Winter Wednesday Week 1

We've had to postpone our Outdoor Challenges for a few months while winter's here, so instead we're working through the Winter Wednesday challenges on the Handbook of Nature Study blog.

This week we were supposed to look out for winter colours on our nature walk. It was a beautifully sunny day, with blue skies, but at minus 9 degrees Celsius it was just a little too cold for Charis, who cried and whined practically the whole time, while I ran round as quickly as I could taking photos of our trees for our tree study and looking out for things of colour. Fortunately Sophie enjoyed it, and Nathaniel was asleep the whole time in his pushchair. Sadly we found that one of our willow trees had fallen down and was broken into pieces. It was a really beautiful tree.

We tried really hard to spot some red berries but we couldn't see any. Instead there were greens on the fir trees, brown bark, a brown squirrel, blue sky, yellow sun, sparkly silvery snow, and some colourful birds - a green and red woodpecker, a great tit with a yellow tummy, and a brown and black female chaffinch. Later, at home, Sophie and Charis (who'd cheered up by then) filled in their colour charts:

Sophie's chart

At home we also started a winter window sill garden. We planted the tops of a carrot, a beetroot and (what I think is) a swede, and I also planted some basil and kale. The girls were quite excited about this. We're looking forward to seeing what's going to happen.

Outside we refilled the bird feeder and positioned it within sight of our schoolroom window. We know we have chaffinches and great tits in our garden, but I don't hold high hopes of seeing many birds because our dog Pepper keeps barking and chasing them away! Anyway, I feel a bit more hopeful about what we can focus our attentions on in our nature study times during these cold, winter months, when it's so hard to get all three kids outside for more than 30 mins or so at a time (not to mention the 30 mins it takes to get all three of them into snowsuits, boots, hats, scarves and gloves)!

Witnessing amazing events in creation, from the small to the large

Last week we noticed that the little brown hairy caterpillar that we put in a jam jar last June had finally hatched! After we captured it, it only spent a couple of weeks eating the leaves we gave it before it turned itself into a chrysalis at the bottom of the jar. It then stayed there for ages, and we didn't have much hope of seeing it turn into anything. But then, the other morning, I was dusting and noticed a white insect on the walls of the jar. It had turned into a beautiful White Ermine Moth. It really was very pretty - furry white with little black dots and a yellow abdomen. We had to release it in the garden, but we were worried about it because it's winter now. Perhaps it got confused in our warm house and came out too early. Still, the children were very excited to witness its miraculous transformation.

The second amazing event took place today. We were walking in the park at midday when we noticed there was a partial solar eclipse taking place! We hadn't seen the news for a while so weren't expecting it. It was quite cloudy so we were able to look at it long enough to see what it looked like. The moon was covering about half of the top of the sun, but the day didn't seem darker because of it. It lasted quite a long time. If only we'd had our camera! When we got home the girls drew a picture of it for our nature diary.

Becoming a Worshipper

For the last few weeks I've been working through Linda Dillow's book "Satisfy My Thirsty Soul: For I Am Desperate for Your Presence." She is writing for those of us who want to experience more of God and a more intimate relationship with Him, and her advice is that the way to do that is to focus on worship. This is an area I've found a little difficult: my prayers tend to be more of the 'Please can you do this and this' type than the 'Lord, You're amazing and we bow in Your presence' type. Early on she asks the question: Have we mixed up the order of the first and second commandment in Matthew 22v37-39? Are we first and foremost a lover of God or a worker for God? I had to be honest that I was actually the latter.

I'm excited to be working through the 12-week study guide connected with this book. Again I've been convicted that I should be spending more time in God's word, so one of my New Year's Resolutions is to read through the Bible in a year. I chose this reading plan because I liked the way it was broken up into different topics, which hopefully will help me avoid getting bogged down in Leviticus as usual and giving up on the whole thing. The Father seeks worshippers who will worship in the Spirit and in truth. Linda suggests that "To worship in truth is to worship truly. This means you must know God's word and be sincere." I'm also hoping to spend more time memorising Scripture.

I wanted to finish by sharing with you my answer to the question: What does face-to-face intimacy with God look like to me?:
   "Knowing wholeness, completeness in His presence. Feeling totally loved and understood. Hearing His voice and knowing what He wants me to do. Feeling uninhibited in my expression of love and adoration towards Him. Wanting to be with Him every second of every day. Feeling contentment, peace and knowing that I am in the centre of His will for my life. Having a wonderful purpose, joy, hope and zeal for life. Feeling unrushed, unhurried, calm. Sensing a greater love for others flow out of my love for Him. Knowing His power at work within me enabling me to accomplish all that He wants from me. Being able to lift every burden into His open arms and know His peace and assurance. Completely trusting in His goodness and faithfulness towards me."

If I come even a little bit closer to experiencing this in the next 12 months then 2011 will have been a good year :-)