Update

A bold and brave testimony from one of the Tittle daughters. May we all raise children like her:

A day of extreme emotions here at FamilyLife. April 28, 2014

He died as he lived … protecting his family.

Rob Tittle, a FamilyLife staff member and kindred spirit warrior for the family, died last night in the tornado that crushed parts of central Arkansas. Two of his daughters—Tori, age 20, and Rebekah, 14—were among the 14 killed in the storm.

Rob, 48, and his wife Kerry, had heard the tornado warnings and were shepherding their nine children under a stairwell when the tornado disintegrated their home. Rob was doing what a man does—putting his family first—when the twister hit. All that is left is a grim grey slab of concrete.

Their 19 year old daughter posted this on Facebook: “This is… from a friend’s house, my mom, and my six brothers/sisters are alright. We have lost three of our family …

Please continue reading this lovely young woman’s testimony, and the rest of this tender report, here.

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away: Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Behold, now is the day of salvation.

Inspiring, Wisdom, Womanhood

Overheard: He’s Gonna Getcha.

Posted on March 20, 2014September 11, 2014 by Katharine

I hear a lot of great stuff where I go to church, and the idea of sharing it thrills me.

Then I get nervous.

Maybe you wouldn’t like it as I do. Maybe you would resent it. Maybe you would click off. Maybe you would unsubscribe.

But then I back away and realize some of it really is excellent and who knows but that you might just love it as I do.

So here goes: something I heard a year ago, posted once, but just wanted to share again. Enjoy.

The Arkansas Gospel

Let me make this clear.

You don’t go to Heaven because God loves you, nor because you love Him.

You don’t go to Heaven because you amend your sinful ways or clean up your act.

Turning over a new leaf is rehabilitation, but it is not salvation.

Education is not the answer.

Reformation is not the answer.

Legislation is not the answer.

Jesus is the answer.

We go to Heaven because Jesus saves us through His work on the Cross.

Don’t be separated from God any longer.

Give your sinful life to Jesus at the Cross, bury it in baptism, and be born again of the Spirit of God.

That is how you enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

That reminded me of a story I heard once:
“He IS Out to Get You!”

A woman was driving alone, one night, on a long trip. Having just left a convenience store and taken the on ramp back to the Interstate, she felt not so lonely because some guy had held the door for her as he’d left the store. She noticed he also on-ramped when she did—a friendly face for the journey.

As she traveled, though, she thought she noticed his car following her too close. When she increased her speed a bit to make some distance, his car also increased its speed.

Tensing, and persuading herself it was coincidence, she began weaving through traffic, checking her rear view mirror.

That car followed her every move.

She upped her speed to 80, which she usually never did, and the car was still right behind her.

She could think of nothing to do but exit again, where there was civilization, and force that driver to change plans.

It was a long five miles to the exit.

Carefully, she scooted through traffic into the right lane at the last minute, without signaling, almost missed the exit, and looked up to realize that car loomed closer than ever.

There was no choice, now, but to tear into a gas station parking area, laying on the horn, screech to a stop, throw open the door, and, in desperation, flee into the building, sobbing.

Simultaneously, the driver of the other car also slammed on his brakes, and threw open his door with an angry grimace, running directly to her car, tore open the back door, and grabbed a ski-masked man from the floorboard, beating him until he collapsed.

And you don’t know it, but you’ve got trouble in your back seat.

And God is following you.

And He will never give up, so you might as well.

Home School, Inspiring, Photos, Pre-schoolers, Sayings, Wisdom

What a Rush!

Posted on March 14, 2014March 14, 2014 by Katharine

3/14/14 – Reposting this to honor the man.

This is not about speed.

It’s about that rush I get when I teach.

Sometimes I say my bones are aching and it helps if I teach. Ever feel that way?

I think it’s maybe being part of the Creation process. When I see the lightbulb coming on in someone else’s understanding, it moves me, thrills me to the bone.

I love teaching, helping understanding to exist where it never did before. It’s not exactly creating, but like a potter with clay, I can mold someone’s mind to fit around new material, new cognizance, or even completely new thoughts that no one has ever realized before.

Research also thrills me. Discovering small things about big events or important people makes me want to teach some more. For instance: Did you know that as a child, Albert Einstein absolutely loved Euclid’s geometry and called it “that holy little algebra book” or that at age 5, he wondered what frozen light would look like? Who ever thinks of THE genius as a small child with wonderment inside his soul? Or that some adult fed him books over most children’s heads, just for the joy of watching that light come on?

See, I just taught you something and opened your thinking more. What a rush!

Sometimes I tutor. One young girl is learning so much about writing, she has developed an enjoyment for the writing process. Seeing the difference in her output this year gives me such excitement. I think of the joy she will bring to her family as her skills increase and she cements them through practice.

I tutor a couple of legal immigrants in their new language, English, and we have fun exchanging culture, too. I explained our local phrase regarding appetites for all foods, as we say, “eat everything that is not nailed to the table.” They laughed enormously at that and now use the saying (in their own language, which is fine with me.) Then they confessed their tiredness of pizza and their longing for cultural dishes they cannot yet prepare. I taught them to say, “I am tired of pizza, but it is better than nothing,” and as they remember their old country and having nothing to eat, they sober and regain resolve to find a way to afford gas for their stove.

And though it is a small spark, I love seeing that light.

The most exciting teaching I do is from the Bible. So much light there. So many people don’t get it, cannot see it. Or don’t want to.

But when I see that light come on, what a rush!

Believe it or not!, Home School, Inspiring

Romeikes are in. Yes.

Posted on March 4, 2014March 4, 2014 by Katharine

Tell us about a situation where you’d hoped against all hope, where the odds were completely stacked against you, yet you triumphed. Be sure to describe your situation in full detail. Tell us all about your triumph in all its glory.

Okay, WordPress, you asked for it!

The Romeike family has faced nothing but opposition and hindrance and persecution for many years. Why? Because they care about their children and had the misfortune of being born in the land of Hitler.

I’m telling it like it is, here, in all its glory, as requested, I cannot believe this was the daily prompt for today. Perfect! Pardon me if I emote. Or not. I don’t care. “And you can rattle me, shake me, smell my breath and make me roll up both of my sleeves. I’m clean. I’ve got nothin’ to hide.” –Nancy Higgenbaum.

Anyway, they were threatened, harassed, etc., just as if they were living in the land of Hitler.

So they sought refuge in the land of the free and the home of the brave and were granted permission through all the legal channels we require to live here.

GET THIS: THEY WERE LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

After setting up housekeeping and actually finding gainful employment, THEY WERE DENIED.

Yes, I’m shouting part of the time = All its glory.

Okay, so they’re here, LEARNING ENGLISH, employed, doing everything right, being good, minding their own business, when…

BAM

Permission denied. Just like that.

While every Tomas, Ricardo, and Enrique who wants to teem over here and pander drogues is welcome, welcome, welcome…

The Romeikes were denied.

The Homeschool Legal Defense Association fought and fought and fought in courts to get them permission to live here. They are brilliant lawyers and know exactly what they were doing.

And lost. And lost. And lost.

And that is precisely why they won. Because they knew the Lord holds the king’s heart in His hand and turns it whatever way He wants.

And He wanted them to stay.

But He also wanted it to look like He had something to do with it.

So He waited. And waited. And waited.

He owns time, did you know that?

And now, after every cotton pickin’ avenue has been exhausted.

The Romeikes are in.

Just like that.

And I’m not done.

All its glory, remember?

Okay, so…

The story goes that Abraham’s wife was barren, which means physically unable to get pregnant, and in their culture that was more than just never having babies to cuddle; it was grounds for divorce.

But, the Lord promised Abraham children, so, to make a long story short, eventually He gave Abraham’s wife one child, a son they named Isaac.

Then God told Abraham to take Isaac up to a mountain in the same area as Mt. Moriah, and to sacrifice Isaac on top of the mountain He would show him.

I believe it was the mountain they would later name Golgotha, the place of the skull, because that’s what it looked like, a human skull.

And so, ever obedient, Abraham did what God said, but at the last moment, God told him not to.

Go ahead, you can laugh.

But…

Many centuries later, God sacrificed His OWN Son on Golgotha, as Abraham prophesied. (Genesis 22:8)

All its glory, remember?

So, the reinstatement of the Romeikes, today, after being hopelessly denied, yesterday, is a picture of salvation.

And the Holy Scripture tells us to: Stand back and see the salvation of God.

And for those who have eyes to see, that is what we are seeing today.

And this is the end of this post.

But not the end.

Not by a long shot.

A New-Found Friend

Ireland's Highest Peak — Ireland’s Highest Peak (Photo credit: mozzercork)

For weeks, a wonderful guy in Ireland has been helping this Grandma with WordPress questions/problems. He is instant and constant and cheery and seems to LOVE helping. Makes life so nice.

He never made me feel dumb and never asked for a thing except a chance to help a bit more, if needed.

I checked out his site (shared with a brother) called Happy Guide, which is all about helping folks be happy.

Anyone would be happy to claim two such sons.

I haven’t read the whole thing, but I have read one page: “How to Overcome ME/CFS” and I was shocked and amazed.

It was so Biblical, and therefore, useful for me, I can only be glad–happy–to find it.

Hope you check them out.

Soon.

And thanks, James!

Believe it or not!, Inspiring

S.O.S.

Posted on January 31, 2014September 29, 2018 by Katharine

He glistened.

Before he got into the water.

His gray hair and receding hairline, seemed out of place with his rippling muscles as he eased himself into the lounge chair he’d erected in the sand. His arms, legs, and chest bore the tawny hue and slick sheen of a professional tanner. His swim trunks were probably silk.

As he settled, facing the water and the scorching afternoon sun, eyes shut, the rest of us minced our way into the water. Spring-fed, it felt exactly like iced tea. I wondered if ice cubes would even melt in this lake.

I finally advanced to waist-deep and noticed another woman inching along, steeling herself against frigid wavelets from splashers nearby. She and I shared small talk about her husband betting her she could not submerge herself. So far, he was winning.

About 25 yards out, a tall rock formation provided a fun diving area. Occasionally, I could hear exactly what some child out there might holler at another. The acoustics around us, so surreal, could give goose bumps, even if the water did not, and even if the day was hotter than the lake was cold.

I worried about the elderly tanner. Was he hydrated? He had no drink container with him. He certainly was dripping with perspiration, and seemed asleep. What a shame if he blistered that expensive tan. Or overheated.

I decided to keep an occasional eye on him. The elderly sometimes have no clue about health things.

I’d just turned back to my resolve of getting completely wet, when the old guy sprang from his nap and flung himself into the water, in a perfect emergency dive. Flat, but no belly flop.

Into ice water.

On a 100-degree day.

And kept going. One powerful front-crawl stroke after another, he reached the base of that rock platform in about ten seconds.

And fished a floundering boy from the water, holding him up and safe, while the child coughed and gagged and sputtered and cried. The old man rinsed scant blood off the child’s chest, examining him closely. They mumbled conversation, the old man forcing eye contact, the child impatiently nodding his head, trying to swim free from the firm grip on his arm.

Answering the SOS As the child climbed back up the rock, his savior watched, and called to him, “You stay away from the edge, there, you hear me?”

And then swam back, all 25 yards, almost as fast.

And walked out onto the burning sand, hardly winded.

And muttered to the astonished ones around him, “That was my grandson.”

___________

True story.

How about you? Ever save someone? Don’t be shy.

Connect, Guest Post, Inspiring, Who's the mom here?

Thanks, Arkansas Women Bloggers!

Posted on January 23, 2014January 26, 2014 by Katharine

It’s happened again!

And it is fun.

Although a certain amount of sadness attaches itself to the thoughts surrounding it, today I have guest posted at Arkansas Women Bloggers Website as a guest blogger.

The sadness comes from the topic, which reminds me of joys, yes, but also of lost joys.

I won’t tell much more–don’t want to spoil the story for you, but do go over and read.

Find out why I’m behind on almost everything and why it was worth it.

And do pray for Sonny.

And for his mom.

It is ridiculous to talk about whether to put God in a box or not. God IS the box. WE are the ones in a box.