The Month that Was: April (and the Community Psalm Sing!)

homemade mozzerella

Millie doesn't just make good eggrolls!  She makes beautiful shirts to bless Littles with.  I only wish I had gotten a picture of Ineke and her other two Amigos, all matching!

Judah learns how to make stripes in the lawn.

While I did pretty well at everything else, I failed ENTIRELY at spending time writing each day...
didn't have a SINGLE checkmark on that line this month.  :-/

 As spring often has a way of doing, busyness abounds.  We are over here trying to get in the garden, trying to WATER what has been gotten in (on one of the DRIEST springs I can recall), trying to coordinate Biggles' jobs schedules, Middles' commitments outside of home, trying to finish up homeschooling for the year and trying to be available for the Littles.  There have already been camping overnights, parties and swim days.  These are the days when homeschooling seems like torture.

It's a delicate balance of trying to prioritize what MUST be done, what ought to be done, what would LIKE to be done, and what can be set aside for now.  Of course, everyone in our home has different sets of priorities within that framework and there are a lot of people who may not agree with how it plays out.  We may get it wrong at times but we are doing the best we can.

But even before spring officially sprung, April seemed to be particularly busy.   There was a birthday celebration for my Mom- (who is just as vibrant as ever, despite her dramatic year-long health trial), visiting with long distance, long-ago friends who feel a bit like parents (who you just soak up, you love them so), a birthday celebration for Andrew (a post for another time) and a longtime dream fulfilled... hosting a community psalm sing.

Our community has many different churches, many of whom have never experienced psalm-singing.  So it was my hope that we could bring them all together and sing to the Lord HIS songs.  (Unfamiliar with psalm-singing?  Read this!  Or this!)  So many things divide, but as Christians we are ONE church.  We can only have power to change the culture, to cause true Revival and Reformation, if we join together in repentance, obedience and loving what God loves.  And so we did!  I didn't know how large a group it would be but I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout.  I know of at least 7 churches being represented.  And everyone sounded wonderful!  It was just a beautiful experience.  The children and I baked dozens upon dozens of cookies and brownies for the event, bought two bouquets of flowers and split them up for the tables, roasted up SIX beef chuck roasts and an entire roaster oven of chicken and everyone brought dishes to pass.  I made up packets of Psalms for people to take home with them to practice.  

 I pray the Lord cause that tiny, beautiful ripple to create a tidal wave of Truth and JOY in the hearts of all who hear.