My Bosom Friend...

Kathryn & Anya ~ 2010

Rosalie, Lukasz & Anya

I have had my copy of Anne of Greene Gables sitting on our book shelf for years.  Our older girls are 16 and 13 and I've been asking them to read it for a few years.  I don't demand that they read much, but make suggestions, when they ask.  Well, finally, they picked up the book.  And devoured it!  Then we had to borrow volumes 2 and 3 from the library because ours are lost.  Then we rented the movie from the library.  (Love inter library loan!!!)  It was so fun to watch this movie and share with them my love of an old movie.  Even the boys liked it.  But what I liked most is how a couple of my girls, Anya and Kathryn, could relate to Anne.  Slightly dramatic...  okay, ALOT dramatic.  Sensitive...  Fancy dresses...  Lovers of good books (finally)...  They come by their nature honestly from their mama, I must confess.  So embarrassing to admit!  :) 

What I love most about our "Anne of Green Gables" adventure has been the love shown between

Lukasz & Anya ~ 2008

our two daughters.  As Kathryn was putting Anya down for her nap one day, Anya looked at her and said, "You are my bosom friend and we are kindred spirits."  They have been buddies for awhile now.  Each older child has a younger buddy to help them get dressed, do chores, potty, etc.  Thank you, Michelle Dugger, for the idea.  This, I think, is a key to having siblings be friends.  They interact with one another all day long.  They share rooms.  They help one another.  They cook together.  Play together.  Learn together.  Work together.  Every day has conflict.  Every day has laughter. 

Mama & Anya

But, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17

As a dear friend of ours told me once, "We are like rocks on the bottom of a river.  As the water washes over the rocks, the rocks rub together, making them smooth."  I won't resent those rocks in my life, those children, husband, family or friends who God is using to make me more like Him.

My desire is that my husband and children will be my bosom friends.  That we will continue to draw closer to Christ and closer to one another.  

Ryan, Rosalie & Izabella ~ 2011

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

I need more of Jesus.  More of His love.  More of His Power.
Amen!

In His Grip,
Laura

Our Year in Review

The Zarzycki Family

 I have a confession to make...  I just sent out our "Christmas" cards on Friday.

I never actually expect to get them in the mail before Christmas.  I like to really think about our year, contemplate & reminisce.  Pray & ask God for direction for the coming year.  It is a sweet time for me AND a hard time.  

Time passes so quickly.  Our baby is 11 months old now and officially walking.  My oldest "baby" turned 18 a month ago. 

I'm so thankful that I am able to see my baby's first step, to see her smiling face when she wakes up from her nap.  I'm so thankful I wake up to Lukasz & Anya crawling into bed & not an alarm clock.  I'm so thankful that my husband gives me this gift of full time motherhood, full time wife duty & doesn't ask that I go & help him with financial support.  I'm so thankful that Kathryn comes to me with questions & trusts the answers Daddy & I give her.  I'm so thankful that I can remember the time, not so long ago, when I got up to an alarm clock, rushed everyone out the door, rushed to work, rushed home to feed everyone.  Plop into bed.  Do it all over again.  Because I can remember, I'm thankful even in the really hard times.

This past year was very hard.  The theme was "letting go".  Letting go of people so that God could take care of them.  Letting go of people who I thought were my closest friends, but when I couldn't "be there for them" because of my expanding family, they disappeared.  He is Lord.  He knows best.  He then blessed us with older friends that have been such an encouragement to us, surrogate parents & grandparents.  We love them dearly!

I hope you enjoy a little snippet into our lives.

February 2011

            I’m not sure how it got to be February already!  Last year was so full!  So full of the good, the bad & the ugly!  J 

"Yep, I'm cool, even with this orange hard hat on!"

           We celebrated Ryan’s 18^th birthday a month ago.  He has grown in so many ways this year!  God has changed him.  He went from being a child who hated to read to one that is hard to get away from his books.  He used to be really timid.  Now, he is bold about his faith in Jesus Christ.  I think he’s learning to enjoy the journey, to relax & live by faith.  He continues his apprenticeship with Daniel & homeschooling.

She is our sweet "Bella Bean"!

            Izabella Richelle was born on March 12^th.  From the moment of her birth, everyone has adored her, even those siblings that were a little jealous.  She is a beautiful, joyful, sweet little angel.  Her daddy is almost embarrassed by how much he goes “ga, ga” over her.  J 

          

Lukasz is our reserved one.

In May, Lukasz turned 4 years old.  He loves to be outside, working with the guys.  He loves to ride his bike, play with Izabella, read with anyone who will read to him & do puzzles.  He came up with our new little saying around the house.  He had a little bit of a hard time when Bella was born and would say he hated me.  It about broke my heart.  I prayed & asked God to fix it & that’s when Luke started saying that to me.  Even if we had a really bad morning, at naptime, he would say, “I like you and I love you, Mama.”  God is good.

           

She's our nature lover!

In July, Kathryn turned 14.  She is becoming a young woman right before our very eyes.  How did this happen?  She has become my right hand woman, but with her personality, she has to be reminded that she’s not the “queen bee” around here.  J  That’s my girl!  She loves to teach the younger kids & she was the one who canned most of our applesauce, peaches & tomatoes this year!

            In September, Daddy celebrated his birthday!  He has had another busy year working, Praise the Lord!  He also put together raised beds, put up a deer fence & cut down several trees to expand our garden.  We were blessed with a bountiful garden full of tomatoes, squash, corn, lettuce, kale & more.  His ministry is his family, as he says.  He stays busy mentoring our 7 children, teaching them to think for themselves & to really live for Christ.

            October is my birthday month.  Most of my year has been spent adjusting to having the 7^th, letting go of the “perfect laundry room” myth (I didn’t have a washing machine steadily for almost a month L), learning to balance all that God has for me to do & letting go of the things that are not TOP priority.  Mostly learning to follow the leading of the Lord & realizing that God doesn’t make sense to me sometimes.  But His life for me is abundant & I don’t have to understand.

 

Ha!  I'm not looking!

          Anya turned 3 the day after Thanksgiving.  She is our family greeter!  She smiles & says “hi” to everyone she sees.  She has told everyone that she is 3 now.  She hugs strangers & holds their hand.  She is a sweet little girl most of the time, but then there’s “Miss Crunchy Face”.   She is another go to girl, who has her own ideas on how things should be done.   

Look at that smile!

            Rosalie turned 12 in December.  She is a beautiful little lady.  She loves to smile & giggle & help Daddy with whatever project he has.  She just loves to help & please others.  She is still an avid reader & loves to help teach Anya’s Sunday School class. 

          

Gabe!  Not so reserved! :)

Gabriel turned 6 in December, as well.  He keeps me on my toes every hour of every day.  He’s a smart little man, learning to read, with little instruction from Mama, picks up math like nothin’ and loves to build and take things apart.  He is his father’s son.  He has decided that he’s going to be a carpenter & a preacher when he gets bigger & gave his first sermon to Anya & Luke the other day. 

            My new favorite quote is from Charlotte Mason,

            “Are my children learning enough?  That is the wrong question.  The question is, “What do they care about?  Who are they becoming?  These are the questions that matter most.”

            That’s a glimpse into our year, our lives, our children…  This year has really been one of tremendous joy & tremendous pain.  We are so thankful that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us, help us & carry us through.

As we have reminisced about our 2010 & are planning our 2011, we are eternally grateful for our God.  He came as a babe, lived a sinless life, died on a cross as payment for OUR sin, rose from the dead & now lives in heaven, preparing a place for us to come when we die.  But that’s not all.  He sent the Holy Spirit to live in each of us that accept His free gift, accept our need for a Savior, and accept that nothing that I do can take away my sin, NOTHING but the blood of Jesus. 

Praying for a blessed 2011 for you

from the Zarzycki Family!!!

The Beauty Of The Lord

As I "walk along the way", I have the privilege of seeing "The Beauty Of The Lord" all around me. Of course, that's when I'm paying attention. As I've watched this summer FLY by, I wonder how often I've been too busy to notice Him.
One occasion that sticks out clearly in my mind. I bribed the kids... If you do really well with all your chores, we'll go to the beach later. We finally made it to the point at 7 pm. It was chilly. It was windy. But I promised. As I sat there feeding the baby, watching the girls play in the waves, the boys play in the sand, I was anxious. I had so much to do. It was almost past their bedtime. I'm cold. We should have come sooner. Daniel has my camera. The video camera doesn't have batteries charged. I went from enjoying them to thinking to enjoying them to being ready to go to enjoying... You get the idea. I stood up and turned around and looked up. There was the sun, just the rays, peaking through the clouds pointing right at the light house. In that moment, God spoke directly to my anxious heart, "Be still & know that I am God! Relax. I'm here."
God is so amazing...
We went to the beach another time.
It was beautiful.
But that one cloud...
We waited out the first shower in the pavilion. The sun came out. We went down to the beach. I sat down. The kids ran into the lake. It started to down pour. It started to hail. I started to laugh. It stopped raining. The sun came out. A dear friend brought coffee. Daddy called. He came to fly kites. The kites got tangled. The kids had fun.
God is amazing...
I watch Daddy, playing with his little girls, telling them how beautiful they are. I watch him swoon over his littlest one. I remember him 6 years ago, scared to death to be a daddy to little girls.
God is amazing...
I watch our lives change, our hearts change, like a butterfly coming out of a chrysallis, struggling to be set free from the chains that bind us... God is working in the struggles... Helping us to see Him... Helping us to relax & enjoy the journey... Helping us to be thankful for each other... Helping us to look outward, to be servants, to be "doers of the Word", to love others, to speak the truth...

I will declare the beauty of the Lord... He's all around...

In His Grip,
Laura

Rock A Bye Baby

Oh, the joy of having a new little baby again. Her sweet smell. Her sweet smile. The joy of nursing this little one, connecting with her, nourishing her, helping her to grow. I absolutely LOVE to rock Bella to sleep. She has her "position", like she is in her sling. On my hip, left arm tucked, head on my chest. As if on cue, she is asleep in 5 minutes or less. As a side note, this comes in very handy in church. :) I'll often sing her a little song as she doses off. Then it's off to bed for her much needed nap. She is oblivious to the world around her, cuddled in her little sanctuary, her crib, safe & secure.

What about me? What about you? Are we asleep, oblivious to the world around us, huddled in our little sanctuaries, safe & secure?

Have you been rocked to sleep by a complacent spirit that lays like a wet blanket over the modern church of America?
Revelation 3:15
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou was cold or hot.. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Have you been rocked to sleep by the sweet words of a pastor who tell you what you want to hear?
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Have you been rocked to sleep by the lullabies that you sing on Sunday morning that sound really pretty,are about how God does great things for us & have a nice beat, but are far from Scriptural?
Have you heard the new song "Love Has Come" by Mark Schultz? I LOVE this song! It has a great beat. It feels good. But as I continued to listen, something wasn't right. "Every knee shall bow. Every tongue confess, that God is love & love has come for us all. Every heart set free. Every one will see. That God is Love & love has come for us all." That sounds beautiful, but it is WRONG!
Philippians 2:5-11
⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Every knee will bow, every tongue confess when Jesus comes back NOT as this worldly love that we think of but as righteous, just, perfect love.
Revelation 19:11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Those types of songs are so dangerous because they are part truth & they sound good. And they are deceiving many people into believing that God is love, love in their mind, human love. Therefore, they have no worries because "a loving God would not send anyone to hell."

Are you safe & secure in your little sanctuary? We have Sunday School, Sunday am & pm service, Wednesday night service, men's Bible studies, women's Bible studies, and the list goes on of programs & classes that are available to the church body any night of the week in any town across the country. We are well fed, fat & happy, if we want to be. But are we going out?

Jude 1:21-23 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

In our life, we have experienced this. We went to a church in town. They had a great worship team. The pastor could give a good message, a few Scriptures taken out of context, a half dozen different versions of God's Holy Word to make it easier to understand. *sarcasm* Daniel was involved in the men's group & I led a women's Bible study. BUT, something was wrong. We couldn't tell you what. We just knew that something was missing.
Through a series of events, God made it very plain to us that needed to leave. When we were invited to this church in "the ghetto" of Northeast Michigan, we went for my ma in-law. We walked in. Nothing unusual. Pews. Hymnals. Baptists in suits. But when the pastor started to preach, he held up his Bible and asked us to stand because this was God's Word and it is Holy.
I am reminded of the song, "We are standing on Holy ground. And I know that there are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now. For we are standing in His presence on Holy ground."
We left the church changed. My heart soared that day.

Since then, God has gradually removed the "wet blanket" of complacency and set aflame this burning desire in our hearts to rescue others from the same fate.
God has put us under the teaching of a man who doesn't care what we WANT to hear, but tells us what we NEED to hear. He is bold & zealous & God has used his words to startle our sleeping spirits, to awaken our consciences, to put us on full alert. There is not a Sunday that goes by that we aren't squirming in our seats, not because we can't wait to get out of there, but because the Holy Spirit is there, testifying that we must change. We have sin that God wants to remove. We lust after things. We are silent when we should speak. We compromise our beliefs so that we will be liked by our Christian friends. You know, it would be pretty hard to get Izabella to sleep if I kept poking her every couple of minutes.

Oh, the music... it has become an idol in this country. We will change churches, start new churches, spend unGodly amounts of money on equipment, all in the effort to have a good worship service, so it's pleasing to our "itching" ears. God says, "make a joyful noise". The heart of the worshiper & the truth of the words are far more important than whether we like this "style" of music or not. Worship is supposed to be about Him, how great He is, how worthy He is.

For me, this has been the hardest reality. I enjoy Bible studies. I enjoy fellowshipping with other believers, talking with friends, being actively involved in church. I am much more comfortable there. I'm accepted. I belong. But, I started to realize that I could easily spend 4 hours a week in some type of church activity all in the name of Christian service. I did not have time to serve my husband & be his helpmeet. I did not have time to disciple my children in the way God has called me to.
I did not have time to serve the people in my life that need the love of Jesus.
The perfect analogy for this is the Dead Sea. It is continually
fed by the rivers & streams coming off the mountains in the area, but NO rivers drain out of the Dead Sea. So, as water evaporates, the sea becomes saltier & saltier making it deadly. No fish or sea life can survive in the Dead Sea, only certain bacteria & one type of algae.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.

I have been so comfortable living my own life, doing my "church" thing, for so long, that I truly became oblivious to the world around me. The fact that families live in cardboard boxes, that babies actually die of starvation, that people are isolated & lonely all around me didn't bother me. Until now. Now, I see their faces in the lines at Walmart. The people are starving for human contact, just eye contact, just conversation, just to know they are not invisible. Now, I ache for them. I must move past the "ache", the "pain", and "be a doer of the Word". I'm slowly starting to give up "my life" and let God direct it. He has told me where to go, who to call, what to do. He can be so bossy and insistent some times.

As we were talking the other day, my wise husband said something like this to Ryan. Don't look to do something "big" for God. One person matters. That young man at church who is just a train wreck. He's hurting so badly that no one wants to be around him. Love him. That's "big". He matters to God.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

Ephesians 5:14-17 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

My prayer is that this message will be taken as it is intended. I am so far from where God wants me to be. He and I have so much work to do. I must speak the truth. I speak it in love. I love you. I love Jesus. We must pick up our cross & follow Him to be His disciple.

In His Grip,
Laura

Friends

God and I have many conversations. Most of them sound nothing like the Psalms... no flowery words... Just Him and me, while I'm changing a diaper, cooking dinner or picking weeds... Our conversations lately have been more often and more fervent... Lord, what's going on with me? I don't like this. I know it's right. I know You are working, but I'm not likin' it, just so You know. That's been the tone lately. But as I wrestle with Jesus, He turns my head toward my children and I SEE it.

I see our children playing with one another. I see Lukasz & Anya jumping on the trampoline that their big brother spent 4 hours on a Saturday putting together for them. They're giggling, falling, rolling... I see Kathryn & Rose helping each other do laundry & pick up the floor so that they can chat. Kathryn helping Ryan get his clothes ready so that he can go out of town again, talking all the while. Sitting with one another on the couch reading a story. Wrestling on the floor. Rocking the baby. Changing a diaper. Playing house. Fighting over toys. Building a HUGE sand castle. All this has happened this week in our home. Our children are friends. They love one another. Side note: The world says that siblings will hate one another and rival for attention. LIE!!! In an atmosphere of love, even when there are many children & Mama & Daddy can't possibly spend one on one time with them all regularly, if children are taught (by example) to love & respect one another, they will. (our kids have their sibling rivalry issues, they fight, they bicker, they touch one another and make the other scream, they take each others' toys, but they are friends...)
And I would miss the blessing of being their friend, being apart of this adventure every day if I spent my time on the phone, on the computer or going on play dates and gallivanting around town.

Now, don't get me wrong, I struggle with this, sometimes more than others. Right now, more than other times... But when I look at them and realize the choice I have to make. I cannot be my kids' friend and build strong relationships with them and do those other things... I have to make my choice. A little note here: The world has told us for far too long that we cannot be our children's friend or that as they get older they will not want to spend time with us. LIE!!! God brings families together and if we will be obedient to Him and love our children and enjoy them and smile at them and have Joy... Then they won't be able to resist being around their greatest coach, best confidante, the ones that they know have got their back.

I have friends outside these four walls, but not many. When we talk or get together, we are uplifting one another in prayer, seeking Godly wisdom and exhorting one another to fight the good fight. I have chosen these women intentionally because they are fighters, with great attitudes, who seek victory in their lives and aren't going to settle for mediocrity. They read the Bible and actually believe what it says! What God can do with women that believe Him and act on what He says!

My prayer is that I will be more like that Titus 2 woman:
^{Titus 2: 4-5
4}Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

How I want to bring glory to my God by what they see in me and my family, my children, my grandchildren... I must be busy at home, so that no one can malign God's precious Word.

In His Grip,
Laura

Our family sings together alot and this is a favorite of ours...
Love Will Hold Us Together