model do I give
To a lad looking to see
What service HE may give.

Folding clothes,
Washing floors,
and finding chores to give
To teach a lad

It’s not a give for getting role
It’s not a receive so as to get
But an attitude of obedience
A just because it is.

How do I convey the difference
to a lad who just sorta sees
To how that obedience to HIM
Is more pleasing to me?

A hard struggle
but one worth the war
To open eyes, to soften hearts
Bringing glory to the Lord.

Confident, I Stand

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Miss Kate provides us with a one word prompt challenge every Thursday night at 10 p.m.  I find these really fun to do.  This week the word is confident.  I hope you will come join us. 

Confident, confidence, 

 late 16th century: from French confident(e ), from Italian confidente, from Latin confident- ‘having full trust’, from the verb confidere, from con- (expressing intensive force) + fidere ‘trust’.

In the course of one week, confident/confidence means different things.

Confident

Confidence in Skillset

Confident I type, assuring a gal that yes, when breeding a rabbit only two fall-offs are necessary and NO, you don’t need to introduce the buck to the doe four hours later.  One breeding time is sufficient to have, 31 days later, a healthy litter of kits.  This assumes that the doe is fertile, not overweight, and doesn’t have a scare during her pregnancy, and of course, that the buck is fertile.   I have been breeding rabbits for more than 15 years and have mentored many people into the craft that is bunny raising.   Confidence is not a skill I lack in this regard.

Confident

Confidence in Choices

Confidently, trusting my lad, on a snow day, after a recent long chat, I give him carte blanche in choosing his learning activities for the day.  True to my trust, my lad happily comes to me with a plan for the afternoon.   Taking apart a clock radio, sewing on shoulder flashes on his uniform, and building a stand for his crossbow.  Good learning in all that, so on a day when our student has the day off school, I have a mild headache, the lad is still learning well. 

Confident

Confident, I Stand

Not quite as confident, and actually falling into a pit of despair was the start of my week.  I’m still shaky from that day… but Tuesday when I still coming out of that pit, a timely reminder was given.

Faith comes from hearing the word, faith comes from knowing the truth and believing it in.  Faith is not based on emotion.  So when my emotions are completely out of whack, feeling lost and alone in the world, my faith is not in question.   What I mean is that, though I may not feel like I have faith at the moment, doesn’t mean that my faith is non-existent.  It just means my emotions are all crazy and that Satan is doing an excellent job of hitting me where it hurts the most.   But faith is not based in emotions.  God promises that those who seek him find him.  He doesn’t say, the emotionally always stable who seeks him find him.  He doesn’t say “they find him and then he leaves them when things are hard.”  The bible is clear.  If you seek for God you WILL find him.  That is a fact.  Real, true knowledge.  The truth of that statement hit me like a ton of bricks a year or so ago. And that truth remains with me still.  

My confidence (emotionally) is starting to come back, but until it does completely, the truth of who God is remains.   His steadfastness, his surety, his known providence and care remain the rocks that I stand upon when things are hard.   Upon him… I am confident. 

Where Are You?

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I asked my son this morning what the word where meant to him, that it was the word prompt from Miss Kate.   His response?   Where are you?

I figure it’s as good a place to start as anywhere right?

Where are You, a poem

Where are you?
This phrase runs through my mind
as I ponder the word Where.
My son bids me think
Where are you?

Where am I you might ask
I could simply say
Sitting in my comfy chair with
My laptop in front as SUITS
Plays on the TV making me laugh.

Where am I?
Could also show me checking my phone
wondering if my sweetheart is messaging me
Chatting as the mill runs. Staying in contact.
Sharing highlights of our day.
Today I told him of a clock radio
and shared a discovery we made.

Where am I?
My heart it frets as bit
as it always done when our youngest
is away. Wondering if he’ll be shivering
in a tent or as warm as he think he’ll be.
FTX with the Army Cadets.
Excitement folds his brain.
While I am happy to see him go,
my mama’s heart…well…You know. 🙂

Where am I?
Right here
Right now
But…. elsewhere.

Stillness

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Two things pass through my mind when I think of the word still.

The first thought is this, a simple refrain I learned AGES ago.

Be still and know, that I am God.   

Be still and know, that I am God.

Oh be still and know that I am God.

This refrain speaks to me of a choice that folks make.  To be still or not to be still.  AND in that stillness to seek after God. 

My second thought has to do with the NEED to be still.  Because sometimes being still is a real solid need.  There are times when being still negates pain.  In being still, a parent is given a chance to mind their temper before dealing with a wayward child, or to stifle a smile when there is need to pay serious attention. Being still gives a chance to stop, to take a needful break.  To catch your breath!

Sometimes stillness is thrust upon us…unwilling and wild hearts that want to keep going.  I’ve had this happen.  A life crazy busy and a heart hollering in anger at God and the world but not able to just STOP.  Then an accident happens, putting one’s car out of commission… and stillness happens.  A life pauses, a heart eases, and God, God is again found. 

Stillness shouldn’t be feared or rejected in a crazy life world that we live in. You will find that stillness is a vital part of our lives as people and as believers. 

Stillness shouldn't be feared or rejected in a crazy life world that we live in. Stillness is a vital part of our lives as people and as believers. Click To Tweet

This post is part of the five minute Friday community hosted Miss Kate.  Won’t you come join us?

Value (a poem)

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I tried to have fun with this poem.  It often surprises me where a single word will take me.  What does value mean to you?

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One dollar, two dollar, three dollar more
Better hurry up
Gotta run to the store!

Bread, bananas, muffins and cake
Gotta buy it fast
Gonna head for the lake!

Count it out,
Add it up
Make it last
Don’t use it up fast.

One dollar, two dollar, three dollar more
Figuring out the value
When I’m out at the store.

Do I need bananas?
I might not need the cake.
I definitely need the bread
I’ve a student for goodness sake!

Oregano check
What? I don’t need Basil!
Popcorn, Milk,
Corn on the table.

Eggs! Eggs!
I mustn’t forget them too!
Cake, muffins, cookies to make
Try boiled, or scrambled fried do?

Here lad it’s your turn
Give it a whirl
Manage our budget
Let the money unfurl.

The value of money
is not easily learned.
It’s better to learn young
Than as an adult be burned.

Value (a poem)

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Join us in five minute Friday won’t you? You’ll find the link up post here.