An Instrument in Christ's Hands - Homeschool Blogger

Moved!

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:56:00 -0600

My Blog has now MOVED!!! Same blog, same girl, better blog host. Just a little tired of HSB. :) My blog is now located at:

www.ChristsInstrument.blogspot.com

I'm turning off comments here, and you can now comment at the new address. :)

I'm looking forward to a long and prosperous blogging career at Blogger! See you there!!!

God bless,
Sheila

The Little Things

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 19:40:00 -0600

It's in the little things that we can find out greatest joys! It is in the small things that we can find the greatest wisdom. Let the tiny miracles delight you today!

Proverbs 30:24-28

Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:

Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;

coneys are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;

locusts have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;

a lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.

~Sheila

PS. I am slowly changing this blog to this address: www.christsinstrument.blogspot.com I am currently double posting on both blogs.

A Musician's Musical Life (Part 1)

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 11:36:00 -0500

A very cute me at age 4 playing in an MYC recital

In a world filled with too many sounds, too much hustle and bustle, and the crazy noise of our secular peers, where did the music go? Sometimes I wonder, but then I realize that I am contributing to this beautiful world myself. No need to despair! It’s been an exciting road so far, so let me show you what I’ve done!

As a musician, who am I? What am I doing here? What, truly, is the point? Now, a while back, I had a hard time understanding what the point of music really was. I mean, I enjoyed it and all, but I still didn't see what the point of it was. You may be wondering that yourself! I'm think I'm starting to see the light, thank goodness! I have learned that my music is a tool--a joy-giving effervescent tool--that can be used in so many ways to touch so many lives, including my own.

First let me show you how it has changed me--where I came from in a sense. I started music as a wee little person, with Music for Young Children (www.myc.com). By the way, I highly recommend this program for little ones, and hope to teach it myself one day. It brought me to the point where I loved making sounds, just for fun! I know that experience was vital in keeping me 'alive' in this whole thing. You see, we moved, and at age 5 I started private piano lessons. My first teacher was sweet and loving, but I needed a firmer hand. (I have been known as a 'strong-willed child'.) We then switched to another teacher, who was just what I needed at that time. She was gently firm, and pushed me enough that I would actually keep moving. Somehow through all this though, I ended up not enjoying playing piano much anymore. Why? Who knows for sure but God! In any case, part of the reason was due to the fact that the quality of this particular teacher was seriously spiralling downward. Her personal life was getting into a bit of a mess, and she started taking it out on her students. The final moment when we got so fed up with it that we left was when, the first lesson back after Christmas, she asked what my favourite gift was, and I told her that it was my new Bible, a pink Bible too! She--a supposed Christian--looked at me oddly and asked: "Yeah, yeah, but other than that?" My quizzical expression as a 10 year old raised in a Christian family must have been something to behold. I think I began by saying "Um, it is the best..." I was going to end by saying "...thing I got for Christmas.", but she took it as a lecture about how the Bible was the best book etc. etc. Her flaming face interrupted me with: "I've been a Christian a lot longer than you have! I know about the Bible!" Ahem. We promptly ended the ‘relationship’. Understandably, however, that turned me even more off music, and I hated the stuff. We went back to my original 'very-nice-but-way-too-sweet' teacher for a little while, and then I gave up lessons for a year and played piano (rather badly) for the jazz band at the local Christian school, such as it was. The whole thing was a total catastrophe! I also tried another teacher in there who was the exact opposite of the 'very-nice-but-way-too-sweet' teacher. That wasn't much fun either.

Fortunately, we moved again. Yay! (Although I wasn’t too excited then!) I found a fantastic piano teacher, and was able to get going with her right away. We 'clicked', which was amazing, and I suddenly was interested in piano again! My saddest moment was when, after a couple months with her, she had to move. All my hopes suddenly slipped down the drain. Now what?

Well, I found another teacher who was okay, but I sensed the quality difference so greatly that I cried after the first few lessons. I didn't know what to do anymore, and I was seriously starting to wish I'd never started music, and that I'd done dance or something else. That was one of those "Why me?" years. I absolutely despised practicing, and only did as much as I absolutely had to. Unfortunately, those feelings have hung on and sometimes still make it difficult for me to enjoy practicing piano. That goes to show you how important a good teacher is!

After a year of this, the piano teacher called my Mom and told me that she couldn't teach me anymore. I guess she recognized the difficulties too, so in a way I was glad for that. We phoned my original teacher (The one I 'clicked' with) and discussed what on earth we should do. Well, miracle of miracles, I was able to get back in with her! She came into our town every week, so she now comes to my house for my lessons! It is thrilling to have her back again! I don't know how I would survive the theory, history, and harmony courses I am now taking without her either. That was truly the work of God.

I picked up the flute at age 9. It was one of those "What instrument would you like to play, dear?" moments, so since harp was too big and expensive, I chose flute. Rather a dramatic difference in size! I had some fun with it at first, and was even able to make some semi-decent sounds, but that didn’t last forever. I took lessons from a local high school band student, and as you can maybe imagine, I didn’t get very far with her. We found another lady nearby who was willing to teach me, but with two VERY noisy kids running around and distracting both of us all the time, not to mention the fact that she wasn’t exactly the brightest flute player in the world, it didn’t work either.

Now what? Well, right there was close to a year of not playing the flute! It sat in the corner, and believe me; you didn’t want to be around when someone mentioned the instrument. It was not a pretty picture! We then tried one more teacher who was not bad, I could have stuck with it fine, but my parents noticed my lack of motivation…hmmm.

They stuck me in a local Christian school’s Grade 7 concert band, because they knew that without some sort of motivation, I wasn’t going to go anywhere. Of course, these kids had only had a month or two of band, and I’d been playing the instrument off and on for a couple years, as well as having several years of piano under my belt. (I was 11 then.) Musically, I had a great advantage over these kids, even though they were a year older, so I excelled greatly, which is what I needed to press on. I probably wouldn’t be still playing the flute if it wasn’t for joining that little band. It certainly presented its own problems; however, as I soon discovered that I ‘liked’ the school scene and wanted to be part of it. How glad I am that my parents didn’t let me go. They chose to keep me home, and to keep my time with these ‘friends’ to a minimum. Paying off immensely over the years, I have now learned what that scene can really do to a person, and I am thrilled to know that I never really got into it.

We moved again. (This was the move where I found the piano teacher that ‘clicked’.) I didn’t just hook up with another school band though! I found a simply SMASHING teacher, that has been my flute teacher ever since. We moved in January of that year, and I began with her in June, so I guess I’ve been with her about 2 ½ years. Seems longer, because I’ve learned so much! It is extraordinarily exciting now! I wouldn’t give up that instrument for anything anyone could offer me.

I’ve come from despising the instrument lying in the dust to taking it as my own first love. Don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoy playing piano, and I know that it is absolutely vital in music, at least in my opinion, but I’ve come to the point where it is the flute that gives me the most joy. I could spend hours on end practicing it without even having to think a whole lot, whereas with piano, I have to actually figure out what I’m going to spend the next hour at the piano doing. Composing is a lot easier at the piano, and so is just sitting playing to relax, however. There is a lot more you can do in that regard on the piano. Another plus with piano, is that you can start at a much earlier age than flute (due to body and hand size, as well as coordination.), and you learn to do and read more things such as the bass clef, etc.

It has certainly been an exiting journey so far! I’ve learned so incredibly much, from what it takes to be a bad teacher, to what it takes to be a fantastic musician, to what it means to have peer pressure, to how degrading it can be to have a bad teacher.

So, that is my past life in music. There is so much more I could tell you, but I’m not sure how to fit it all in without boring you. If you have questions about it, feel free to ask! I’m excited about this whole thing, and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the future!

Part 2 will cover my present and my future in music! ‘Stay tuned!’

May the peace of God be with you,

Sheila

Clarification and suspense building...

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:20:00 -0500

Hello out there!

Clarification about 'Random Day', specifically for 'Poetess', who is apparently otherwise nameless. :D

'Random Day' is a silly tradition I started on my blog last October 30th, just for fun, to post some random item (Last year it was smileys) on my blog, just for fun. (Just for fun. :) I used to post random posts all the time, but I try to be slightly more profound now. (Hmmm...) The 'Random Day' gives me one day a year where I can post a totally nonsensical post, just for fun. (Just for fun. :) So, I decided, as I've been working on scales, to post scales. It certainly is random, is it not? :) Just for kicks, you see. :) I'm really not that ridiculous on here all the time. {Grin}

And...I meant to post this yesterday. I will soon be posting a series of two or three posts on music! I will be posting audio clips of me playing, my thoughts on music, recent musical experiences etc. I know I have elaborated on this before, but it was more in the realm of 'what I've done this year'. This time it will be more general, directed at anyone with the vaguest interest in all things musical! I hope you'll return soon to check it out! :)

God bless you all,
Until next time,
Sheila

Happy Random Day!

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:18:00 -0500

Just noticed that a year ago today, I pronounced it 'Random Day'. Well, then my random thing was smileys. This year it is a random collection of scales. :D Yes, I recorded some 30 seconds of scales on the piano, just for randomnesses sake. If you check back a few pages, you'll find I start this tradition last year. :)

Scales for Random Day: Click Here!

In Christ Alone,
Sheila

My Poetic Side

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 15:31:00 -0500

Hello out there!!!

Well, as long as I can remember, I've had a weird flare for writing weird poetry. I admit, some of it was awful, and scary. Which is why I tore it out of my booklet. ;) In any case, I did save some of my old stuff, and I've written some new stuff. I can't say I understand it all, or that I expect it to all make sense to you, or that it is in any way very good, but I thought I would share it with you, so you get a bit of a feel for what goes on inside my head. :)

These are from before 2002:

Spring

Spring is coming!

I can feel it in the air,

Spring is coming!

I see some springtime over there.

Spring is coming!

The bells so clearly ring,

“Spring is coming!”

It just makes me want to sing!

Spring is here!

Oh the sun is shining brightly.

Spring is here!

I do feel like dancing lightly!

Spring is here!

No more winter sleet and snow,

Spring is here!

The flowers, how they grow!

Spring is gone!

But do not shed a tear.

Spring is gone!

But Sumer’s drawing near.

Spring is gone!

But flowers, do not weep,

Spring is gone!

Your memories I shall keep!

(I was probably 9-ish when I wrote that.)

Pity

Faces,

Wandering.

Wondering.

Forever.

Hearts,

Unknowing.

Unforgiving.

Forever.

Why?

Unknown.

Unwelcome.

Forever.

Lives,

Lost.

Useless.

Forever.

God,

All-knowing.

All loving.

Forever

(I was probably also 9 or 10-ish here)

Stubborn

You talk,

but do not act.

You cry,

but cannot mourn.

You look,

but pass me by.

You want,

but will not ask.

You live,

and you will die.

(I like that one, and think it is one of my better ones of all time!)

Forgiveness

A man came walking by me,

all dressed in clean white robes.

He called me by my name,

I did not answer.

Someone tried to love me,

care for me, caress.

They reached their hand to touch me,

I pulled away.

A woman tried to show me,

the answer to my faults.

She pointed them out gently,

I would not listen.

I lay wounded by the roadside,

the others passed me by.

they had tried, I’d not responded,

I cried in agony.

I was mournful, weak, and sorry,

God came to me and helped.

He comforted and loved.

God forgives.

(The truth in life, isn’t it?)

The Poem I Never Gave a Name To

A special friend arrives,

as I sit there at the door.

The wood steps feel so lonely,

I do not see my friend.

I wonder why I have

not seen as my pen flies

o’er and o’er.

My friend…is gone.

I look again, I see my friend,

but alas it’s a mirage.

No…sense is not for me.

I don’t get it.

(This is one of those REALLY WEIRD ones! I have no idea what frame of mind I was in, but I must have been about 10 at the time. We had wood steps at that house.)

These are just a few little random lines I’ve written when I felt out of sorts and confused. Not really poems, but they are in my poem notebook, so I’ll share them anyway.

‘Whenever my pen flies,

answers come fast,

and then I understand.

The reasons seem to reach me,

I want to know more,

Then it comes.

Quiet night.

Soft

Noise

words

gentle

love

sleep.’

‘Poems are useless,

Pens are so dull,

But the sound of an instrument

rings clear like a bell!’

These poems and thoughts have been written in the last 6 months.

Pure Friendship

Pure friendship,

Gift to not pass up.

Such kinship,

Oft’ hard, but don’t give up.

Though valleys quake,

Loud roar it makes,

the friends continue on.

Encouragement to one another,

from evening through past dawn.

Though we endure,

This friendship pure,

Leads us through good times too,

when every precious moment,

is filled with joy from you.

I count our special tie,

as a gift from God.

For though earth binds us night,

it’s Him that deserves laud.

I probably seem silly,

sometimes as on we run,

but you see, it’s really,

so nice to have sheer fun.

Especially when you’re around,

and can join along,

to make a giggly, happy sound,

or to sing a foolish song.

So now as we set for lightly,

let’s clasp each other tight.

Let’s watch the stars that winkle brightly,

and fix eyes on Christ’s might.

(I wrote this when Mariah was here visiting. It was amazing.)

Time and Life

If time could suddenly stand still

What would I do with what is left?

I might wait a while and pray,

let imagination stay.

Walking, talking, thinking,

My thoughts drift around now.

Emotions wander.

Though I should ponder,

What lies ahead.

Can’t think, at best.

Words fail me,

What I see,

Means more.

Clear door.

Light,

Life.

(Another weird one, it is kind of an exploration of the thoughts that none of us can put into words, and I think that is why it doesn’t seem to make sense. Language just doesn’t do those thoughts justice, but in order to share them, we have to try. Note the arrangement: The first two lines are 8 syllables, the third and fourth lines are 7 syllables, the fifth and sixth lines are 6 syllables, on down to two one syllable lines. Weird and wonderful.)

Abstracts

Some days are like moments,

some moments, like days.

Time still rolls, going on and on.

And my life seems an endless maze.

No, I know, those moments,

are as precious as years,

yet still the speed seems unfair,

and slowly drop tears.

But see, I’ve realized,

this time will never wait.

Don’t waste it on tears,

never let your heart hate.

Sometimes, though, I wonder,

Are tears really wrong?

If they were, why’d God create them?

No, they are no worse than a song.

I wish I truly understood,

all these miniscule abstracts,

I’m pretty sure it’s impossible,

All we fathom are true facts.

They all leave my head spinning,

drifting thoughts without end.

Confusion encircles every emotion.

To my pencil, these thoughts I send.

(This was one of those bleak, confused moments yesterday.)

A Dedicated Life

My words have been words of confusion,

Thoughts of great pondering I wrote.

My Saviour wasn’t my centre,

My Jesus wasn’t my hope.

I’m now quite sure He wants me to,

do something big for Him.

He wants my heart, my soul, my all,

To run away from sin.

My joy must be full, overflowing!

Acceptance of His love, my all.

I can trust in Him, perfect, all-knowing,

and onto my knees I will fall.

Father, God, forgive them

They know not what they do.

Your words mean so very much to me,

They’re so incredibly, wonderfully true!

So help me, Lord, to understand,

to win this battle of faith,

to lean heavily on your wisdom,

and run well this glorious race.

(I wrote this earlier today, after realizing that though we do have confused thoughts sometimes, our Jesus is there for us. I felt like God was talking to me yesterday afternoon, and I learned a lot. It made me want to be on fire for Him, and I feel he has something special for me to do. I can’t elaborate now, but I would appreciate it if you’d pray for me. Thanks!)

I have a few other poems, but I wrote them on the computer, not in my notebook, and my computer is ‘at the hospital’ right now, so you’ll just have to wait for ‘part 2’. Thanks for listening, and I hope you don’t think I’m too crazy!

May you have a beautiful weekend,

In Christ Alone!!!

Sheila

Me Fluting!!!

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:37:00 -0500

Well, I've finally figured out how to post audio clips! I recorded myself playing a piece this morning on the flute, and I'll (hopefully) have a piano one up soon. :) I don't have piano accompaniment for it, since I just recorded it in my house. I'm also a bit sore from rock climbing on Wednesday night, so by the end of the piece, I am a little tired and it isn's so great. Sorry! Hope you enjoy it anyway. :)

Without further ado, let me play for you: 'Out of the Cool', a very different 20th century piece.

'Out of the Cool' <--Click there to play

In Christ Alone,

Sheila

Joy in Learning?

Sat, 6 Oct 2007 23:35:00 -0500

Here we are in October, a month (or two for some of you in the US) into the 'school year', so to speak, and I must ask how we--the 'students'--are feeling about our learning endeavours. I'm telling you, when I first thought of writing this post, it was because I was THRILLED every day about the things I was studying and learning. Everything seemed perfect., and at the end of 2 hours of flute practice, I wanted more and didn't want to stop and get on to other things. My excitement about my 'bookwork' was way up there, beyond what I ever thought it could be, and soaring in happiness and glee everyday. I was getting up at 6:00, keeping on schedule, and hey, what could be better?

Well, you all know how it is. By mid-September, my 'going to bed early, getting up early, and staying on track everyday' plan had started to falter. I was falling a behind, and slacking off, and it kind of felt like every day was 'one of those days'. "Yuck, I just don't feel right today, I'm squishy." "Well, you know, I did do such and such and so and so today, and those are good things! (Just not what needed to be done)", and the like. I'm sure you've made excuses like that too! Well, I just didn't know how to pull myself out of this silly hole I'd dug for myself. Although the things I was learning were amazing and great, I just couldn't bring myself to truly enjoy the learning of it.

Let us now look at what I've learned over the last week. I've tried a few things that have helped me to figure out what I should be getting out of this, and I've talked to God about it. First of all, I've realized I have to get over the elementary grades notion that I have to be 'done' for the day. I'll never be done, there will always be something else I could do, so when I need recreational time, I have to just take it. Of course, that doesn't mean an easy excuse for getting out of work, but I've found it's true. If I want to crochet at all during the day, I have to just say to myself "Okay, now I'm going to crochet'. Otherwise it will never happen and I will stress over not having a chance to do some of the 'extra-curricular' things that I like doing.

I've also learned that some days I need to get ALL 4 hours of practicing done before I even touch my books. Other days, I MUST complete all my bookwork for the day before I dare to look at an instrument. Other days are crazy, and I just have to fit things in bit by bit. Of course, I have two days each week in which I don't expect to get nearly as much done, as I am out for most of them. So you see, I learned that organization can be slightly disorganized, and therein lies the beauty,

I am enjoying what I am doing, and trying to feel at peace and relaxed no matter what I'm doing or how much I have 'accomplished for the day', for though it might be 4:00 and I may have only done one hour of practicing and half a math lesson, did I take into account the housecleaning I did, or the things I learned going out with my Mom? Nope, I usually forget that.

Last week I prayed, I prayed with more fervency than I have in a long time, and you know what? I'm slightly ashamed to say that I was praying for me, not for the lost in poverty stricken countries, or the persecuted in Arabia, but for selfish little me. No matter how much I need to pray for these people, however, I really needed to pray about this. Shedding a few tears, I asked God for the excitement I had at the beginning of the year for my instruments. I asked Him for this thing which it seems all other musicians have except me, and that is the desire to be constantly playing my instrument, at least to some extent, I asked for the instrument to be a distraction, and that He would help me to find pure joy in them all the time and not just sometimes. Wouldn't you know it, the next day was easier, I didn't feel that old dread seeping in of having to practice as I had a few days prior. No longer did I feel burdened to finish every minute of practicing that day. I did though, and I enjoyed it. The next day was even better, and suddenly, a burst of joy bloomed from my soul.

Please don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate my music, I don't feel that way in any way, shape or form, but sometimes you can get really bogged down with even the things you love the most. I guess that's what happened a little, and other times in the past I never thought of asking God for wisdom. This time I did, and it payed off!

All that to say that I have learned lots about learning. I realize everyday that life is one big schoolroom filled with shelves and shelves of marvelous books. Books to dig deep into, and to live from. At the very centre of that room is a very special book: The Bible. It governs all. I never want to get to the point where I say "That's it, I've learned enough." If my life is to be an adventure, I must keep learning about how to make that adventure the best one I can have, and Christ is my most valuable life-source: literally.

May you find peace in this as we learn together to find joy in life's journey. i'm struggling with you all, but I just found one tiny, fragment of the final answer that lies in Christ. I would love to say I could keep it up pretty well on my own, but I know I can't, and that if I rely on God and His wisdom, He will guide me through it and I can succeed.

Phillipians 4:13

I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

Gowing together,

Sheila

PS. I have pictures for this post, but the computer with the pictures got fried. Fortunately the pictures were able to be saved, but I've already deleted them off my camera, and the computer is at the repair shop. I have to wait until I get the other computer back to get them up. Hope you'll come back to see them! Sheila

Nice Matters Award

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:56:00 -0500

A big thank you to Ebell1993 and to Christianmusician1 for awarding me the 'Nice Matters award'!

“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award.”

Greatly appreciated. :) I'll pass it on to a few people, but not 7. ;)

Maidens of Worth - I know you don't do awards, but suffice it to say that you deserve it. :) Thank you for a beautiful blog.

Ednella - A lovely blog friend, with fabulous posts...and three blogs, I think, so be sure to find them all and check them out!

Layne - This girl has taken an amazing leap, and I commend you for it. Thank-you for a great blog, Layne!

There you are. :) If I gave you an award, you don't have to have it if you don't want it, that's my rule with any blog award. ;) If I didn't give it to you, don't take offense, I'm tired, and I may not have thought of you. ;)

Enjoy being nice today!

God bless you all,
Sheila

PS. I know I'm late with the interesting posts. I'll try to do one tomorrow. :)

Many exciting things happening in the Blogosphere!

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:55:00 -0500

Dear inhabitants of the Blogosphere,

First off, my Mom started a blog. Yay!!! You may wonder "What happened to the 'LorrainOfManyHats' blog?" Well, she decided to start fresh, and is closing the old blog, that she hadn't blogged on for well over a year. So her new blog address is at: www.TheNarrowRoadAndGate.blogspot.com Please visit her, and leave a comment!

Also, just so you know, I will probably (not for sure) be switching over to my blogger blog (www.ChristsInstrument.blogspot.com) sometime in the next month or two. So keep checking for updates on that.

I do have interesting posts coming, my life is just really full right now, so keep on the lookout for them. I'm also working on updating my blogger blog to make it really presentable, so that takes up some of my blog-ish time. :) Unfortunately, since it's the new blogger, I can't use this exact template. :( Oh well. Hopefully I can put the music picture in the background again, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, God bless you all, and I look forward to seeing you around the blogosphere...so does my Mom! :D

Sincerely,
Sheil

Spread Your Wings

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:51:00 -0500

"The future", with is vastness, its infinitude,--so distant, so beyond our power,--grows out of the use you make of the present, so small, so near, so completely at your disposal. Reality borrows from futurity, from eternity...What is seed? It is the future harvest. What is the present hour? It is the future age,--a destiny of happiness or misery. What is this field before you? It is all that you can make of it by industry, by effort, by vigilance, by enterprise."

Quote from 'The Love of Truth', Anonymous.

We, the youth of our generation, are beginning to set foot in that vast place called the future, but what we do now so greatly affects this! However, as we wonder about our future, we must remember that the whole point of these ideas are not to fixate every thought on what is to come, but to apply ourselves with heart, soul and mind to the importance of today! God has given us today, and he has not gifted us with tomorrow quite yet. Consider carefully the things you do today, because their effects will drastically impact your life tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34 (NASB)

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

God bless each and every one of you as you strive to make today count for tomorrow in God's eyes.

In Christ,
Sheila

Contest! 'Created to Be His Help Meet'

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 14:36:00 -0500

Young ladies! I am going to enter this contest at Team Bettendorf to win this lovely book. (http://homeschoolblogger.com/TeamBettendorf/383889/) Although it is directed to married ladies, it looks like it could be wonderful encouragement to those of us looking ahead to the future and preparing ourselves to be a helpmeet to our future husbands. Here are a few paragraphs that I copied off of the book's website. Enjoy, and please enter the contest! (http://homeschoolblogger.com/TeamBettendorf/383889/)

Sheila

Created to Be His Help Meet

Somewhere over the passing years and changing culture, women have lost their way. This book is written to lead them back home. Regardless of how you began your marriage or how dark and lonely the path that has brought you to where you are now, I want you to know that it is possible today to have a marriage so good and so fulfilling that it can only be explained as a miracle.

It took four years, thousands of hours, many tears, revisions and distractions, but I finally finished my book. I had no idea God had so much to say to us ladies until I began going through God’s Word verse by verse, writing the different sections of Created to Be His Help Meet. Many times as I read a passage, I would say to my husband, “I’m not going to include those verses in my book because if I do the ladies (of any religious group you can think of including my own) will not like my book or promote it.” My dear husband would say to me, “If God thought it was important enough to inspire it as part of his Word to us, then you should include it.” And so I would cringe and add one more controversial subject after another.

So in obedience with Titus 2, where God commands the aged women to teach the younger women, I have obeyed and given you the very best I can do — 27 chapters, 304 pages, including letters from my readers, recounting couseling sessions, wisdom gleaned from my daughters, my own very personal stories, and, of course, the Word of God. It includes subjects as varied as planning meals to answering extremely intimate questions.

Just so you know...

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 14:21:00 -0500

I know I haven't posted any profound posts lately, but it's coming! We have company for a few days, and then I'll sort through all the profound topics in my head and write something. :) I will return shortly!

God bless you all, have a great rest of the summer!

Sheila

PS. Do any of you have prayer requests you'd like me to pray about? You can leave them in the comments or email me (Link to the left). I would love to lift up anything that might be on your heart in prayer. In Christ, Sheila

Volunteering and such...

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:45:00 -0500

Hello blogging world!

I'm sorry I haven't posted much! Very busy! I am working on a serious, 'thinky' post or two, but I just haven't been able to get around to working on them. Sorry everybody!

Anyway, here I am, so I'll let you know how life is. I'm volunteering at the local pool this week, which is really fun. I have my AWSI (Assistant Water Safety Instructor) as you know, so I am allowed to assist with lessons. It is quite interesting, and I personally think quite fun, to help with teaching these kids! Showing them how to fix something, and helping them along, and then discovering that they have fixed the problem is so very rewarding, just like teaching music. It has been an intense confidence builder for myself as well, seeing as I wasn't sure if I could spot the problems easily. Working with an experienced instructor is so awesome, and I get to learn how to judge whether they kids pass the level, and they often give me tips on how to help them and so on. It will be so great having done this so much when I finally finish all my courses and can get hired on as a lifeguard/swim teacher! Yay!

I also got my biteplate and headgear this week. (Orthodontic junk I have to have in my mouth most of the time.) The biteplate really isn't too bad, I can get used to it pretty easily, but the headgear is really annoying. It hurt a bit, and now it doesn't too much, but it's extraordinarily aggravating! I can't turn my head properly, and it's in the way of everything! Oh well, it's just for a few months, and I just have to wear it to sleep and around the house while I do school and whatnot. :)

Although everyone at the Public School (which I often just type as 'PS') won't start school for another few weeks, I'm getting back into it a bit. Not full blast, but some. I'm trying to get my Geometry cone by Christmas, which requires me to do one lesson 5 days a week until then, so I'm working through that. Then I can get going on the Algebra 2. I'm also working on Bible reading and music theory, and trying to do some piano and flute technique. *Sigh* I'm just feeling a bit tired though. My Mom and Dad have had a bit of a cold, and I think I might be getting it. Plus, my headgear is hurting my neck a bit right now (It goes behind my neck, not over my head.), so I'm feeling a bit pained. Maybe I'll be able to get more done next week. Hopefully, anyway!

So I guess there isn't a whole lot more for me to write about my life right now. I think I smell some yummy supper (Yeah, we eat late lots. :P), and I think I see some reading and candy and maybe a movie in my evening. I guess I'd better go!

Sincerely,
Sheila

Who am I?

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 18:45:00 -0500

Yes, that's me. :)

Dear blog readers,

I'd like to share with you all a bit more of who I am. Please read on!

Who am I? I am no celebrity, no star. I am no great oracle of wisdom, and no mother of many. I am not a popular girlie-girl, and I am not a hidden away nun. So really, who am I? I am Sheila, truly, and I am a 15 year old young lady striving after God's will. That could be so much, so who is that girl? Here I am, in as much detail as possible.

My interests: My one and only life-source is Jesus Christ, and I am striving with all my heart to let 'this little light of mine' shine with as bright a light as I possibly can. I know I fail, and my heart is not as centred on Him and His will for my life as it probably should be, but I am now trying my hardest, and praying that I will truly want to want Him at any given moment. I want to display Christ's incredibly love simply by being me, and I know I cannot do that on my own. With God's help, though, I know for a fact, that I can lean on Him completely and totally give my everything to HIm!

As most of you will already know quite well, I am desperately musical! (Hence the blog name and current template.) I play the flute and piano with much enthusiasm, though during the summer one might not see that quite so clearly, as even the musical part of myself needs a little break now and again. However, my excitement for the sounds I create is huge, especially on the flute, and I can't wait to get back into lessons and such in a week! Hopefully I will have students again this year! :)

I also ride horses and enjoy that very much. I ride Western, for those of you who might wonder, and think it's the greatest! It is all very layed back and I have never competed in my life. It is something I do for pleasure, and those horses get right into my heart each time I see them! I have a little collection of horsey things, grooming brushes and such, that I buy now and then for cheap, just for fun...just in case. ;)

Other than that, I am enjoying working on Geometry this semester, and am interested in topics such as midwifery and the like, and have considered taking a few doula courses in a couple years. I also am working towards becoming a lifeguard and swim teacher, which I enjoy very, very much! I also do lots of research on various topics that pop into my head, checking encyclopedias, and using the internet as an invaluable resource.

My flute...or is that a flower?

My hopes and dreams: My biggest hope is to become a wife to whoever God has in store for me, and a mother to the children I desire Him to bless me with. That truly inspires me to learn as much as I can now to prepare for the life I hope to have ahead! Although I know it is possible that I may stay single, I pray that is not so. I dream of big fields, open spaces, huge gardens, giant family, and beautiful femininity throughout. I know that our Father in heaven has made me that outdoor dreamer, which consequently is why I spent most of my childhood at 'my tree' living out a 'Little House on the Prairie' of my own imagination, with my dear imaginary friends who attended the same 'boarding school' (my house!) as myself. I, who in my imaginary world was known as Christine, used to call the space between two birch trees my home, and I would sweep it out, and sit on on of the big branches of the big maple tree, driving my 'carriage' to 'town' through beautiful prairie outdoor settings of my imagination, holding the 'reins' of my rope swing in front of me. Who needs real people?! This proves to me the kind of dreamer I am, and the life I've lived out in my imagination as a little girl is what I hope for in the years to come. I know it all seems so perfect now, but I pray that I can at least get a taste of that little house on the prairie one day, filled with the laughs and joys of brothers and sisters that I always dreamed of having...only I'll be the Mommy. :) Of course, this is all hypothetical. Haha!

I also pray that I can continue to teach music to those little ones in my life, be it simply students from the community I may live in, or my very own children. Hopefully, I can even continue with my lifeguarding and swim teaching!

Mommy practice! He our friend's little boy. Isn't he cute?

My personality: Well, most of you have a bit of an idea about that! :) First off I'm totally goofy and sometimes a tad on the weird side. At least, that's what they say. I love to sing silly songs when I wash the dishes, as evidenced by some of the really weird posts I used to put up. I guess I'm past that kind of weirdness! On the other hand, I love all things feminine and am so glad that God chose me to be one of his little girls. I hope that I can demonstrate--through my chatty personality--Christ's unending love. If you just look at all the good parts of my personality, I'd describe myself as fun, bright, chatty, silly, feminine, God-fearing, dreamy, etc., but as we all know, that isn't all there is to a person. I'm often impatient, grudging, lacking in deference, not humble, and a very bad procrastinator, however, with God's help, I think I can get over those things. I am really working specifically on humility and patience at the moment, and although it isn't easy, I do make small baby steps towards the true, God-fearing woman I want to be.

So, who am I? I am Sheila, the girl of breezy dreaming, of prairies and oceans, and wide open spaces, of laughter, and Christ-adoring, of struggles and uncertainties. I'm a human being just like you, and yet unique, because God made me like that. Yep, I'm no cookie-cutter girl, but I'm nothing extraordinary either, just different...and I have a secret for you: You are too. :)

That's me too! :D

God bless you all as you discover who God has made you to be.
In Christ,
Sheila

Did it really happen?

Mon, 6 Aug 2007 21:06:00 -0500

Dear Blog readers,

I didn't know a heart could hurt so much over such a dear friend. Mariah just flew back to Missouri this morning. We had the most lovely time together that any two friends could wish for, and got to know each other beyond anything we thought possible. It truly is a God-orchestrated friendship.

In any case, our parting was an extraordinarily hard one. We both hugged lots, and cried more, and left thinking how marvelous it was that there was someone who loved you enough that they would cry over you in parting. I've been crying off and on all day, it just hurts so much! Sometimes, as I look back on this incredible three and a half weeks, I find it hard to believe it actually happened.

It did, though, and we have some absolutely fabulous memories. We worked on a scrapbook lots, so we have lots to show! We both still have some pages left to work on though. I'm not sure I can do it right away, or with all those pictures I might get a bunch of tears on the paper.

I guess I don't have much else to say.
God bless,
Sheila

Just so you know...

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:52:00 -0500

Hello

Sorry, should have posted before. :) All went well, she's here, and we're having a blast! :D It's so much fun doing things together, even though the weather hasn't been all that great. Thanks for your prayers, they mean a lot.

I'll be posting a post about the 'Blogger Reflection Award' that Ebell1993 awarded me in a few days. Thank you Elizabeth! :)

God bless you all,
Sheila

Blogger Reflections Award

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:55:00 -0500

A HUGE thank you to Ebell1993 for awarding me the 'Blogger Reflections Award'!

I am to award five different bloggers with this award now, in this manner:

“This award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy... of knowing them and being blessed by them.”

My only problem is that I can't think of five blogs, as most of the ones I would give it to either don't do awards, or have already received the award, etc. So, I am awarding it to the following two blogs:

Ellie Skees - Ellie's family is so very encouraging! Through this really tough season of their life, they are blessing others with their amazing faith and trust in God. They have been through so very much, and yet even when faced with very hard decisions, have been able to be an incredible encouragement to the readers of their blog. Please join me in praying for their family and especially for Ellie.

Layne - I know Layne personally, and reading her blog is truly wonderful. It's lovely to read her thoughts on God and life, and to be encouraged by her Godly example of young womanhood. She puts everything together with much thought, and has a really neat blog all around. Thank you Layne!

Rules of participating for the 'Blogger Reflection Award':
1. Copy these rules into your own post.
2. Replace my bloggers with yours & Reflect on five bloggers and write a least a paragraph about each one.
3. Go leave your chosen bloggers a comment and let them know they've been given the award.
4. Put the award icon on your site.
5. If you do not want to 'pass it on', claim the award below for yourself instead of the 'Blogger Reflection Award'. :)

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And now that I have awarded those two blogs with the 'Blogger Reflections Award', I shall continue to award a few of the other blogs I love reading with the all new 'You Don't Have To Pass It On If You Don't Want To Blog Award'!.

"This award is designated for any blog which the giver decides is worthy of praise. The awarded blogs are consistently awesome, encouraging, and enlightening. Perhaps those blogs have touched the giver's heart, or have given them the one thought needed to go on in some particular area of life. Remember, those who give this award, how much this really means! It is a gesture of extreme importance, saying that this blog is highly valuable in some way. Maybe it's just the simple things that are posted: the fun that it is, the joy that it brings, or the little snippets of life shared that push you forward. That is what this oddly-named award truly means."

TeamBettendorf - A diary of life! The Bettendorfs have also been through an interesting time this year, and are continuing down the road of God's grace. Their large family and the stories Katie shares are a blessing to everyone who reads it, and she always reminds us of all the fantastic things we probably should be taking/using, but aren't. :) Thank you for sharing your lives with us!

MaidensOfWorth - Anna and Miriam have such a lovely blog, sharing everything from little snippets of life, to stories of faith and kinship. Their friendship shines through, and an everlasting love for God encourages other young women to step forward and spread a beam of heavenly light around. Thanks so much girls!

JenCluff - You make me laugh! Jen's lighthearted flutey wisdom imparted through her blog is so much fun to read, and I always learn something new. Her words inspire me to aim high in my musical studies, and to try these new things on the flute. Be it a new flute player, whose notes ring clear in the air, or another flutish warm-up, it's always worth reading. Thank you for the encouragement and inspiration, Jen!

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The only rule for this award is that you enjoy it, and take either the animated icon or the still image icon for your blog if you want it. If you don't want it, don't take it. :) Pass it on to other fabulous blogs if you want, don't if you don't. We're all flexible! :)

I hope this means something to all of you. :) It was a lot of fun to do, and I hope I'll see some more great blogs coming up in the future! :D

God bless you all,
Sheila

Well, here I am!

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:10:00 -0500

Dear Blog Universe,

Just a quick post to let you know I still exist! Mariah will arrive this Thursday, so please be praying that she will have a smooth and easy trip and that there wouldn't be any hitches. :D

I've been away for a few days, and I've been working on a post about Canada. I tried to have it up for July 1 (Canada Day), but I didn't do it. Sorry everyone! This post has been a long time in coming! I'll try to have it up in a few weeks, but I'm not promising anything as Mariah will be here for 3 weeks and I might not have tons of time to post! :)

In any case, I've been having lots of fun, going to the lake and kicking a floaty mattress all around some little islands in the middle, bike riding, and all sorts of other fun stuff! Now the pool is nice and toasty as is the air: finally! I've been swimming a lot, and being very soggy, but it's so fun! Aren't we blessed to have the opportunity to learn to swim? I love wetness!

Well, thank you all for checking in, I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me when I get a comment as I don't have the feature that allows me to tell how many people have visited the page, and I don't like free page counters. So there you go, new rule: you read the post, you must comment! :D Thanks!!!

God bless you all this Summer!
In Christ,
Sheila

Our True Friendship

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:24:00 -0500

Dear blog readers,

My best friend that I have mentioned so often, along with myself, have decided to reveal our special friendship and make it known. I hope you enjoy reading about how we met, how we became friends, and where we see our friendship going in the future. We've really put our thoughts and emotions into writing this. Her name? Mariah! God bless you all.

Sheila's View:

How we met

Mariah and I met on a tiny little forum online, specifically designed for Christian youths (and hence called ‘Christian Student Chat Forum). She came to it because, I, as the administrator of the forum, had my Mom post a little about it on one of her home school groups online. Mariah’s Mom responded to it, and Mariah signed up. Some of you may have been members, and probably never noticed that Mariah and I were slowly becoming closer and closer friends. This is due to the genius of the ‘Private Messaging’ system on forums nowadays. Early on, we mostly conversed about forum matters, as Mariah was one of the Moderators on the board, but even then, I think I felt that she was special; always willing to review what she had done, and make sure that things were all in order as they should be. I sent a private message to all the members, and received back from a search for prayer requests, this, by Mariah: “You could be praying that I will know what needs to be my first priorities. I know that God is first but what I need to do next. Such as school, piano, cleaning, crafts, etc.” It is rare to find someone so willing to examine her life, and these earliest encounters set a precedent for what we would discover in each other.

How we became friends

It is really sweet now, to look at all those messages, and mull over how much we shared with each other without knowing each other’s face, or where we lived, or what our families were like. We just connected. This is what I said to her, and is exactly how I felt: “I may only know you from online, but other than my parents and God, you really are my closest friend.” Neither Mariah, nor I, had any close friendships, and were longing for someone to fill the empty hole in our hearts into which only a friend of like mind could fit. Gently moving us closer and closer together in mind and soul, God showed us that he had an answer to our prayers for friendship, and it was staring us each in the face. What a blessing! In September of 2006, we chose to become accountable to each other. “Why don't the two of us keep each other accountable in the things we're working on?” I asked. Mariah’s quick response, 38 minutes later was so lovely; I now had an accountability partner! We even did a 5 day fast from a few things, and learned so much about Christ and each other, as we focused on reading His word and praying. God had a plan!

What our friendship looks like now

Come late November 2006, our Moms found each other again on the home school group of before, and discussed our friendship, and decided to let us share pictures, addresses, phone numbers, and all manner of anything we wished. We’d already become so close at this time, that it was hard to imagine that we didn’t even know exactly where each other lived! It was so much fun to share pictures of our area, our house, each other, and everything! Blessing me continually, we began our new journey of contacting each other through email rather than private messaging, because I, along with Mariah and our other fantastic moderator; Maria, decided that the forum needed to close for a while. Still in existence, the boards lie dormant until such a time as someone has the time and space to resurrect it. What the few other members of the forum didn’t realize, was that it had served its largest purpose. First of all, it had encouraged several young people to closer walks with Jesus, and was great fellowship while it lasted. Always the most important reason, however, was that Mariah and I had found best friends in each other. The time had come for the rest of us to part ways for now, and for Mariah and me to grow closer and closer together. Now we email usually more than once per day, and phone each other frequently. I can name all the members of her family, she can name mine, and we know each other’s faces by heart and each other’s personalities instinctively. For Christmas, I received a perfectly lovely hand-crocheted scarf, (which inspired me to learn how to crochet!) and for my Birthday a beautiful hand-sewn skirt, all from my best friend forever: Mariah

Where I see it going in the future

What does the future hold? This summer, Mariah is traveling to Canada so I may ‘meet’ the one I know the best. We’ll see each other face to face for the first time ever, and the biggest HUG will be given! Can you imagine? It really is a fantastic miracle. Maybe next summer I’ll see her down there, maybe not, but wherever, or however life leads us, our hearts hold fast to one another. Really and truly, I am blessed to have a friend like Mariah. We may have differences, even vast ones, but our love for God, and our quest for friendship was the key for this amazing story. God bless you all, and my prayer is that you may find a friend as close to you as Mariah is to me.

Mariah's View:

How We Met

Sheila and I met on her forum, Christian Student Chat Forum. I found Sheila’s forum because my mom signed me up for Sheila’s e-letter that she wrote bi-monthly on interesting subjects such as hurricanes, motion, and the North Pole. That led me to find out about her chat forum that I decided to join. I had always wanted to join a chat forum and I was excited to find one that looked safe and fun. For about the first six months that I was a member on the forum I just chatted with Sheila and the one other consistent member on the forum, Maria. We talked about our school, posted prayer requests, recipes, and played forum games. We chatted about almost anything and everything! In September of 2006, Sheila sent a personal message to all of the members, asking if there was anything going on in our lives that she could be praying for. I was struggling with some things so I replied and asked Sheila to be praying for me to get my priorities straightened out. My life had become really busy and I felt like everything was in a jumble. I feel like that was our first of many conversations that was more than just ‘chatting’.

How We Became Friends

A chat forum...that would have been one of the last places that I would have ever thought I’d find a best friend, but I did! After I had sent Sheila my prayer request we began sharing our struggles with each other through private messaging. That is when we began to realize how alike we were. We were both struggling in many of the same areas of our life such as humility, committing on the inside, and spending quiet time with God every day. When we began to see how alike we were Sheila suggested that we keep each other accountable, which I thought was a great idea. It may seem impossible for people to keep each other accountable when we had never actually ‘met’, but we did it! We were both hungry for a Christian relationship, for someone with whom we could share our feelings with and that’s just what God gave us! So, through private messages we constantly asked each other how the other was doing. I loved being able to share with Sheila my joys and obstacles that I had overcome. And even though it may sound strange, I also loved being able to share my shortcomings and sorrows. I never felt like Sheila was judging me which was one of the things I loved about her! Friend..........What a beautiful word!

What Our Friendship Looks Like Now

In November of 2006, Sheila’s mom contacted my mom and they discussed our friendship, after which they decided to let us share with each other anything we wanted! I had a great time sharing pictures of myself with Sheila. Neither of us looked like what the other had imagined. It was wonderful to finally be able to put a face with the one I knew so well! That is when we started contacting each other through emails instead of private messages. It came at the perfect time because not long after that Sheila, Maria, and I, decided to close the forum. I was sad to see it go, it had provided me with fellowship, encouragement on my walk with Christ, and the wonderful friends that I had in Sheila and Maria. But I also knew that Sheila and I were starting a beautiful new chapter in our friendship. We now email each other frequently and we also talk on the phone. We gave each other a gift for Christmas, which is when I received a beautiful hat. I love the cards and letters that Sheila has to written to me. It is special being able to hold something that I know Sheila has touched. They shall always be in my ‘special box’.

Where I See It Going In The Future

I will be traveling by myself on my first plane ride ever to visit Sheila this summer. When we will ‘meet’ for the first time ever! I can hardly wait and I still find it hard to believe sometimes that this is actually happening! I am constantly thanking God for giving me such a wonderful friend. It has helped me tremendously. We still hold each other accountable and encourage each other on our daily walk with Jesus. Can you believe it? I am counting down the days until we finally ‘meet’. We already know each very closely but I can’t wait to visit Sheila. To see the little things, such as a smile beginning to spread across her face, I’ve seen pictures of Sheila but a lot of them are posed so I want to see her from all different angles. I want to see more than what can be shown in picture, like the sound of here laugh! It is such a beautiful story that only God could plan. May you all be blessed as much as I have!

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This is only by God's sweet grace. Have a blessed Summer!

In Christ,

Sheila