Snow Day 5

Our 5th snow day occurred yesterday.  We returned to school today while the public schools took their 8th snow day today.  (It's hard for our kids to return from school when all the neighbors get to spend the day outside playing, but at least we get to keep our Saturdays and two week long spring break). I was glad to get back to school, though, as I was developing cabin fever.  Over the past two weeks, we've seen ice that made for the fastest sledding ever (so fast that our daughter crashed into a mailbox creating an injury so severe she has been on crutches ever sense), powdery snow you can sweep off the driveway with a broom or collect in a bowl for the most delicious snow cream, and lastly, gorgeous, soft, snowman making snow.   This snow was so pretty that even the most ardent cold weather haters were repenting and professing their love for this display of God's splendor. (Gift #963)

My first view from the front door that morning

We only got 4-5 inches while friends 30 minutes away got 7-8 inches of snow.  They also experienced lengthy power outages as it seems those extra inches greatly increase the probability of an outage.  We're grateful ours stayed on and that our friends received so many offers for warm shelter.  (Gift #964)

Our daughter with some neighborhood friends and their bikini clad snow woman

This third snow event was too slushy for sledding but ideal for a romantic walk along the river trail across the road from our house behind our neighborhood.  Well....it was romantic until my husband shook a tree causing a huge amount of snow to fall on top of my head, but that's how guys show love I guess.  My husband and I enjoyed a lovely walk as the temperature was above freezing and comfortable.  Here are some photos from our walk when there were only 3-4 inches left on the ground as it was melting quickly.

Our daughter celebrated the snow in her usual dramatic fashion.  Here she is cackling with laughter, singing, "Let it Go!", and throwing snow with delirious bliss.  I love to watch her relish life (especially when she relishes outside instead of creating messes inside). (Gift #965)

Meanwhile our son enjoyed log rolling around the yard.

The kids built snowmen as well, but I had to laugh 3 days later when what remained of the snowmen looked like they really need to come with me to see the chiropractor.

 

Snow Day 4

We were expecting only a dusting of snow on Tuesday, so our school called a one-hour delay.  But before I even got out of bed, I received word that schools had been closed for the day.  It ended up snowing all day, and we got about three inches.

Still convinced that the roads could not be too bad, especially after my husband called to assure me they were fine, the kids and I got dressed and headed to my 9am dentist appointment across town.  I had already had to reschedule once due to inclement weather last week, so I was not going to fail to keep my commitment this time.   And besides, when I saw a neighbor literally sweeping the powdery snow off his driveway with a broom, I assumed the roads would be fine.  Big mistake!

However, when I got out onto the roads, I found that they were quite slick indeed.  The snowfall was picking up, and the roads had not been prepped for snow since the forecast called for so little.  We slid a few times in my new van, and I almost wished to have my old 4WD SUV back in my possession.

We made it, but the news forecasts on the TV screens around the dental office showed images of all the major highways turned into parking lots like that nightmare experience we endured when snowed in in Dallas during our Christmas Eve flight to OK.  My husband had left his 8am appointment and was now stuck in the gridlock.  I begged him to give up on work and come back home.   During my hour long appointment I had to watch more horror stories of wrecks all around our little metropolis and wished I had cancelled so this dental hygienist, who had driven further than I had could go home (although she did end up having another client show up for the 10am appointment after me).

As the kids and I (recall my daughter is still on crutches hobbling across snowy parking lots) were headed home through near blizzard conditions, we saw a guy running along the sidewalk beside us wearing a T-shirt and shorts!  It was 22 degrees outside.  He must have been a recent northern transplant..probably from the Boston area. :-)  We made it home, and my husband had someone managed to navigate through all the gridlock to beat us home.  (Gift #960)

Now that we were on our 4th snow day, I was really missing the peace and quiet I have when the kids are in school.  I know I keep thinking I should homeschool the children, for it is the best way to ensure each child gets what he/she needs academically without them becoming so frustrated with the long hours of sitting in strict positions, wearing uniforms, and taking so many stinking tests.   But I just don't have the patience yet to endure so much chaos and noise all day long.  I was longing for them to go back to school.  It seems the snow is turning this level 10 extrovert into a level 10 introvert, desperate for tranquility and alone time in our house.  Maybe it's only because I have so much work to do right now, but I do hope I will grow to cherish the noise and chaos created by all the yelling, whining, stomping, mess making, hot cocoa sipping, and snow cream slurping.

I did enjoy watching the kids play outside.  One advantage to powdery soft snow is that when your son attempts to hurl a snowball at you, it breaks down into snowflake bits that fall right back into his face. Mommy 1, Boy 0

The kids put a shirt on Muffin, and I took her outside so she could check out the snow.  She wasn't too crazy about the snow, for once a house rabbit, always a house rabbit.  Our funny bunny is no snow bunny. I am thankful for how cuddly and cooperative she has become, for a friend reminded me yesterday what a gift that is, for her bunny will not let people near him, much less dress and snuggle with him. (Gift #961)

A bunny and her boy

Our daughter hobbled around in the snow, too, despite her injured foot.  

When she came back in, she looked like she was wearing new snowflake accessories.  Buy your own snowflake hair pieces from her now.  *Limited Time Offer* (until they melt)

 

Threats, bribes, sticker charts, cold hard cash, and the joy of obeying thy mother and father have all seemed like insufficient motivators to get our right brained collector/hoarder to purge her room & closets with a happy heart. But today, while playing in the cold snow, she thought of how cold the homeless must be during the winter, so she began cleaning out her closet with great gusto in search of items that could keep those in need warm. So apparently the secret is to appeal to her spirit of compassion and then give whatever she cleans out to those in need.  Thank you, Lord, for giving her the gift of mercy.  (Gift #962) Our family sure needed more of it.

Funnies, family, kids and teaching

Need a laugh at my expense?

Even though the wife who blogged about her decision to no longer wear yoga pants and leggings in public received countless insults and painful backlash, I appreciate her courage to note how the entire community benefits when instead of only considering our own selfish comforts and tastes when making clothing choices, we take a collective view that considers how our clothing choices could negatively affect other men, boys, and impressionable young women who look to us as role models. But I will admit that I love my ultra soft yoga pants. And since they are so homely, frumpy, and baggy, I assumed they certainly must be modest enough. But then...I went for a run today in those wonderful yoga pants which are so comfy that I can't even tell when they are on or when I have jogged right out of them. When they slid almost to my knees almost tripping me, I realized that even my baggy yoga pants are not modest enough. I'm so thankful for the long shirt that saved the day and that no one else was on the trail at the time.  (Gift #960)  ‪#‎NoMorePantsontheGround‬

I also got a chuckle out of this little meme and felt grateful and tad big guilty for my friend Teri who passed notes with me throughout our 6th through 10th grade years.

Access Ministry
I will admit that I tend to dread my biweekly service at church in our special needs ministry because it means I have to miss our life class with it's relevant teaching, small group fellowship, and heart felt prayers.  But every single week I serve ends up being such a great blessing to me personally, probably far more than the blessing I try to give to the special needs families.  As I left church today, I recounted how thankful I was for the wonderful gifts I had received that morning.

• Over an hour of cuddle time with sweet Zoe, who has cerebral palsy and was adopted from East Asia by her parents who have adopted 4 children thus far from foreign countries who had conditions that rendered them unlikely to be adopted by anyone else (Gift #961)
•  Enjoying the kaleidoscope of beautiful colors created when the 2-year-olds mixed up all the play-doh colors, which would normally drive this left brained mama wacko, but today brought me pleasure (Gift #962)
• Friendly little 2-year-old Georgia, who kept rubbing my soft sweater while gently holding Zoe's hand (Gift #963)
• The way little ones slow me down and help me focus on the wonder & awe of so many simple treasures in life I normally miss  (Gift #964)
• Getting to see a beloved, faithful Egyptian college friend at church today who has an amazing testimony which God has used to lead countless others to walk away from Islam and into a personal relationship with Christ  (Gift #965)
• The temperatures climbed over 30 degrees from the past week's highs today helping to alleviate some of the SAD symptoms I have been battling. (Gift #966)

It was a very good day indeed!

More Thoughts on Teaching
I am convinced that teachers love more sacrificially than most anyone.  As if we needed any further proof, our kids were greeted with big smiles and warm hugs on Friday at the carpool line by those wonderful teachers who stood outside with the temperature around 12 degrees and negative wind chills. Thank you for all your sacrifices, carpool servants/heroes. (Gift #967)

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I've been very busy putting together a team of parents to help me kick-off an after school STEM enrichment program at our classical school.  I don't want to discount the wonderful emphasis at our school on liberal arts and the way in which these students excel in those disciplines, but I am passionate as well about building critical thinking, creative problem solving skills needed for STEM majors.  No doubt the demand for STEM majors far exceeds those for liberal arts degrees, and the pay difference reflects that high demand, but the point of this great article is that a STEM major alone is no where near as beneficial as a STEM major with a liberal arts background. Case in point: I was once hired as a liasion between the the science/engineering/finance departments and the more liberal arts oriented jobs in a growing company because the STEM folks could not communicate effectively, work cross functionally or think much outside of their box while the liberal arts only majors could not think critically or understand the logical limits of the business. My job should have never been necessary, yet it worked me harder than most any other job (before teaching) and I always felt an enormous unnecessary weight on my shoulders because neither group had a holistic, integrated, educational background. I felt like pivot point or joint holding them all together. I realize I am  completely biased given that we spend lots of money to send our kids to a classical school when at least one is strongly STEM oriented, but we chose classical because we truly believe in a liberal arts background, particularly before college specialization takes place.

Family
My mother celebrated her 74th birthday last week.  So I did a little reminiscing and posted this picture and message on Facebook.  I'm so thankful for all the people who liked the post and commented words of affirmation to my sweet mom. (Gift #968)

Dear Mom,

Not only do you lovingly give of yourself to a degree that puts all others to shame, you also manage to accumulate years upon years while still looking exactly the same. So, instead of counting how many more wrinkles I have than you, I will praise the Lord for a mother whose love is forever true.
Happy Birthday, Mom! We're thankful for the birthday gift that you are to us and to countless others.

Snow Days 2 & 3

So all the sledding action was fun while it lasted, but our dare devil kids ended up injured. Our son hurt his hand a little, and our daughter smashed into a mailbox injuring the same foot she hurt a few months ago in gymnastics and knocking her out of another gymnastics meet we just paid $200 (non-refundable) to attend. The first set of x-rays showed that it was not broken, but the goose egg on her foot is quite large, and she is still in a lot of pain, so the doctor told us to come back for more x-rays later since the break doesn't always show up on x-rays until 3 or more days later.  Do what?  Several friends confirmed that was the case.  Anyway, she's enjoying all the attention on her crutches, but we stayed out of the snow and ice for the last 2 out of 3 days in which school was cancelled due to dangerous driving conditions.

For those who have thoughtfully asked us how our injured daughter is doing following last week's sledding accident, she's still on crutches, but she is in good hands as our in-house RN, Miss Muffin, is diligently keeping watch over her until she fully mends.  I love the way Muffin keeps us all smiling. (Gift #959)

I think our bunny sensed how cold it was outside even though she stays inside because I've never seen her more excited than when I pulled a pile of soft, warm, fleece sheets fresh out of the dryer.  They were like bunny heaven to her.

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I have joined a local buy/sell/trade group on Facebook where members post items for sale with a note describing it and listing the price.  So I had to laugh when one of the members posted this ad (as a joke) during our snow days.

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Our new school is wonderful in a lot of ways, but our kids don't love it like they did their last school which was easy, all fun and games, and did not require uniforms.  At that school, the kids would cry whenever there was a break or teacher workday because they looked forward to school so much each day. 

The first day schools were cancelled this week due to snow, the kids' cries of excitement possibly exceeded even those that followed our announcement years ago that we were going to Disney World. By day 3, however, when I told them school was closed again, they tried to stifle moans and groans, for as much as they may deny it, they were looking forward to returning to school. Now maybe they'll believe me the next time I say, "Too much of a good thing is not a good thing." 

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Since snow days insist on some snuggling by the fire with one's beloved to keep war\, I overheard the following conversation during one of our snowy evenings:

Hubby (to the kids):          Please come downstairs and turn off the lights and turn on the fire.
8-year-old (to his sister):  Why doesn't Dad want the lights on anymore?
10-year-old:                    Because he wants to make it more romantic down here
8-year-old:                     Then let's light some candles for Mom & Dad, too.

Look out lovely ladies, our little lad is learning!

 

Ice Fun Day One

When there is that much ice outside, we really should use carabiners and rope to tie a line between their belts and the front step railing so we can pull them back home when they have had enough. It's a tough crawl up that hill and back to the house.

I love this video and all the smiles and giggles therein. It's probably our best home video yet!

Updates on the the kids, bunny, teaching, Valentine's Day, misc. life happenings, and personal reflections

Guests
I may have been been disappointed when we had to cancel our trip to the mountains due to sick kids, but I'm rejoicing now because one of my favorite mountain treasures, a solid rock who both encourages and inspires, came here instead! And she brought her wise and wonderful 12th grade daughter who is taking the same course in public school that I am teaching this year.  We enjoyed wonderful conversations even though they were only here between 10pm and 7:45 am.  This college friend and I reunited a few years ago during a trip to the mountains after not seeing each other for over 20 years, and now I have seen her twice in the past two months.  What a gift dear old friends who encourage me so much in my walk with the Lord are to me!  I love you and your family, Michelle!  (Gift #945)

Valentine's Day
We did not have a typical Valentine's day this year.  My parents drive up that day to attend my son's basketball game and so we could celebrate Mom's birthday together.  Nana also brought nice Valentine's Day gifts for the kids as she never comes without some new gift for the kids.  After reading this article  (click on it now and read it..but you may need tissues) about how the intense love grandparents show to our children, which we parents view as spoiling them, is really a wonderful gift of love the kids will cherish for a lifetime, I am now more thankful than ever for the way my parents spoil our children. (Gift #946)

Our son played a great game, and the Suns won again.  Our boy got the Christlike sportsmanship star.  We took pics and then celebrated at a local 50s style, Christian owned,  burger & soda shop.  It's such a blessing to have my family close enough that they can come to some of our kids' games, meets, and most of their big performances. (Gift #947)

After enjoying cupcakes and giving mom her birthday gifts, we went for a family jog/bike ride, and then I crashed. My adrenals must be burned out because I have been so sleepy for so long and especially felt like a zombie this past weekend.  Relationship difficulties kept me distracted, so apart from giving my husband two cards, we did not really celebrate Valentine's Day between just the two of us.  He shows me he loves me every day of the year (Gift #948), so I guess I did not need chocolates, cards, gifts, or romantic dinners (although he did order pizza and serve it on a candlelit table which the kids thought was very cool) on this particular day.  We both crashed hard that night.  We're just entirely too busy during this season of life.

My true valentine till death do us part

However, I did find it ironic that my husband just happened to be singing a song from 1979 (a song I remember from my childhood but never remember hearing my husband sing before) at the very moment he found a Valentine's card I had hidden for him with a verse in it that matched the song lyrics he was singing exactly.  Those who know our love story would say that is so apropos. (Gift #949)

Valentine's Day did not pass me by without taking time to reflect on the meanings of love, both God's agape love for each of us and the love between a committed husband and wife.  Here is a collection of thoughts on real love excerpted from a recent blog post by Ann Voskamp that spoke to me on Valentine's Day:

"Love without Truth isn’t reality— it’s sentimentality. And Truth without Love isn’t sustainable —- it’s terminal.

Real Love truthfully sees the flaws — and still really loves fully.
Love isn’t blind — Love is the only way of really seeing.

A broken heart is really an abundant heart — all those many beautiful pieces only evidence of an abundant life.

Make yourself vulnerable, and you make yourself irresistible. This is what Love does.

And boring love is what touches the deepest– our lives boring down deep into each other’s hearts."

Bunny
Our bunny continues to annoy and amuse us.  She gets into everything and decided to eat some of my algebra 2 homework the other day.

The fatigue I have felt since I started teaching has me taking a nap almost daily.  Muffin likes to join me for these naps.  If you decide to take a nap at our house, our bunny will certainly use you as a soft cushion during that nap. (So I've started napping with an old towel to shield me from her sharp claws and shedding fur. And if my husband is home, he will take a photo of you snoozing with the bunny as shown here.) When Muffin is ready for you to wake up so you can feed her or scratch her head, she will lick your face until you awake. ‪#‎BunnyLife‬

 "There is ....a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance..." (Ecc. 3:3b-4)
...and even a time to box with your bunny. ‪

Boxing the air or our punching bag is my latest form of stress release.

Reflections on Parenting & Life
The lessons found in the contrast between King David’s relationship with his “adopted” son Mephibosheth vs. his biological sons Absalom and Amnon as described in 2 Samuel seem so applicable today and speak to me especially as one who realizes how needy and desperate I was when my parents adopted me.

Though David loved all his sons passionately and gave to them generously, out of these three, only his “adopted” lame son Mephibosheth remained loyal to King David and his family. Horrific acts of lust, betrayal, and murder occurred as bitterness overwhelmed his undisciplined biological sons until both died tragically as selfishness and rage consumed their hearts.

While both biological sons may have been victims of their father’s inaction and ineffective parenting, the root cause of their downfall was their own selfish, entitled attitudes which brewed bitterness when each man did not get whatever he wanted. Conversely, Mephibosheth humbly acknowledged his own unworthiness to be treated like a son saying, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I? “ Even after Ziba betrayed Mephibosheth by tricking David into giving him half the land David had restored to Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth responded, “Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house.” Mephibosheth cared only about his king and wished for peace, not material possessions.

Imagine how different modern society would be if we all traded our selfish pride, entitlement mentality, and materialism for humble and grateful devotion to our Lord and King who wants to extend grace to each of us despite our total unworthiness and adopt us as His sons and daughters forever.

Crazy weather
We've had some wild weather lately.  It went from 70 degrees to 55 degrees in one day, and then from 55 degrees to 35 degrees in 90 minutes.  With wind gusts around 40mph, we wondered if we would wake up in the Land of Oz.  Our house stayed firmly planted, but we did wake up to find a neighbor's trampoline in our yard.  The kids thought that quite the good fortune until we informed them that we must return it.

 

Now it's snowing, and school has been cancelled for tomorrow, so we're all rejoicing!  Businesses closed early today;  gymnastics was cancelled; and schools let out at noon; but Tae Kwon Do testing went on as scheduled tonight. I guess the Koreans are much less afraid of wintry weather than we Southern Americans are.  My husband and son are the only ones who showed up for testing tonight. They are not proud wearers of blue belts and are half-way to black belt. (Gift #950)

Whatever storms may come at night

 Korean masters stand ready to fight,

While Southern Americans hunker in

With milk and bread lest they get too thin.

Our daughter...not the typical writer
"Coldness crept through Kaitlen's shoulders as she climbed over the fallen log. She felt the wetness of the fresh snow seep through her thin boots and socks. Wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt, she trudged on until she reached a small cabin. She reached out to knock and her arm fell to her side. Kaitlen sank to her knees as the door opened. "I'm sorry," she barely managed to whisper. Then everything went dark."

Do you want to know what happens next? So does the 10-year-old author who makes up stories as she goes along...which is rather backwards, but our girl prides herself in being unlike everyone else. Watching her put her extreme creative bent to pen and paper is a gift, especially compared to some of the other destructive outlets she has employed. (Gift #951)

Teaching & Parenting
After spending over a week studying Proverbs with the kids where the theme was to heed the wisdom of thy father and mother lest calamity come as a natural consequence, I found it amusing that our son refused to heed our warning when we advised him not to try eating a whole garlic bulb raw, for the taste is quite pungent. If only I had a video of his reaction to play for the kids next time they question our judgment.

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After reading the proverb for the day one day last week, my daughter asked, "How do I know if the voice I'm hearing in my heart is coming from God or from the world?"

So I asked her, "If you were blindfolded in a crowded room with lots of people talking to you, how would you know which voice was mine?"

She answered, "Because I know your voice and hear it all the time."

"Then seek to know God more than you seek to know this world. Be diligent to hear and read His words all the time, and you will know." (John 10:27-28)

I love these morning talks. (Gift #952)

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I'm not sure which amused me more the other day:
1) Hearing my little boy read and try to explain Proverbs 11:22, which reads, "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion," during our Bible study this morning, or

2) Having a student say to me (after overhearing Mrs. Ficken and me reflecting on our college days in the 1990s as we donned 90s attire for decade day at school), "You two sure don't seem that old because you are both so nice and spunky and not at all like typical crotchety, grumpy, old women."

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We are still having lots of fun in Stats class though I have toned down the relevant topics a bit so as not to upset any parents who are sending their children to this school to keep them extremely sheltered.  I hope the parents don't mind my beer jokes.

My students know I am a teetototaler myself but do not think it is right to set that standard for others (legalism), so I find it ironic that though I am possibly the biggest prude in the school in terms of how I live my life, I have been accused of pushing the envelope when it comes to subjects that I broach in class as a way of getting students to think logically and mathematically about these issues now so they will be prepared to make wise choices when they are confronted with them in the midst of much peer pressure and emotional instability.

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When we're having a bad hair day

And hair keeps getting in our way

Resourceful teachers do not mind

We use whatever we can find.

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While I know there must be a balance between reading for pleasure and reading for knowledge (and my kids do not always get excited about some of the literary classics I check out for them from the library), I'm thankful that my teachers forced me to read great literature. (Gift #953) I'm also thankful for the opportunity to send our kids to a classical school where they start learning Latin in 3rd grade and Greek in high school, and are required to read excellent literature throughout their formative years.  (Gift #954) Unfortunately, there has a been a big shift in the schools from classical literature to modern literature to technical journals.  Read all about it here.  I was an avid reader before college, but when I entered the technical field of engineering and was required to read technical texts all the time, my love for reading waned considerably.  It has taken me over a decade to regain that love for reading, and now I read much slower and with less enthusiasm than I did as a child.  This common core push to create technical worker bees is a huge mistake if it is destroying the love for learning which is absolutely essential to a fulfilling life.

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I have tried to attend most of the home men's varsity basketball games since so many of the players are in my class.  They ended up winning both the conference season and the conference tournament again this year.  I took both kids with me to watch the game on Senior Night.  The parents were so emotional as these guys have played basketball together on the same team under the same coach since 6th grade.  They are such great fans showing respect to the opponent and great support for their sons.  (Gift #955) Here is a photo of some of my favorite parents during the last home game.  Their son is in my class, and I love this family so much.

Unfortunately, the senior recognition took place after the game (for some reason, I thought it would happen during half-time), so it ran until midnight which is way past our kids' bedtime.  There wasn't really a good time to get up and walk out without being noticed or making a scene, so my son pressed through as long as he could until he crashed. Lesson Learned:  I will not take the kids next year.

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Our school's big benefit auction took place this past weekend.  The 5th graders each created a panel for this art piece to be auctioned.  I tried to guess which one was our daughter's and failed.  Hers is the one with music notes in the background with the star off center (because of course a right brained child would not create a perfectly symmetrical panel as would her left brained mama!).  She does love music, so  I hope she will give up competitive gymnastics next year to make more time for music lessons again.  Fundraising is SO not my thing, so I'm thankful for the talented parents who took on this project to raise much needed funds for our very low budget school. (Gift #956)

Star art by the CCS 5th graders.
The title says it all... Small Things, Great Things
"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."
Vincent Van Gogh

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Before the weather turned freezing cold over the past few days, we enjoyed some gorgeous winter days with temperatures in the 70s!  It was glorious. (Gift #957)  My son and I enjoyed scootering "dates" on the greenway behind our neighborhood.  We also biked and ran together, soaking up the vitamin D while it lasted.

My how far this world has fallen

One of the first articles I ever wrote to go viral (well...viral for my standards anyway) offered no new insights but merely reiterated obvious reasons why Christians should not go see the movie Magic Mike.  I thought the soft porn in that movie, which wrecks marriages and plants images in one's mind which can't ever be unseen, was as bad as it could get in the movie cinemas.  For surely anything worse is reserved for those hideous porn channels. 

But alas, now 50 Shades of Grey is opening in theaters across America, and is it ever so much worse because (based on what I've read) it is explicit hard porn that romanticizes the worst kinds of physical/emotional abuse and glorifies the objectification and exploitation of women. While we can certainly take a stand against domestic abuse by not seeing the movie, I've been encouraging others to go a step further by donating $50 to a domestic violence shelter or ministry for trafficked women. We gave to Transforming Hope Ministries. ‪#‎50dollarsnot50shades‬

Thankfully, the internet is filled with articles explaining why the movie is so harmful and correcting so many of the false ideas communicated through the movie (Gift #958).  I appreciate all the efforts to counter this film, but this particular article from a mother to a daughter was especially concise and practical.

Unlike the movie or book, I could really enjoy spending time with these 50 Shades of Grey!

"The movies you may watch do not portray women in a positive light. Hollywood does not view you the same way that God does. God wants to liberate you and allow you to be all you can be. He wants you to see yourself as special so you, as well as guys will cherish you as a special gift."
http://www.movieguide.org/…/letter-daughter-eve-fifty-shade…

While the following meme could apply to so many situations (like abortion), it seems very relevant right now in terms of truth.  God's truth.

Devotion: Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

I was recently asked to submit a devotion for publication at a women's ministry website.  The theme of the month is the way of love based on 1 Corinthians 13.  I was asked to write about verse 6.  I'm still in the rough draft phase, and I could use input on how to condense and improve it.  I am very much an amateur when it comes to writing, but I want everything I do to honor my King even if my abilities are quite limited.
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 “[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”                          – 1 Corinthians 13:6

When we read the definitions of love in 1 Corinthians 13, we may easily become discouraged because loving patiently and without envy or boasting, can be difficult, requiring God’s constant equipping and power. When I read verse six, however, my first instinct is to shout, “Whew! I’ve got this one! No way would I be tempted to rejoice over evil.  Rejoicing with the truth is easy.”   But then the testing comes.

When we first sent our son to school after sheltering him in our homeschool environment, he immediately came in contact with a bully named David*.  David would shove and punch him and call my little boy names. My first thoughts when my son told me about David was to teach him to fight back and to confront David’s mother myself.  After praying over the matter, I remembered the following verse:

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)

With that verse in mind, I sought out the truth.  David had been recently adopted from a foreign country and was new to the school.  He was trying to adjust to many life changes and did not know how to make friends.  It became apparent that David’s actions flowed out of a heart hungry for love and acceptance.  So, I encouraged my boy to repay David’s mean actions with kindness and to invite him to be his friend.  David’s actions changed immediately.  When I picked up my boy from school at the end of the week, I heard David cry out to my son, “Goodbye, friend.  I love you.”  I had been so tempted to teach my son to repay evil for evil.  Thankfully, remembering God’s truth kept us from delighting in wrong defensive actions.

Choosing to delight in the truth instead of evil is much easier when the difference between the two is obvious. But the cunning enemy of our souls often distorts God’s truth subtly and gradually such that only the most vigilant will notice the difference.   Imagine that I have written the letters t, r, u, t, h on separate sheets of paper and taped them to the wall to spell “truth”.  Then consider how the enemy often uses something in the world such as financial, health, family, or job issues to distract us, so that our eyes stop focusing on the cross of Christ. To illustrate this point, I will remove the first letter “t”, which looks like a cross, from the wall.  With the letters r, u,t, h remaining on the wall, I will next began scrambling the letters to show  how the enemy takes God’s truth and reorders or distorts it just a little to communicate a false message that will ultimately hurt us.  By hurting us, he hurts God.  When I finish scrambling the letters, “ruth” now reads as “hurt”.  

When we strive to rejoice in the truth, let us be careful to rejoice in God’s truth, not Satan’s distortion of it.  God tells us in James 1:17 that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights”, and John 16:23 declares that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, He will give us.  But the world often distorts these truths into a false “name it, claim it” gospel which feels good and right to those who are hurting but is still wholly false.  The truth is that sometimes God’s good and perfect gift for us comes in the form of futility or suffering for the purpose of conforming us into His image.  (Romans 8:18-30).  Do we rejoice in the trials God allows into our lives recognizing that He doesn’t take anything away from us without giving us more of Himself?  Are we rejoicing in the false notion that we can use God as a means to a material end instead of rejoicing over the opportunities He gives us to use the things of this world as a means to lead more people to an eternal end with Him?  When we do not receive whatever we ask from Him, do we rejoice that He only gives us what we ask “in his name”, that is, according to His perfect will, trusting that His plans for us are always better than our own? 

When we read about how good the law of the Lord is (Joshua 1:8), do we take delight in obeying it out of love for God and his wonderful truth, or do we rejoice instead in the enemy’s distortion called legalism?  When we derive more pleasure in exalting ourselves as more righteous than others, then we are rejoicing in evil, not in God’s truth.

Conversely, the enemy may take the truth of our freedom in Christ described in Galatians 5:1-3 and morph it into the false idea of unrestrained license.  It is wrong to rejoice in our freedom in Christ if we translate that freedom as permission to sin, for through Christ, we have died to sin so that we cannot live in it any longer.  (Romans 6:1-3).

Similarly, the enemy of our souls may take all the good things God has given us and attempt to change it into something harmful.  For example, when God give us righteous ambition that strives to do all things with excellence for the glory of God and out of love for Him, the enemy may attempt to twist it into selfish ambition.  Another prominent distortion we see across modern culture is the redefining of the beautiful gift of sexual intimacy which was given by God as a symbol of the covenant and as a binding union between husband and wife.  The world keeps trying to redefine that good gift, remove it from its safe boundaries, and transform it into something utterly destructive like a fire which brings warmth and light while in the fireplace being removed from the hearth and placed where it can burn the whole house down.

As we receive God’s love and strive to love each other unconditionally, let us take care to rejoice in God’s truth and not some subtle distortion which is actually evil in disguise.   By abiding in Him, spending time daily in His word and in prayer, and asking His Spirit to guide us, we can discern the God’s truth from Satan’s lies, walk in wisdom, and delight in God’s wonderful truth.

*Not his real name