Exodus/Ki Tisa Thoughts

So I started this weeks and weeks ago...but left it as a draft because I *knew* I was going to get back to it and finish. Yeah, when will I learn? Well, for my sake, here are the few thoughts I had back then:

Thought 1

"The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD’s offering to make atonement for your lives."
Exodus 30:15

I had to email My Favorite when I read this. It is talking of the census HaShem asked Moses to give, when each person would bring a "ransom for his life." HaShem set an amount, and it didn't matter who you were, poor or rich, that is what you were to bring. All men are created equal? Well, all are equally in need of His ransom. Hence Romans 3:23 "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The payment of the ransom is the same for all, the death of Messiah. Mark 10:45 says the Son of Man came "to give his life as a ransom for many." And a new find today, the song sung to the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David:

"...for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."
Revelation 5:9-10

What an Awesome King we serve!

Thought 2

"You shall beat some of it [incense] very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you."
Exodus 30:36

When I read this verse, I thought, wow, what an Awesome God we serve (hmm, is there a theme going?!). Why? Because I realized, from my past thoughts and from recent ones voiced by people reading through the "Older Testament, that most of the time we look at all these laws, and all these directions, and think, "What a task master! Good thing Jesus changed all that." Obviously I believe differently now. Which helped me see that everyone serves a god, whether in actual worship (ex. hindu), or what they dedicate their life to (ex. success, family). Everyone has something at the center of their life that drives them. But not everyone knows what to do to satisfy that master. Some believe they will not know, heaven or hell, until they have passed from this world. Others will reach the end of their life feeling unfulfilled, not being successful enough, or having had their family constantly let them down.

But HaShem? He doesn't want that for His followers. He gives every detail of what He expects. Down to how to grind incense. That, my friends, is a god who loves His people.

"Keep [the statutes and rules] and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?"
Deuteronomy 4:6-8

Random Thought

I am reading this weeks Gospel  portion, Mark 13-14 and had a random thought. I hear from a few people in the "Church" (as in not messianic part of the body of Messiah) that the Holy Spirit didn't exist before Yeshua sent Him. Although there are plenty of reasons why that is obviously a little off, here is one for today.

"And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."

Mark 13:11

He mentions the Holy Spirit with no explanation. And, then, His disciples do not ask for clarification. I don't know if you have noticed, but these guys like to ask questions. In fact, that is what this whole section started as, a question. 

So my conclusion is this, they didn't ask for understanding of the Holy Spirit because they already knew the Holy Spirit and His work. The Holy Spirit is not an aspect of God newly revealed in the Newer Testament. First Older Testament mentioning? Psalm 51:11.

Her Resume

I read this comment on principleddiscovery.com by JavaBean just last night:

Parents also say to me, “Oh I admire you doing that [homeschool]. I could never teach my own child! It would drive me crazy.” Who taught her to walk? Who taught her to talk? Who taught her to tie her shoes and catch a ball? Parents begin teaching their child at birth, why hand them over for someone else to teach just because they are 5?

That coupled with my recent post on my goals for Teeny Tiny's future made me start thinking of all the things she has learned already. If only we continued to learn that quickly!

1st week:

• How to breath air
• How to filter light, cold, and noise
• How to cry (and cry and cry)
• How to eat
• What it means to be hungry (okay, she still doesn't totally understand this concept, but it started here)
• How to find mama
• How to track
• How to fill a diaper
  

Since then, how to:

• Sleep (it took forever but she's pretty good now)
• Grab things
• Roll over
• Laugh
• Smile
• Get attention
• Get fed
• Sit up
• Stand up
• Walk
• Fall
• Enjoy animals (next is learning that you can't lay on all animals)
• Eat solids
• Chew
• Survive teething
• Point
• High Five
• A bit of sign language
• Call Mama's name/make her run with joy
• Basic language skills
• "boo"
• "Ow"
• "Ma" = more
• "Koo Koo" = sound a train makes
• "Kay koo" = thank you
• "Book" or "A Books"
  
• "Hi"
• "Bye Bye" (to be said when hanging up the phone, leaving a room, leaving one spot on the floor for another, leaving the presence of a stranger who just walked by...)
• Many animal sounds: "meow" "baa" "moo" "neigh" "arf, arf" "ee, ee" "buck, buck"
  
• "Ts that?" = what is that?!
• "buka" = broken
• "Ni night"
• "Enty" = Empty
• Family names
• "Poopy poopy poopy!"
• "mamadada" our favorite name
  
• Scribble
• Drool
• Sing...or something like it
  
• Run
• Run into things
• Climb
• Find something to help her climb
• Kiss
• Hug
  
• Cuddle
• Get anyone to read books to her for hours
  
• Get grandparents to do anything she wants
• Use a spoon (work in progress)
• Use a fork
• Play by herself
• Not play by herself
• Ask to go to bed
• Get up by saying up, get down by saying up
• Get any adult to follow her, "Hand?"
• Brush teeth/suck toothpaste off toothbrush
• Be absolutely the most beautiful, funny, curious daughter we've ever had

And that is just what I remember.

For Their Future

Recently, a family member asked me what my plans (or maybe it was hopes) were for Teeny Tiny when she graduated. Seeing as how she is not quite 1 1/2, my main point was that I do not have many set goals or even hopes because as of yet she did not even have a grasp on English. I'm just now seeing her personality more and more. So after graduation? Well, actually I do have some ideas...hey, I am a mom after all.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."
Deuteronomy 6:4-7

To Serve Him
I want Teeny Tiny, #2 and any other children Ha Shem has planned (yikes) to know what it is to serve Him. I want to give them every opportunity possible to know Him. I say it that way because I am acutely aware that I cannot make them know Him. Ultimately, their salvation is between Him and them. But His word makes it very obvious that I have a huge, huge, huge role in this.

I am to teach His word diligently. When I sit in my house, which I take to mean in every thought, action, job, chore, reaction and action of everyday life. When I walk by the way, which I take to mean who I am at home is who I am to be outside these doors, so above description applies here too. When I lie down and when I arise. Yeah, that would be emphasizing the "you need to live my word every second of every breathing moment." Whew.

That is where I am thankful that much of His word is about forgiveness and grace. Meaning by my children having me as a teacher of His word, they will most likely have many opportunities to work on accepting apologies, and hopefully will offer grace and forgiveness :0)

Here is a snippet from an article by Tim Hegg that I really appreciated:

"I would much rather have my son spend his life in the service of HaShem at the corner gas station and be greeted by the Almighty with “well done, good and faithful servant” than to have him making a six-figure salary and end life wondering if he really did anything that could be characterized as having eternal value."
From Why Homeschool?*

To Serve Others (and themselves)
Yeah, I said others and themselves. I'll get to explaining it in a second.

Part of teaching HaShem's word to them will obviously work on teaching them to serve others. Whether it be the widows, orphans, strangers, neighbors or enemies He brings in our life, His word addresses all the others we could ever think of and then some. Of course, a lot of this is fuzzy to me now that I am attempting to balance all the duties of wife and mother, (others? I can't even keep the kitchen clean!) but I am confident that He will help me work it out.

By "themselves" I am thinking of more practical, everyday skills. I do not know how to sew, or keep organized, and can barely cook (My Favorite is very patient with me. He, on the other hand, is a very good cook). Whether I only have girls, or HaShem graces us with a boy (please at least one?), I think everyone needs to know how to clean up after themselves, manage time, keep organized, manage His money, boil water, follow a recipe, scrub a toilet, do laundry, work in the dirt, and change a diaper.

If they are girls, I believe many of these to be the exact job skills they will desperately need as wife and, hopefully, mother. I could have used a bit more confidence and comfort in many of these areas. If there are some boys, yeah, same thing. Whether a son marries or not, he needs clean clothes and a debt free life. And if he does marry, his wife might need some assistance from time to time (not like me of course :0) and I would like to do my best to make that possible for him to do. Without being able to try the "I did it wrong so now she won't ask me to do it ever again" tactic. I appreciate that of my Favorite, a huge thank you going out to his mom.

Knowledge of all the other stuff
The math, reading, science, history, swimming, flying and dog training is all on my to do list as well. But without the above categories, none of this will mean anything.

So there you have it. In short form, for me, I hope to raise servants of HaShem who can help their neighbor, husband, wife and kids with the so-called-drudgery of life (scooping poop without too much gagging) and the miracle of His ways. All without having to add on their fingers. Shouldn't be too hard...ha!

*Arrgh! Blogger is putting their address at the begining of all my links and it won't go away. So you can't go to them from my page. So here is the real address, sorry for its length, just copy and paste I guess: www.torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/Why%20Homeschool.pdf