As My World Turns - A Conservative Mom in Her "Right" Mind

Farewell Angel

2012-01-17T13:38:00.009-06:00

Last night was a particularly wonderful and beautiful night. Bittersweet in the reasoning behind it. As you may have read, my dear friend Amberlyn passed away back in November. FULL of life, full of love, full of spirit and goodness and generosity. She was one of a kind, my Amberlyn.

Amberlyn left behind a legacy of love, of caring for others more than herself. Last night was her memorial/benefit concert to help out her family and her special charity, Amber's Angels, which is for kids in Dell Children's and one other hospital in San Antonio who are stuck in the hospitals at Christmas. She personally touched all the musicians who were there last night. And there were some SUPER big names! If you know Texas Country, you'll recognize the following:

Granger Smith
Curtis Grimes
Ryan Beaver
Bart Crow
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Casey Donahew
Wade Bowen
Brandon Rhyder
Josh Abbott
Cory Morrow
Roger Creager
Randy Rogers

...and many more!

4 sets of 4 musicians for each set (and associated fiddle players, etc.) for an unprecedented acoustic show. Each played 4 songs in their respective sets. And it was PACKED!

Amberlyn always wanted a party when she left this world and, trust me, though this party in honor of her memory was STELLAR, I guarantee you that it is NOTHING compared to the party that Heaven threw when she was called home.

Oh, my sweet Amberlyn. I miss you and I love you. And I rejoice, not only because you no longer struggle daily to breathe, but because I KNOW that I will see you again on the other side.

One of the things that was really driven home to me last night at my Amberlyn's concert is that we never truly know how much time we have left on this earth. Don't save things for "someday" b/c that day might never come. Don't ever pass up a chance to tell those important to you that you love them and let them know how important they are in your life. Never turn down a hug or kiss or a chance to hold hands with those who matter most b/c you don't know if that will be the last time. Live LIFE without hesitation! Laugh freely...love completely. What last memory do you want to have of others...what last memory do you want them to have of you? Let it be one of love. ♥

I will post more pictures as I have them, but for now, here are a few...

These first 2 pics are of us in the beautiful shirts that my amazing, thoughtful and caring sisterfriend, Leigh, had made for us...

Back Row: Jordan, MJ, Leigh, Colleen, Me
Front Row: Misty, Christy, Taryn and Jen

Me and the beautiful Samantha:

A little later in the night:

Back Row: Colleen, Leigh, Jordan, Jen, Taryn, Me
Front Row: Misty (LOL!)

Back Row: Jordan, MJ, Leigh, Christy, Me, Colleen and Jen
Front Row: Misty, Amberlyn's sweet and lovely mom (Debbie) and Taryn

God's 10%

2012-01-12T10:07:00.003-06:00

Have you ever thought, I mean REALLY thought, about the 10% thing? Not just in a financial sense, but in a sense of our daily lives?

There are 24 hours in a day. 10% of that is 2.4 hours, but how many of us actually spend 2.4 hours out of the day with God? Kind of a difficult concept to imagine with our busy lives full of activities, work, family...especially if you have kids who have homework, participate in after-school activities, such a sports, etc. Then, speaking from a mother's POV, there's the dinners to get ready, the baths/showers to supervise, the clothes/dishes to wash, house to clean/pick up, the preparation of everything for everyone for the next day...and that's just for everyone else, not to mention the things you need to do for yourself, especially if you work! And what if you're a single mother like me with an emotionally charged pre-pubescent tween girl and a son who is in his adorable, yet terrible, twos?

Where in the world are we supposed to find the 10% out of our day for God?

This is a question that I wrestle with. I believe in applying that 10% to my life, but how? Sleep is at a premium as it is and lately, with the allergies being in FULL force, it's a struggle to get out of bed on a daily basis, get everyone up and ready and out the door and I can't even fathom waking up an hour or two earlier to squeeze more time in with God than the sad little amount I already spend on Him.

Not to mention, now that Dave has moved here and we're getting used to actually NOT having a long distance relationship for the first time in 19 years, I'm kind of loathe to kick him out of the house early or to leave his place early on the nights my mom is generous enough to watch the kids so that he and I can spend a couple of hours together after I get the kids fed. Granted, I'm home by 10 or shortly after that and the kids love being around him when he's at the house or I bring them over to his apartment for a few hours on the weekend, etc., but it seems like there's just so much going on right now.

And what does one do in that 10% of the day? How do I fill that time? It's an awful long time for prayer. While I love to read, I can't see reading the Bible for that long each day, and what happens when I've read through the Bible? What then?

So here's my sort of solution...

I am going to start doing devotionals such as the "Power of a Praying..." series by Stormie Omartian. Those are very thought provoking and sometimes difficult devotionals, but ones that are eternally worth it as it teaches me HOW to pray for others, especially my children and my (potential) future spouse. In them I have also gotten the workbooks and prayer books and have started a journal to put the insights that God has given me while answering the questions or reading the chapters. I'm hoping to be able to go back when I am done with the series of different books and see how I've grown or changed from where I first started from in them.

I am also determined to read through the Bible, front to back, for the first time ever this year. I say I'm going to do it every year, and every year...I don't. I can spend the time I would normally spend at the end of a long day, in my bed, reading the Bible instead of a fiction novel or political book. It may be 5 minutes, it may be 30 minutes. I have no set schedule or time frame or chapter limit per day. Just that I want to get it done THIS year.

Lunch time can be spent reading my devotionals, reading the Bible, praying for whatever burdens God has placed on my heart, whether about my own life or for someone else.

In the grand scheme of things...2.4 hours out of a 24 hour day is such a small slice of the pie to give to God, when we spend so much time on other pursuits. Out of an entire year, that's only 876 hours out of the 8760 hours that we are all given. Small amount. But how much more could your life be enriched spiritually by just giving that 10% to God? How much more could you enrich other's lives from the truths and blessings you receive from that time spent with God?

How much more time do we spend on our own (worldly) leisurely pursuits that have nothing to do with God? Shouldn't He get just as much time, if not much more? What would happen if we pursued our outside interests FOR God instead of apart from God? What would happen if we pursued God with every bit as much interest as we pursue our outside interests? How much would our lives change? How much richer would they be in terms of what really matters?

Just a thought...

Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:5

Commit yourself and all that you do to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Biblical Motherhood: Week Four/Day Three Who Gains?

2012-01-10T14:30:00.001-06:00

(My apologies for being away from this for sooooo long! Life happens, but I will pick up where I left off and continue to post on this as I can. You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Who Gains?

Today you may want to ask the Lord to do a special healing in your life! To do that, He must have access to your wound. It will be worth the cost to be close to Him.

"'For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,' says the Lord,"
Jeremiah 30:17.

At times, as mothers we may wonder if our unrest is caused by our loved ones. We may feel bitterness toward them and not recognize it, or not know what to do with it. While it may be difficult to do so, we will uncover the end of the attitude of resentment in the life of a mother. Her condition may be related to the difficulty of raising children, even toward her husband for not supporting her in the way she would find most helpful. It may be that she has had hardship and feels that the Lord has abandoned her when she most needed Him; she doesn’t think He is predictable enough for her to trust Him. Maybe she sees her role as wife and mother from God as an unfair burden rather than a blessing. Whatever the case, the Word of God seems to slide right off of her heart, and she finds herself taking care of her own needs, or at least trying to, but not making a lot of headway.

We find some of the traits of this old nature described for us in the prophets. In the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah is writing to the people of God who have been afflicted by their own sin, yet they did not heed God’s warnings and finally were invaded and conquered by Babylon.

In Lamentations 2:9 we read of the city’s broken condition. Among the things listed, we find, “...the Law is no more,...” You may recall that as parents, a father is given the privilege by God of leading and teaching the family to know the Lord, and as a mother is a help meet for her husband, she is qualified by God to assist him in the work. This begins at infancy, holding, feeding, bathing and changing diapers, smiling and talking to a little baby, and grows in specifics as a child grows and has different needs. “No, no, honey, that isn’t yours,” is actually the teaching of God’s law of love. Setting the boundaries for a child and enforcing obedience when they cross them is the work of a mother. All the time, the Biblical mother’s goal is to reach their heart in Jesus’ name, and it is done while a child is young by teaching them right from wrong and the pleasure of choosing the right. But in Lamentations, we find that this training is gone from the people of Jerusalem; as it is written, “...the Law is no more,...”

Because of this, in Lamentations 2:12, what do the children ask for and from whom?

From this verse, what is happening to the life of the children?

Please find Matthew 26:26-28, and John 6:51,54. Jesus says that He, indeed, constitutes real nourishment! What is the meaning (in the realm of the spirit) of the nourishment for which the children are crying out?

See Lamentations 4:4, and also John 6:57. What might it mean to “break bread” for the young children?

In Lamentations 2:20, we read, “Should the women eat their offspring, the children they have cuddled?” Lamentations 4:10 says, “The hands of the compassionate women have cooked their own children; they became food for them in the destruction of the daughter of my people.” As their enemies sieged the cities of God’s people, the Israelites were starved to the point of such agony that they did the unthinkable, what they never would have entertained otherwise. These desperate women let their children’s lives be destroyed for their own attempt at survival. They devoured instead of sacrificing themselves, using their children’s lives to gain strength for themselves.

In this time and place, how might a mother’s struggle in her own life cause her to put her survival and well-being ahead of her child?

When we put the demands of this life as priority over giving the knowledge of God to our children, the devourer eats away in the unseen places of our souls. If our reputation means more to us than training up our children, we will be concerned with how we are coming across rather than what the Lord is showing us through them. If we are rushed, we won’t spend the time together, or hear the thoughts of our children in the midst of daily life. Yet it is often through those times together that the Lord would expose the place of hunger in the heart. Are you trusting someone else to give your child the ‘bread and wine’ of the knowledge of Jesus? Who will live His love before them in the daily goings on of this life? Who will teach them of His sacrifice and His resurrection power if you won’t?

And how will your life be healed if you decide to willingly follow society’s dictates and not hear the Lord?

It is never God’s heart to destroy His children, so when you read the prophets you must understand that He allows spiritual bondage in order to cause His own to cry out to Him and look at Him to save them. Fellowship with us is so precious to God that He died to gain it. So take to heart that He longs for His children and will go to great lengths to win us back. Eternal treasure is more valuable in His sight than temporal comfort.

If we will not come to Him, our lives will be tainted by waste, but not because of His lack of effort to turn us from our destructive ways. With this in mind, read Hosea 4:4-6.

A priest was to talk to God about the people; a prophet was to talk to the people from God, and mothers were to teach their children to know the Lord from infancy. What brought destruction into their lives (verse 6)?

Please read Hosea 4:5,6 with 5:7. “Pagan” is also translated “strange” from the original Hebrew. God says that it was the parents who dealt treacherously with Him by bringing up their children to be pagan, strange children. How did that happen? The things that God gave to them they began to use to exalt themselves. Their New Moon festival had been instituted by God Himself as celebration and worship to Him, but when people began to worship the ritual, or even the moon itself, they forfeited the peace and heritage that God would lavish on them. How do you think God feels as He says, “Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children”?

The Lord grieves over those who will not come to Him! He longs for us, and would gather us to Himself to love, protect and heal us!

From Hosea 7:13 we read, “Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against Me. They did not cry out to Me with their heart when they wailed upon their beds.”

The Lord watches over the responses of the people, and His grief is evident. He says that in fleeing from Him instead of to Him, there will be woe and destruction waiting for them. He says that He has already redeemed them, but they have rejected Him by speaking lies about Him. How does one speak lies against God? This is how: to say that God demands more than we are able to live up to. Living in a way to attempt to “appease an angry God” is a lie against God. It totally ignores the cross and the Way God has made. It looks only to human (self) effort. Often it is the case that the person who accuses God of anger is actually the one who is angry at God.

The “father of lies” is Satan, and he is continually accusing us before God, and he even accuses God before us. Can you identify any lie(s) he has wanted you to believe about God?

Note that the people “wailed upon their beds.” They were grieved and heartsick; they were broken in heart! But they didn’t cry out to God. To cry out to God requires humility, an acknowledgment that one who is needy is coming to The Answer. It is our natural born arrogance that keeps us from telling the truth about, or crying out to, God.

God knows that the eternal end of man is separation from Himself in hell except for the Way that He made Himself. Please also read Hosea 5:15. When you understand the loving heart of God better, these verses become a cry of warning! He is not angry because He’s not getting the attention He wants. He is God who shouts out across the span of all time with His agonizing, victorious cry, “It is finished!” He calls all men, “Come to Me! Come to Me and escape your certain future of destruction! Turn to Me; I will heal you!” Yet He will not force anyone to come.

1 Timothy 2:15 says, “Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” The words “will be saved” in the Greek is sozo, pronounced “sode’-zo” meaning to save, deliver or protect: heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.”

How can God use your motherhood experience to protect, deliver, and heal you?

Please read Isaiah 48:18 and make note of the benefits of a mother’s obedience to God’s heart to bring up their children to know Him. (Keep in mind that waves are caused by wind, a picture of the Holy Spirit.)

There are promises from the Lord for those who build the walls of their house on the foundation of God’s Word. Please read Isaiah 54:11-14. What does He promise?

Please copy verse 13 here:

Remember that the Lord goes before you (Deuteronomy 31:6)! Wherever you go, He has already been there. He has won the essential battle, but the wage for territory still remains our training ground. This battle is for an area in our soul (life), delivered from the enemy’s purpose to the purpose of our King! We now fight from a position of rest, trust, in His victory.

If you find that you are afraid, decide where to place your trust, and by an act of will, tell Jesus you are giving Him your faith. Copy Psalm 56:3 to take courage!

For further encouragement, the Lord has given us Isaiah 51:12. It gives us His perspective on the matter. Please look it up and pray it in!

You have many promises from God; some you will find in this study, all you will find in God’s Word. Isaiah 49:15, 16 tells you that you are always on God’s mind.

Please write it here:

Not only will the Lord go before you and never forget you, but He also promises you that He will fight for you! Isaiah 49:25, “For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.” He has issues with anyone who comes against you when you are His child, and your children have the attention of His heart! If you will walk in obedience with Him, He will meet you at that first step with all the power of heaven to see that you are able to do what He calls you to do. And He will use you to draw your children to Himself!

If you are encouraged, thank God! If you are heartsick, pray! Repentance must start with one who will humble herself before God and agree with Him. You will find healing there at the foot of the cross.

Please write James 4:10. (You don’t need to lift yourself up. God will!)

“Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth,” Hosea 6:1-3.

Please come with me to bring it all before the Lord:

Dear Father, Thank You that You intend healing for Your children, though it means that we be offended first. Your Word goes deep into the heart where everything is visible to You. Nothing is hidden from Your sight. Please cleanse me from my fear. Help me to care about my children, and their eternity. Give me strength to take a stand upon Your Word. Oh, Lord, I trust that You meet Your servants where we are needy, where we choose to trust You. Right here is that place for me. I surrender it to You and wait for Your deliverance. In Jesus’ saving name I pray, A-men.

Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life

2011-12-14T00:20:00.016-06:00

Close to the beginning of this year I wondered how to trust and love again after the shocking revelation that my now ex-husband had not only been having an affair, but had been living with her in another city, as well as admitting to drug use over the span of the last 2 1/2 years of our lives together. I posted, "God is the ONLY reason that I have the strength that I do. That I can look forward to my future. That I can look forward to loving again when the right person comes along." God's strength and His grace is sufficient for all times, all situations.

Well, the right person came along a heck of a lot sooner than expected. He is, and always has been, my very favorite ex-boyfriend and we dated back in 92-93. The only one I've dated that never had anything wrong with him in some way. It was my misguided youth that pushed him away. That turned my back and walked away. I thought he was "too good" for me. And I was terrified he would never leave the family farm up in Iowa. While I AM a country girl, I'm not exactly farmer's wife material.

We reconnected this year, shortly after I announced my divorce. Actually, we'd reconnected in January of last year, renewing our friendship and discovering a mutual love of many surprising things, but he made the first step to call this year after hearing about the divorce.

Things were different this time. Faster, stronger, better... I asked my mom if she was surprised at the speed of how things were going. She said, "not really". When I asked why, she said that it was because the love that we'd always had for each other had never really died. And she's right. He told me that he's never stopped loving me...in 19 years. He says that if he'd have been a little more bold, a little more brave, he would have asked me to marry him back then.

It wouldn't have lasted because back then. I know this and so does he. I was incapable of being able to TRULY appreciate the goodness, the tender heart and genuine sweet spirit of him, like I am able to now, after all I've been though in the past 15 or so years.

He's always been, "My Dave"...whenever I would speak of him. "My Dave". I've never thought of him as anything else but "mine".

I have to laugh at that a little because I'd asked him back in October how how I'd gotten so lucky to have his love not once but twice in a lifetime. "You're my Nicole"...that was his answer. Sweet, simple, to the point...and beautiful. It brought me to tears. It's really quite possibly the BEST response to a question I've had in pretty much ever. To have his love is...amazing...HE is amazing! ♥

So, I wrote this for him and every word rings true...

“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me.

I love you for the part of me that you bring out; I love you for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help dimly seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find.

I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life, not a tavern but a temple; out of the works of my every day, not a reproach but a song.

I love you because you have done more than any creed could have done to make me good and more than any fate could have done to make me happy.

You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign. You have done it by being yourself...”
~ Roy Croft

And that simply is the most wonderful man that I know.

I am the woman who has been blessed to have known incomparable love twice in a lifetime...by the same man. I am the woman who always dreamed of having a fairy tale love, who melts at the words from her favorite movie (The Princess Bride), “This is true love, you think this happens every day?” and who has always hoped to find a love like that in real life...a Storybook Love. I am the woman who has been through the extreme pain of disappointments, letdowns and tears in other relationships, not sure if I would ever find someone who loved me for ME. Who would love ONLY me. For whom I, by myself, would be enough.

I am the woman who put up walls, not to keep everyone out, but to see who cared enough to try and break them down. I am the woman who found the one man in the world who didn’t even have to try to break them down, because with him, there are not and have never been any walls, no barriers, no trying to see if he is worthy of my trust, because he’s always had my trust and with him, there has never been a reason for walls to exist in the first place. I am the woman who calls him my miracle. My Gift from God.

I am the woman foolish enough to have let him go 18 years ago, and the woman extremely thankful to have him back in my life 18 years later. I am the woman he never stopped loving, for whom I AM enough, more than enough, and for that, I am eternally grateful and thankful beyond words. I am the woman who has freely given him her heart. Without hesitation. Without reservation. Without strings or games. Because my heart is his. It belongs to him. And I know that it will always be safe and cherished and treasured with him, as his is with me. As he is, by me.

I couldn’t ask to be loved more completely, more honestly, more beautifully than I am by the love that he has for me. How lucky am I to be deeply, crazily, madly, head over heels in love with my best friend? I am truly blessed beyond measure and I am thankful to God every day and every night for the incredible gift of him and our love.

I can't wait for the start of our forever, for my life with him to begin...

I am the woman who loves him above all others and who is his, and his alone. ♥

Fin

And the biggest news of all...though he lives in the Kansas City area...he is moving here in less than 3 weeks for me and the kids. He is getting his own apartment...has his own apartment. He's never lived with anyone because that's just not him. Not once have we ever crossed the line, back then or now. He's worth doing this right. He asked me back in September if I believed that God had brought us back together, to which I replied, "yes, absolutely". And then he said that he wants to honor what it is that God has given us and do this right between us. I love him for that. Crazy chemistry between us? Absolutely! But we both believe that God's blessings are better and brighter if we follow what He says is right. What a man! What a miracle... What a love! And BOY! What a story!

Enjoy the pictures!

Us in 92:

(Last time we saw each other in 94)

Present day (2011)

(First time we'd seen each other in 17 years)

It's all about Irish Stew today1

2011-12-03T10:48:00.002-06:00

Hmmmmm, what to do today on this drizzly day. I know! I think I'll make my Irish stew! It's quite delicious and will be ready for the next two very chilly, rainy days here! And it's perfect for all my friends in the frigid Midwest/Northeast. If y'all are of a mind for an easy and tasty meal that will fill you up, keep you warm and make your tastebuds sing, well, here you go. Happy Saturday!

Nic's Unbelievably Tasty Irish Stew

¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces (I prefer buffalo stew meat)
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
2 cups of Guinness beer (I tend to just put in one can)
1 ½ cup of good red wine (I typically go for a Cab or Cab-Merlot blend)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon herbes de provence (basically a bunch of dried herbs pre-mixed - found in the spice aisle)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½ -inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (if someone has onion allergies onion powder can be used instead)
2 cups ½-inch pieces peeled carrots
1 ½ containers quartered fresh white mushrooms
2 cups sliced celery
Salt and Pepper (after simmering through add approx 1 ½ teaspoons of salt - I use sea salt b/c it's helathier for blood pressure issues than regular salt)

1. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, herbes de provence, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

2. While the meat and stock are simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes.

3. Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender (minimum 1 hour). Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat.

Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving. Transfer stew to serving bowl (or individual bread bowls) and serve.

Hint: To thicken a little add some plain instant potato flakes or you can bake and mash some fresh and add to the stew.

Hint: A sourdough bread bowl is the perfect container to serve this delicious stew in!

Walking Down Those Streets Made of Gold

2011-11-18T14:09:00.005-06:00

♪♪Showing off her brand spanking new wings and her barbed wire halo♪♪

Amberlyn and I first met at an Aaron Watson concert at John T. Floore's in Helotes, TX...just outside of San Antionio. We'd been online friends for a while, but that was the first time we'd met in person. It was around the end of November, beginning of December a few years ago. From that moment on a fast friendship was forged.

In the Spring of the next year I invited her to go on a tubing trip with my group of friends and she was so worried about if everyone would like her or think her the “strange girl” for having a feeding tube in her stomach that showed in her two piece. She needn’t have worried. She was an angel then as she is now. Everyone loved her and she quickly became a central part of our group of friends. We rallied around her and worked at benefits for her and donated time and money to her charity, Amber’s Angels.

It was so very hard in the fall of 2009 when she was put into a coma and the prognosis was grim for her receiving a pair of lungs due to her condition, even though she was at the top of the national transplant list. It was a razor’s edge that she balanced on, separating the viable from the unviable. Miraculously, no less or more than 24 hours before she would have been taken off the transplant list, and deemed no longer a candidate, the call came in. Amberlyn had a set of lungs.

Sometimes God’s answer is “yes”.

We rejoiced with her. We prayed for her. We loved her. We supported and encouraged her. Amberlyn had a new lease on life. There were several things that she would no longer be able to do, such as go out to the rodeo to listen to her favorite musicians. Horses apparently carry something that can be fatal to lung transplant patients. She could no longer go to concerts where anyone smoked indoors, such as in San Antonio, where there isn’t an indoor smoking ban. But she was happy to be alive and determined to make the best of it. She did so much for her little angels in the hospitals. She made sure to get the awareness about Cystic Fibrosis out there.

She was a champion and a fighter.

I remember the last time we were out together, at Salt Lick for BBQ and then out to dance after. She was laughing, full of life and joy and the world was open to her. This was in July. In August she started having problems again with her lungs and was in and out of the hospitals from then on out.

A couple of months ago we had a conversation about how she wanted to go to Floore’s again to see Aaron on November 26. A group of us were going to go and she was excited about the possibility of going...if her lungs would cooperate. It was going to be a fun time and a good remembrance of how our friendship started out. And she was really looking forward to meeting someone very special to me who was going to be there.

Sometimes God’s answer is “no”.

Amberlyn left us this morning at 8 AM. My heart is broken. She was more like a little sister to me than just a friend. But she is free to fly and soar now as she never was able to here on earth.

November 26 is going to be very hard for me. We are still going to the concert. The person she wanted to meet will still be there. I will have Amberlyn there with me in my heart and will be wishing that she were able to be there as we had planned and hoped she would be able to be. I’ve asked Aaron to play a song for her at the concert. It will be a bittersweet memory to be made this year. I’m not sure how we women, who were very close to her, will handle a couple of songs that Aaron sings that will undoubtedly remind us of Amberlyn and have us wish more than ever that she were with us. I must remember to bring tissues along. It's not going to be a pretty sight, I'm sure.

Amberlyn fought long and hard...now she is at rest. She is loved and missed terribly already and it will be a day of rejoicing and celebration when we meet again, for we know...death is not the end.

Godspeed, my lovely friend...until the next time we meet. I love you, my dear friend.

"Fly"

Fly, fly little wing
Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love
Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again

Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful for this
Cross over to the other shore
There is peace forevermore
But hold this mem'ry bittersweet
Until we meet

Fly, fly do not fear
Don't waste a breath, don't shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don't wait for me
Above the universe you'll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won't forget

Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away, the time is right
Go now, find the light

~ Celine Dion

Hearts Are Breaking Across Texas Tonight

2011-11-17T14:44:00.007-06:00

My very dear friend, Amberlyn Fett, has been facing an uphill battle, but we know Who holds the future. She is my beautiful friend, young and old at the age of 22. Full of life, but also has gone through so much in her short life. You see, Amberlyn has Cystic Fibrosis and saw far too many others with the same disease lose their battle with it at far younger ages. She is the recipient of a double lung transfer two years ago. Things were going great for her. New lease on life and all that.

Three months ago her lungs started showing signs of rejection. Just little spots here and there of infection. Intensive antibiotic therapy and meds and all sorts of stuff couldn’t take it away. But at least it didn’t get worse...then. Spending most of her time in the hospital the last three months was not where she wanted to be.

Last Thursday they let her out of the hospital and she was able to come home. Things were looking up, but then on Sunday she was rushed back into the hospital and put in ICU...unconscious. Her new, precious lungs had had enough and full rejection set in. Sadly she is not a candidate for another transplant due to the infection in her lungs that come from nowhere and didn’t respond to the meds and antibiotic therapies that they put her through.

They were going to take her off the ventilator this morning. We’ve not heard any word since then. A large group of us stopped and prayed wherever we were at 9 this morning for her, for her family and for her doctors. Patience is not my virtue. The waiting and not knowing is the hardest part. We're not sure if no news is good news and God has blessed her with a miracle or if no news means that our worst fears have come true and that they're just trying to cope with everything right now. I’ve been battling tears off and on this gorgeous day.

What really hurts is that she was hoping to go to the same concert I am going to next week Saturday. The concert of a mutual friend, same place where we met a few years ago and our friendship was born. Now, knowing that, unless God bestows a miracle to her, she will never have that chance again, it breaks my heart and each time I think about it, I start to tear up.

She has been such a fighter. So strong. So giving to the kids in her charity, Amber’s Angels.

We KNOW that God’s will is always done. We’ve been praying for a miracle for Amberlyn. We’ve also been praying that whatever God’s answer is for our prayers, that we are given the grace and the wisdom to accept the answer if it is “no” or “not yet”. Being only human we can’t help but be selfish and want her to stay with us, but the knowledge that the opposite means that she is finally at peace, out of pain, with no more struggles to breathe and in the full Glory of God helps to temper that pain that we feel and the possibility of her loss. The knowledge that death is not the end and we WILL see her again also gives a measure of comfort and peace. But we still can’t help but plead for that miracle.

You can learn more about what she’s been through by watching this video on her benefit site, My Breath of Life.

With all that is going on, it really brings home how fragile and fleeting life is. How we should never take the time we have with others for granted and how we should let those that we love know how much they matter to us. You never know when the last kiss, the last hug, the last "I love you" or the last laugh together will be. Never let the last words you say to someone you love be in anger. Those may be the last words you ever get to say to them. Always let those who are in your heart know that you love them. The most regrettable words are those that are left unspoken and never get a chance to be said.

Thinking about everything she is going through right now and what she has gone through, I got an idea for a song and in about 5 minutes, I had the lyrics to this song, not just for my Amberlyn, but for all of us who are going through the toughest times of their lives. Maybe some day I'll have the music to go with it...but in the meantime, here is Amberlyn's song from me to her and you.

We're praying for you, sweet girl, and we love you!

Hold Me Together

When the road of life
Becomes too much to bear
And I can’t seem to take my next step
When doubts come crashing down
And despair is all around
How I long to know You’re there
So even when I can’t feel You
When the only thing left to do is crumble

Chorus:

Lift me up
Hold me together
Wipe my tears away
Cradle me in Your embrace
Cause I don’t know how to go down this road
I face
So fill me with Your strength
Fill me with Your peace
Be with me always
Hold on to my hand
Abba
Father
Daddy
I’m Your child
Please hold me together

When all round me there is fear
And all I can feel is scared
When the pain is crushing me
When the future is unclear
And I don’t know here to turn
That’s when I need You to help me see

Lift me up
Hold me together
Wipe my tears away
Cradle me in Your embrace
Cause I don’t know how to go down this road
I face
So fill me with Your strength
Fill me with Your peace
Be with me always
Hold on to my hand
Abba
Father
Daddy
I’m Your child
Please hold me together

Though these changes in life are not what I had planned
I can know You are there
And I hold out my hand
To steady myself
In Your gentle embrace
To trust You once more
With the test of all I face

Lift me up
Hold me together
Wipe my tears away
Cradle me in Your embrace
Cause I don’t know how to go down this road
I face
So fill me with Your strength
Fill me with Your peace
Be with me always
Hold on to my hand
Abba
Father
Daddy
I’m Your child
Please hold me together

Just hold me together

WFW for October 26: Unless you have the faith of a child...

2011-10-26T06:54:00.007-05:00

Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Mark 10:15 "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

There are several passages in the Bible where it is mentioned that Heaven belongs to those who are like children. What does that mean? Does that mean we are to behave like children? Children often are extremely selfish, "MINE!", or throw temper tantrums when we tell them, "No!". Obviously those are not Godly qualities, or qualities at all, that we are to mirror.

So what then is God saying? Children have the greatest ability to completely trust and have unwavering faith and belief in something. Have you ever seen the face of a child on Christmas morning, convinced that Santa has been there the night before? Nothing you could say at that point could ever get them to believe otherwise. Have you ever seen a child pray with all their heart and put everything they have into that prayer? Eyes squinched up, hands folded tightly and the fervent requests that they send to God with the full and utmost belief that God is going to answer their prayer?

Ah, now you have an idea of what it means to be "like a little child". Unwavering belief and faith that the impossible is real, that God answers prayers, the uncompromising love that they have for their mommy and daddy and all things wonderful in their eyes.

If we can’t fully believe that God is going to do what He says He will, if we don’t have faith that He is really, truly real and that we are saved, by Grace, through Faith, then we are as lost as one who has let go of the innocence of their youth. When we lose the purity of our hearts to worldly pursuits and see things through the world's eyes instead of God's eyes, we no longer have the faith of a child. Faith the size of the mustard seed can move mountains. Do you know the size of a mustard seed? It’s about ●<= that big...if even that big. Yet, how many of us truly have even that tiny amount of true faith?

Children are marvelous and miraculous in their faith. My mom still tells the story of when I was about 5 and we were driving home in a horrible rainstorm. It was raining so hard that you couldn’t really hear each other speak for the din of the rain pounding the small car and forget even trying to see more than 10 feet in front of you. To top it off, it was rush hour traffic on a very busy major thoroughfare. My mom says that I suddenly closed my eyes and (yell) prayed (to be heard over the noise, I guess), "Dear God, please make the rain stop. In Jesus' Name, Amen". No sooner had I said "Amen", then the rain immediately stopped. Not a single drop more fell from the sky and we made it home safely.

Oh, to have that pure faith again! To trust absolutely that God will take care of us, no matter how big or how small. That’s why I have prayed over and for my two precious children since before they were even born, that they would accept Christ at an early age and stay firmly on that path that He has set before them. My daughter accepted Christ just 3 days shy of her 5th birthday. My son, 23 months, is not old enough to truly understand, but sometimes when we go outside, he will point up to the sky and say, "God".

Unless we believe in God like and have the faith of a child, we can never enter into Heaven because then we rely on outside forces, people, actions, etc. to get us there instead of the one thing that can actually get us there. The one thing that seems improbable and impossible, but is very real and did happen...Christ’s death on the cross for the sins of the world. Your sins. My sins. All sins past, present and future. Unless we absolutely and completely believe and have faith that His death and resurrection alone is enough for the payment of our sins, then we are lost indeed.

The faith of a child is a beautiful...and necessary thing for everyone to have. Even grown ups.

For other Word Filled Wednesdays please visit the Internet Café Devotions or drop by “The WFW portion of the Internet Cafe” to find out more about how to participate in Word Filled Wednesdays.

Where I'm From

2011-08-07T12:49:00.003-05:00

I found this from another blog that I frequent and found it to be wonderful and I was so intrigued that I had to do one of my own. Wendell Berry said, "If you don't know where you're from, you'll have a hard time saying where you're going."

If you do this too, or have done this, please let me know so I can see where YOU'RE from!

For the rules on how to do this, please visit HERE. It LOOKS easy, but when you get down to it, it's pretty in depth. You can see how I took the template and expanded on it.

This has been my favorite exercise to do, probably EVER. It involved so much thought and it's the amount of effort that goes into this and what you get out of it that makes it so awesome. God Bless...♥♥♥

Where I'm From

I am from salt of the earth, from God ordained and inspired birth and loving family holding my hands from first step to birth of my children. I am from an unknown mother to a farmer's daughter's loving arms and I am royalty because my Father is the King.

I am from the large, muti-treed, green-grassed back yard, my host to play dates with a metal swing set and blanket laying, listening to the summer cicadas while watching the stars through the hole in the green canopy above. From wooden fences, jasmine, honeysuckle and rose-scented air surrounding a modest white brick house with those familiar yellow garage doors.

I am from the cerulean blue of the bluebonnet, the brick red of the Indian paintbrush, the arrays of oranges in the Mexican hat and the deep yellows of the black-eyed Susan, the wide expanse of robin's egg blue sky and bright, hot, lazy summer days.

I am from opening presents on Christmas Eve after reading Luke 2 and laying out in the living room at my mom's under the lights of the Christmas tree while finishing a Disney movie and from big, warm, enfolding, never-let-you-go hugs, from mom and daughter.

I am from the messy kitchens filled with the remnants of food love and cluttered rooms filled with mementos that are impossible to throw out.

From "because I said so", "I love you, twinkletoes", "remember WHOSE you are" and before bedtime Bible stories with loving prayers for my future. From "God Bless America, land that I love", "salute the flag and support the military" and "hand over your heart, hat OFF of your head during the National Anthem".

I am from Bible believing of the inerrant Word of God, knowing that God listens to every prayer, every word, every thought and hears you no matter where you are, from understanding that sometimes the answer is "no" or "not yet" and that the best things are still yet to come if we just wait and have patience, from knowing that THE KING IS COMING! and is coming back for His own soon, from hymns sung in the car, as lullaby's, as any time songs whenever we felt like it, from forgiveness after wild-child antics and "welcome home's" from a prodigal journey.

I'm from the great state of Texas and from farmland in the Upper Midwest with meal time prayers and family devotions before pot roast, carrots and mashed potatoes or chicken, corn and salads.

From the riding on the lap of my grandpa on his riding mower and smelling the sweet scent of the grass as we cut the green, green, tickly-between-my-toes acres of the yard on the family farm, the perfect Tang mixture and frozen chocolate chip cookies of a loving grandma, the hikes up Enchanted Rock with my dad, the always beside me "thereness" of a devoted mother and the jumping into the cold lake water with beloved cousins at park-side massive family reunions.

I am from the blessings that are the giggles of my children, the small arms thrown around my neck and slobbery kisses of my babies, from the smooth timber of my true love's voice and his warm, large hands holding mine, his strong arms wrapping around me and his chin resting on the top of my head as I listen to the rhythm of his heartbeat under my ear.

I am from old photo albums of faded family pictures, slides of vacations on a projector screen taken by my dad, cedar chest memories of my childhood, costume jewelry sparkles of my grandma, dusty faded powder smells of warm grandparent skin, twinkles in the eyes of those who love me and replayed scenes in my mind's eye; all of which have more worth to me than any jewel or monetary denomination, or priceless work of art.

I am from a place not of this earth, where there is no more sorrow, no more tears or hurts or disappointments, no more anger or betrayals. Where there is no death or separation of loved ones who are in Christ.

I am from streets of gold beside living water and the Tree of Life, where the light always shines and darkness is no more.

I am a name in the Book of Life and I shall live forever. Death has no victory over me.

I am from abundant, precious, selfless, pure Love.

When the vows break...

2011-06-07T10:31:00.000-05:00

So, how does one go on with being betrayed in the worst way by their spouse? Blissfully going on in life with the belief that my marriage was strong, that I’d finally found someone who was trustworthy...after all, hadn’t he proved it many times? Sure, we’d had a couple bumps in the road since he moved to Midland for work, but we were good.

Or so I thought.

Imagine my shock when I got a call from my husband the Wednesday before Easter letting me know that he’d been in the hospital the previous night because he’d broken his hand.

Imagine my total and complete surprise when I found out that the reason for the broken hand was because he’d not only been having an affair, but living with her and she finally found out he was married and broke up with him, resulting in his broken hand.

On top of that, he admitted to drug use for over two years that he was able to successfully hide from me and a growing disposition toward alcoholism.

It’s easy to hide those things when one acts no differently at home on the weekend visits. It’s easy when one’s spouse hasn’t had experience being around people on drugs and therefore has no idea what to look for and chalks it up to the stress of not having a job for a long time, injuries, having to move to find work, etc. It’s easy to lie when one has successfully lied to everyone most of their life and covered it up more than convincingly.

How could the man who had been such a great father to my daughter and our son, who had been the man I doted on and loved with all my heart, decide that he was done? Decide that he was going to be selfish and do what he wanted and just throw everything away?

There was nothing that I could say or do that would change his mind from the course of divorce. Even though I was willing to work on it. Wanted to work on it because he was my husband and I loved him. I was told that either I would file for divorce or he would because his heart wasn't in it, he had zero desire to even try to work things out. In order to keep the case here in Austin so I didn't have to travel and leave the kids here I got the papers prepared to file here.

Imagine the biggest shock of all when I found out one week later that I was pregnant! He was very unhappy about that because in the state of Texas there is no divorce when there is a pregnancy between the divorcing partners and this was thwarting HIS wants. I went to the perinatal doctor for an ultrasound and there was the teeny tiny baby and a very low heartbeat. Only 72 beats per minute. I still had hope that I would carry this baby to a safe, healthy birth, unlike the miscarriage I had on Mother’s Day the previous year.

Sadly, that was not to be. The weekend before Memorial Day Weekend I started the process of miscarrying and that Monday I did...the day before I started a new job after having been laid off for about 4 months. A couple weeks later I finally filed for divorce. At that point I’d heard next to nothing from my husband other than his problems and needs from trying to commit suicide and then wanting me to talk him down at 1:30 one morning and around 3 in the morning the next time around.

So, the question goes back to how does one deal with these compounding stresses?

Romans 8:28...For we know that ALL things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose.

It is ONLY because of God that I can get through everything that life has thrown at me. He has been my Deliverer, my Protector, my Fortress, my Strength and my Guide. He has been the one who kept me blessedly numb emotionally when all of this was hitting me, so that I could go on with my new job and continue to take care of my children. God is the ONLY reason that I have the strength that I do. That I can look forward to my future. That I can look forward to loving again when the right person comes along.

God has provided for me so far and I know He will continue to provide all of the needs that I and the kids have.

With God ALL things are possible, including a beautiful, bright future that is uncharted and lies ahead of me. Praise God for His tender mercies toward His children. Thank Him in ALL things because everything He does is for our benefit and growth and for His glory.

Hardest thing in the world to do is praise Him for the bad in your life, but you have to remember that nothing happens to you that hasn’t first been approved and ordained by God. Remember, it’s for our growth and maturity. The hard times show us if we will turn TOWARD God or turn FROM Him. It shows us and others the content of our character.

What do you want your character to say about you?

Oh, Friday, Friday...

2010-12-10T11:46:00.000-06:00

So I have one child with viral tonsillitis...because that's ALWAYS so much fun! Which child is it? My poor little man! :-( My mom was able to get him from school yesterday when they called me and he was running a 101 fever. She was able to watch him up until about 3 yesterday and thankfully she's able to watch him today as well. She took him to the doctor yesterday just in case it was ANOTHER ear infection – it would be his 10th one of the year. SIGH! Thankfully, while he has fluid in both of his ears it is not an ear infection...yet(those tubes on the 23rd can't come too soon!). Alas, he really is following in the family hereditary steps with both his ears and tonsils.

Both Em and I had major tonsil issues before we had our tonsils taken out and the tonsils seem to be tied to the ear infections. From infant through pre-teen I had literally DOZENS of ear infections and 8 sets of tubes between the ages of 18mo - 10 years. That's almost one set every year. I know that when Em and I had our tonsils taken out we both pretty much stopped having ear infections altogether. Since getting the tonsils taken out, I've had 2 ear infections since then the late 80's and Em's had zero in the last 3 years.

Nate will have his tonsils taken out between the ages of 2-4. I know that both Em's and my tonsils would swell to the point of touching and create pressure in the tubes and against the ear drums, which creates even more pain than just a normal ear infection.

As far as Nate's ears go, with the amount of fluid from the drainage in his ears due to his allergies, both the pediatrician and ENT said that he is hearing normal speech patterns in a distorted manner b/c of the fluid so if he doesn't get the fluid out of his ears, he will talk the way he hears the speech patterns and noises - in other words, he will end up sounding like how deaf people who can talk sound. IDK if you've ever heard someone who lost their hearing as a child and are now partially or totally hearing impaired, but that is most likely what he would end up talking like as a child and would have to go into speech therapy to correct.

On another note, I'm SO EXCITED because Em and I get to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader after work/school today! The Chronicles of Narnia are the first books I can remember reading to myself at age 3. They are my favorite books of all, even to this day! I re-read the entire series every year. They're magical books to me and really grew my love of the written word as a child.

Em and I have seen the last two on opening day right after picking her up from school, so we're continuing the tradition with this one!

I loved Voyage of the Dawn Treader because sooooo much happens in it and it's also the last time where Lucy and Edmund appear in Narnia until the end of The Last Battle (not counting "The Horse and His Boy" where ALL the Pevensies are there during their reign as kings and queens). The Dawn Treader is kind of epic! And it's also where Reep goes to Aslan's Country at the end of the book. I'm getting shivers just thinking about it! LOL!

I know that there are rumblings and grumblings about the "plot changes" but I've researched those plot changes and they all sound pretty minor, relatively speaking. Almost everyone who has seen this movie so far says that it's really great! I'm looking forward to it even more after reading the reviews!!! I just LOVE C.S. Lewis!

Voyage of the Dawn Treader, here we come!!!!!

In Other Words for November 30

2010-11-30T07:03:00.001-06:00

This week's quote:
"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way”.
~ C.S. Lewis
Which one are you?

Honestly, I've been both. I've struggled to be the person who says "Thy will be done". I WANT to be that person. I yearn to be able to just turn everything over to God without hesitation or reservation, without conditions or stipulations.

In reality I find myself saying, "Ok, God, but only if..." or "Thy will be done, Lord, as long as it's..." and I've clung so tightly to the problem I've been trying to hand over to God, like a kid with a piece of candy that's fallen in the dirt, but they still don't want to give it up. How pleasing is that to God? It's like I'm telling Him, "Ok, God, I'm going to let You have this...welllll, maybe not...ummmm, I know I can't handle this on my own and I need Your help, but I don't trust You to do what's best for me – or at least what I think is best for me."

I have to laugh at that! Not trusting God to give us what WE think is best for us...how arrogant and ungrateful is that? God wants nothing more than to give us THE best – HIS best, but we so often spit in His eye and turn our backs like a petulant little child, so He often gives us what we want at that moment in order to teach us a lesson.

We find out sooner or later that what we thought we wanted is the worst thing for us. It turns out to be like a child getting a bad stomach ache after eating too much candy. We wail and moan and cry out in agony, "WHY did You let this happen, God?" and then we're reminded that it's because it's what WE wanted, and suddenly what WE wanted isn't so sweet any more. Often times, God gives us what we WANT in order to see that it's nowhere near what we need.

God teaches us through our hubris and folly and selfish desires that what WE want is not always what is best for us, especially if it falls outside of the realm of God's blessings and the path that God has set before us. Stray just a little and get caught in the powerful snares, brambles and sticker patches of the not so pleasant aspects of the world. You think that you can find something else outside of God to fulfill you and that just isn't the case. It's far from the case, in fact. You usually end up hollow, empty, looking for purpose and meaning and wondering where the life is that you wanted and how you can feel successful, be successful, have everything you thought you wanted and still end up being the most unfulfilled you have ever been.

I've been on the receiving end of "All right, then, have it your way" far too often and I found out that I don't like to be there. It's never what I thought it would be, kind of a letdown really. A major letdown.

So why go looking for a "letdown" when you can have everything amazing that God wants to give to you?

All you have to do is just say "Thy will be done" to God and MEAN it! No half measures. No "ifs, ands or buts" when it comes to God. Just let go...and let God take care of it all.

Thy will be done, Lord...

I'm trying...

I still have a ways to go, but I'm working hard to get there.

THY will, Lord...NOT my will...

To view other perspectives on this In Other Words quote, please visit our hostess this week Esthermay @ The Heart of a Pastor's Wife.

There is no ME in Christmas

2010-11-30T06:26:00.000-06:00

Many, many years ago, back when I was young, single and, I admit it, a little full of myself, I remember my mom asking me to go to the grocery store to get some last minute food items on Christmas Eve, before we left to go to our church's candlelight service and before the store closed. Since the store was just a few blocks away, I said, "Sure, I'd be happy to".

When I was in the store, I saw a sign that said "Full Whole Chicken Meal: Whole roasted chicken, choice of 3 quart sides & a package of rolls - $4.99!" Wow! What a deal. Too bad, I didn't know anyone or have the need myself for that because that store had some really yummy stuff in their deli section. No, best just get that stuff mom wanted and go back to her house.

Well I stopped at the stop light and wouldn't you know it, right there on the median, next to the grocery store, was a very popular place for panhandlers. You know, the people we all tend to avoid for the most part. Standing there that late afternoon were two men in worn winter wear, grubby, unshaven, kind of standing together to keep warm against the wind. In Central Texas it doesn't often get COLD-cold, but I remember that this Christmas Eve it was nippy and the wind had a strong bite to it, as well as being quite strong and gusty. There were absolutely zero other cars around that particular afternoon. I had also been the only person in the grocery store – aside from the workers. It was just me and those panhandlers there at the light.

I can still remember the face of the man who caught my eye and he offered me a genuine, if somewhat shamed, smile. His dirty blonde hair ruffled in the breeze under a well worn knit cap. His fingers looked stiff and cold as he held a small sign against the battering of the wind.

The light turned green and I drove off, on my way to drop the requested food off at my mom's. For some reason I just couldn't get those two men off my mind. I looked at the clock at my mom's and only a few minutes had passed, a few minutes closer to when the grocery store closed and when we had to leave to go to the candlelight service. I had an ever increasing NEED to go back to the store and get them that meal. Really, cost of the meal and a couple of drinks to go with it were negligible compared to the urgency I had burning inside of me to provide a meal for those men.

I told my mom what I felt I needed to do and with her blessing to go ahead, I rushed back those few blocks to the store. The men were still there when I drove by. I hurried to the deli area and said, "I'll take one of the Chicken Meals, please". I got the meal with the sides, plus a couple of bottled cokes for them to drink.

I walked out of the store, feeling so full of warmth and happiness to be doing this – a first for sure – that I felt like I might burst from the inside out. As I drove up to that street corner, that bubble of good feelings deflated. They were no longer there. In the few minutes I was in the store, they had left. It was now 5:55.

I wanted to cry. The feeling of utter sadness and disappointment washed over me and I sat there through a green light, still the only car on the road, wondering what to do now. I had to get back to my mom's but I HAD to find those men!

So I slowly canvassed the cross roads and after a few minutes of increasing sadness from failing to find those men, I came upon a partially sheltered bus stop, just about 100 feet from the original median spot where the men had been standing. There were two men sitting there, huddled against the increased gusts of chilly wind.

I stopped right there in the middle of the street and rolled down my passenger window and asked them if they were the men that had been standing there at the median. The blonde man walked over and said, "Yes, ma'am, we were standing there". I breathed a huge sigh of relief and said, "I have been looking all over for y'all!" and handed over the bag with the food and drinks.

"Here, these are for y'all. I just really felt a need to get this for y'all...oh shoot! I'm so sorry, I forgot forks and stuff for y'all to eat with!" I started tearing up and the man smiled and said, "Well, that's ok, ma'am, we're used to not having things like that to eat with. We really thank you for thinking of us and giving this to us. Really, thank you, ma'am."

He and the smaller, brunette man attacked the chicken with gusto and then, mid bite, the smaller man looked up at me and nodded his head and offered a shy smile. I told them that I hoped that they did have a Merry Christmas and the blonde man paused and said, "Ma'am, this is the only Christmas we're getting this year, thanks to you. This is our Christmas."

I nodded and smiled and drove away before the tears spilled over and down my face. I couldn't contain them as I cried in my car back to my mom's and sat in the driveway, trying to compose myself before going inside.

Here was I, a bit spoiled for a middle class young adult, truly realizing with crystal clarity that there was MORE to life out there than what I want and what's important in MY world. Oh, I wasn't a selfish person, just one who was more secure in making sure my own needs and wants were fulfilled, and I had been brought to my proverbial knees with emotion over helping someone less fortunate than me. I felt so small and insignificant in light of the magnitude of doing for others and giving these men the only Christmas they were going to have that year.

I never saw them again at that corner, but every single Christmas they are at the forefront of my memory of the heaviness and sadness at realizing the hardship of the life of others and the fullness and joy of how it felt to think of others before myself and provide for them and I have tried to live that giving experience ever since.

That truly was the most moving Christmas experience I've ever had, all thanks to two homeless men on a median in the middle of the street on Christmas Eve.

After all, it really isn't about me, especially at Christmas time.

The birthday of a miraculous angel baby...

2010-11-19T06:08:00.000-06:00

I never imagined I would be a mother again. It was always my dream to have a house full of children and I was going to be the "perfect" mother. My life as a mother was going to be like a Disney movie! Everyone happy, birds singing, daily activities, etc. were going to be scheduled perfectly and life was going to be just GRAND!

Oh, how vastly different life actually is!

After my beautiful Emily was born 9 years ago, I was told that the chances of me getting pregnant again would be the equivalent of lightening striking twice or winning the lottery. I was told that she was a miracle child who I shouldn't have been able to get pregnant with in the first place. So I lived for 8 years with the knowledge that she would be the only child of mine grown in and born from my body.

Imagine my surprise when, March 27 of 2009, I took a test and H-E-L-L-O-O-O-O-O pregnancy! I never could have imagined that at the age of 35 I would have gotten pregnant again. Nathaniel's pregnancy was rough as far as my health was concerned. Diagnosed with pregnancy induced hypertension and, shockingly enough, a previously undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes that I had to take insulin for during the pregnancy...not to mention there was a real chance of miscarriage those first 3 months b/c I didn't have enough progesterone to sustain the pregnancy and had to go on progesterone supplements and experienced several bouts of spotting and bleeding during those first touch and go months. But through it all, we prayed for that little, yet to be born baby. We prayed for that miracle and loved that tiny little life growing inside of me with all of our hearts.

Nate was born about 3½ weeks "early" at 8 pounds, 10 oz and 20" long at 12:11 in the morning on November 19. His birth was no less traumatic than my pregnancy.

When one is pregnant there are so many hopes and dreams and visions of the future that enters into your mind for that child. I had longed for a son and now we were going to have one. I went into labor early and after two days of labor they went ahead and put me in the hospital due to high blood pressure, he hadn't turned the direction they neeed him to yet (from front to back or back to front, I can't remember) and he wasn't descending with the contractions like he was supposed to so the option of a c-section was still on the table, which I did NOT want. Finally close to the end of the third day of labor he turned and they gave me the lovely epidural then they broke my water. Six hours later, starting my fourth day of labor, I was at 10cm and then he came fast. Thank God he did with what happened next.

My contractions had slowed to 2-3 minutes apart once he started to come down and I only pushed a total of about 15 or so times. About 3 different "sets" of pushing. After only 10 minutes of pushing he was "right there" but not out and the last contraction just wouldn't stop coming. My OB told me that with a small snip he would be here on the next push so I said ok.

Through the noise I heard something about the cord being wrapped around his neck and they couldn't get him all the way out without cutting it first. He was only out about to his chest at this time. After cutting the cord, they got him out and I looked up and he was bluisn-purple. Limp. Ragdoll-like. Not breathing. Not moving. Nothing they tried could revive him. Not chest rubs. Not oxygen. Not anything. My heart skipped a beat. Then another. It was like time had stopped and with it, my world.

And all I could think of was seeing him flop around. That horrible, ugly color of death and completely unresponsive. All I could do was mentally stutter out a half formed prayer of "Please, God, please". To have come so far and through so much with this child, it just wasn't fair to have it end this way. The room was crowded with my OB, the nurses and several people from NICU. Oscar couldn't handle it and had to go out into the anteroom of my hospital room because he couldn't bear to see Nate like that and he was only getting in the NICU team's way.

It seemed like forever, but in reality maybe only about 4-5 minutes and then I heard the precious sound of Nathaniel's weak cry which grew to a steady howl and I could breathe again. The pain and pressure in my chest lifted and the panic went away and peace came in. Such a flood of love and joy and relief as I held my son and heard his breathing. I thought of what could have happened had I opted to wait until the next set of contractions to try and get him out. How much longer he would have been without breathing. How incredibly thankful I am that my OB suggested the episiotomy that got him out in one last push - and that I completely trusted her judgment to do that.

I think it's why those first couple of weeks I couldn't put him down or be away from him for more than just a couple of minutes. I think that it made me realize just in the span of a heartbeat it could have all gone so much differently. I could have had empty arms instead of arms that were holding my second miracle child. I couldn't stop crying the afternoon the 3rd day after Nathaniel's birth as a wave of panic swept over me. Traditionally the 3rd day after death is the burial day after someone dies. Holding Nathaniel instead of standing at a tiny graveside made me realize how very blessed and lucky I was, how much God had graced me with Nate's life. How much I owe that I can't repay. I can never ever take his precious life for granted b/c I almost didn't have him to begin with.

Sadly, a few months later, I did miscarry a third child – on Mother's Day. It made me that much more appreciative and thankful for the life of my son, my little angel baby. The second life I wasn't supposed to have been able to get pregnant with. The infinitely precious life that I thank God every day for and who is a miraculous ONE YEAR OLD today!

Nathaniel, my precious and much loved child...your name was chosen by us because you ARE a gift from God. You make our lives richer and better and more blessed by being in them. My prayer for you as you grow from a toddler to adulthood is that you grow in the grace and admonition of the Lord, the one who knitted and formed you in my body; that you grow to love Him completely and follow the path He has laid out for your life and that you look to Him to help you with your problems instead of the world...for GREATER is HE that is in YOU than he that is in the world. I pray that you come to know him as your Savior at an early age and that you have the characteristics of wisdom, compassion, understanding, self-control, respect for yourself and for others, a peaceful spirit, a generous and loving heart and the strength to stand up for what is right to protect the innocent and those weaker than you and to always have a kind word and a smile for others.

Nate, you are my angel baby. Delivered from death into the loving arms of your mommy, daddy and family by a compassionate and loving God. I thank God every day for you. You were created for great and wonderful things...beautiful things...things of God.

Mommy loves you, little man. May you always feel the love we have for you and know that you are blessed as much as you are a blessing.

Happy First Birthday!

With all the love in my heart,

Mommy!

Nathaniel Lawrence Kelso
November 19, 2009
Your birth:

One Year Later:

Nathaniel Lawrence Kelso
November 19, 2010

When the blessings are stressing me out...

2010-11-15T17:56:00.001-06:00

Have you ever had one of "those" days? I mean one of THOSE days where it seems almost everything is going wrong. Where all the drivers out there are being jerks and you barely avoid multiple accidents. Where you're really feeling under the weather but know that you're not sick enough to go home, and besides there's tons of stuff to do at work. Where you're the one doing everything around the house AND dealing with sick and/or cranky kids AND dealing with not having enough money to pay the bills b/c you're operating on one paycheck for several weeks or months instead of two AND dealing with not having a few spare moments to yourself, unless it's right before bed it seems, AND dealing with feeling like you're on the verge of an emotional and/or mental breakdown b/c you're overly stressed with seeing no end in sight to the messes that keep piling up from everyone else not picking up their stuff and you just want to throw in the towel and say, "I QUIT!" (At least for the night)

I'm right there with ya. There are days I feel too stressed to feel blessed. That's my own little rendition of the cutesy little quote "Too blessed to be stressed". 'Cause I tell ya, that's so not the truth. There are days when you are too stressed to feel the blessings in your life and it's ok. You are, after all, "only human". As much as you try and be "SuperMom" and "SuperSpouse", there are days when you just feel like a super grump. It happens. More often than we'd like to admit. Especially to those moms/wives, like me, who work a full time job and then come home to another full time job.

There are times where I want to know where my "Easy Button" is!!! Chianti? Calgon? Margarita? Massage? Anything? Somebody? Hello? Hello-o-o-o-o?

In search of:

It's tough some days. Often, a lot tougher than we want it to be. As stressed as I get and some days as much as I am unable to FEEL the blessings God has graced me with, I still know they are there and I am thankful b/c I know it could be so much worse.

My family is alive and well, relatively speaking. I don't know what I would do if Emily or Nate were taken from me and I could no longer hold them and love on them. They are my life! I don't know what I would do if Oscar were not there to give me the peace and comfort I receive from just being next to him. I don't know what I would do if my mom were not there to be such a bastion of support for me. I don't know what I would do were I not sure of where I am going when I die.

All of those, except the last one, are also huge stressors for me, but as much as they can stress me, they also bless me.

For as much as Emily can stress me with her 9 going on 16 attitude lately, for as much as Nate exhibiting a pretty strong temper and independence already, for as much as Oscar doesn't pick up his stuff and leaves trash just laying there instead of throwing it away, for as much as my mom and I can disagree about something to the point we're almost yelling at each other...the blessings I receive from them far outweigh the stresses.

Emily has such a desire to help and such a tender heart and still is very much a cuddle bug. I crave her sweetness, her hugs and her desire to just spend time with me. Whether it's watching a movie, or reading or knitting, that time spent together is so precious to me.

Nate is learning so much, so quickly, and yet he gives the sweetest smiles and kisses and has such an enthusiastic desire to get a "Yayyyyy, Nate!" It makes my heart swell when he looks at me in a room full of people and practically yells out "MY ma-ma!" and crawls over to me as fast as he can and then stretches his arms up to me to be picked up and then lays his little head on my shoulder and pats me with his hands and says, "I you" (I love you).

Oscar loves me and puts up with my little quirks and stress outlets and that means so much.

My mom, well, I don't know what I would do without my mom in my life. She is my voice of reason, my anchor, the first person I tell a lot of stuff to in order to get a better perspective on what's going on. She IS among my biggest blessings b/c she is also one of my very best friends. She sees me for who I am and loves me anyway. LOL! Many is the time she has "talked me down" from the ledge.

So even though some of my biggest stressors in my life are my family, they are also my biggest blessings and I wouldn't trade them for all of the stress-free moments in the world.

Though I still would like access to an "Easy Button" for the messes in the house. Can anyone help a sister out? Anyone? Hello? Hello-o-o-o-o?

Veteran's Day 2010

2010-11-11T13:38:00.003-06:00

Thank You!

This Veteran's Day, we honor those who have so bravely served this country.

America is founded on the principle of freedom, justice, and liberty for all. Our nation's soldiers serve every day to protect our country and its ideals.

On Veteran's Day, take a sacred moment to remember the those who sacrifice their lives ev...ery moment to achieve peace and democracy. Let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free.

"America's veterans have served their country with the belief that democracy and freedom are ideals to be upheld around the world." - John Doolittle

Simply put...thank you... ♥

HAPPY NOVEMBER 2010!

2010-11-01T17:40:00.004-05:00

Well, October went out with a bang and November flew in with a "BUSY!"

I'm not a fan of trick or treating. I never really have been, though there were a couple years in my mid-20's that I got into it, but nothing really before or after that. I'm NOT a fan of being scared and I have a hard time celebrating something that I don't believe in celebrating. Emily got to trick or treat at school on Thursday, both the girls got to go to Em's school carnival on Friday and then there was the really cool church Fall Festival on Saturday – complete with bounce houses/moonwalks, games, pony rides and hay rides around the massive parking lot on a John Deere tractor!

I was relieved when Emily approached me after school on Friday and begged me to do a family movie night instead of trick or treating on Halloween and I jumped on that opportunity. So, I got a mixed bag of candy that everyone liked (not just mommy – LOL!), just in case they were going through candy withdrawals (I should have known better b/c it was barely touched) and on Sunday I made my totally yummy and easy homemade caramel dip with toffee nut topping and sliced Honeycrisp apples thin and we got in our PJ's and cuddled up on the couches to watch Beetlejuice, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Hocus Pocus and eat those apples with the dip and topping and drink hot chocolate.

The kids enjoyed Beetlejuice, laughed like crazy at Charlie Brown and Em's favorite line is now "Amok, amok, amok, amok...uhhhhh" from Hocus Pocus. Hahahaha! Several times both Patty and Em commented how much better this was than trick or treating and Em remarked at one point, "This is way better than walking around, going house to house and doing the whole, 'ding dong, trick or treat, next house...ding dong, trick or treat, next house...ding dong, trick or treat, next house...'" I've always thought that trick or treating is a lot like being a door to door salesman or Jehovah's Witness or something like that. LOL! Both of the girls said that they wanted to do the same thing next year with the family instead of trick or treating. I could definitely do that!

So, here are some pictures of my kids all dressed up for Friday and Saturday. Despite the lack of smile in the first picture (she didn't put on her wings for it), Patty liked her costume but admitted afterward that she was too cold in it, even with a sweater over it, and getting a picture of a non-blurry Nate was difficult b/c that little bugger moves EVERYWHERE! Thankfully I got lucky on a couple of them. I just need to find my regular camera instead of relying on my phone camera – which has vastly reduced reaction/capture times, even though it's an 8MP camera.

Patty as an Autumn fairy (without the wings):

Em and Nate as a UT cheerleader and Astronaut Commander Nathaniel Kelso (too cute!!!):

Nate being adorable:

Emily and Patty diving for gummy worms in plates full of whipped cream:

Nate started a new classroom today. He's with the "big kids" now (12-18 months) and is a total little social butterfly. Imagine that! LOL! Patty started off her day in the office b/c they needed updated immunization records before she could go to class and Em took her starter earrings out for the first time (which was a little traumatic b/c of the tightness of the earring back on the earring and the deep groove in the earring post) and switched them out for normal earrings. Everyone made it to where they needed to be on time though – including me! I was actually even a couple minutes early to work. PHEW!

Nate turns ONE YEAR OLD in just a short 18 days! I can't believe how fast time has gone by since he was born! Life certainly has changed with him in it! He is such a precious, rambunctious little one and he is ALL BOY! My little man is in to EVERYTHING! So different from Emily when she was a baby! Nate is all about open and close, crawl here, pull up there, scream with happiness and cry with anything that comes near his nose or medicine and he loves to hug when he's tired and gives GREAT BIG KISSES on shoulders. Four or five in a row sometimes. He'll press his little open mouth to your shirt and then go "WAH!" as he's giving the "kiss" and then lift his head up and then do it all over again. It really is the cutest thing! And he "sings" with me when I sing him to sleep.

Nate has a rather extensive vocabulary now for his age. He says:

• Hi
• Hey
• Boo
• MY ma-ma when he sees me and crawls to me to be picked up (along with ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, which I'm sure is the precursor to "mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy... ")
• MY beh-puh and crawls to her (What we call my mom instead of grandma: Beppe)
• Oops
• Da-da (Oscar got that one finally the day after his birthday – LOL!)
• "Nigh-Nigh" and "I nigh-nigh" (Night-night) and he'll point to the light when it's bed time or when he's tired and rubbing his eyes. Just the cutest thing! He KNOWS what it means. My baby is so smart!
• Nay-Nay (we THINK he's saying Nate-Nate)
• We have gotten "I wa" when he wants something and will reach for it so we figure that's "I want", especially when he is demanding about it. LOL!
• And we have gotten "I you" with a hug a couple of times so we think he's trying to say, "I love you" but it comes out as "I you".

My two precious miracle babies!

I was never supposed to be able to get pregnant with either one, so they're just such immense and amazing blessings, words can't even describe!

So, we're looking forward to heading to Midland for Thanksgiving! I love my in-laws! I've said it before and I'll say it again, they are just the best in-laws to have! Oscar's dad and step-mom and mom and step-dad are all so great and wonderful and I am looking forward to going to see them. I wish we were able to live closer to them, but as much as I love them, I do not want to live in Midland or Odessa. LOL!

I'm so glad that October is over and November is here! It's getting closer to the BEST part of the year where family and friends get together and there's much good food and good laughter to be had. This year, instead of buying tons of gifts for the kids that they barely even play with – seriously, ¾ of the "stuff" we got them last year that they "wanted" are just sitting there, we will be buying 3 gifts each for the girls, representing the 3 gifts of the Magi – one of my friends suggested that (Emily is getting an acoustic guitar as one of the gifts) and some learning toys for Nate and then pooling our money for a BIG family gift that we can all enjoy. I'd say a higher end karaoke machine, but Oscar would veto that so fast that I wouldn't even get the word out of my mouth. LOL! So, I'm thinking something for outside like a huge outdoor fire pit, outdoor beverage cooler and seating for around the pit that we could use year round – seeing as how we barely get a winter here. I think that would be fun! I don't know though. We'll have to discuss it.

I just think that Thanksgiving and Christmas has become so commercial. I think we will also end up volunteering, maybe at a homeless shelter or something, to teach the lesson that life is about what we do for others, not what we do for ourselves or what others do for us. Definitely also have family nights where we make ornaments for the tree and bake goodies and watch classic Christmas movies (A Christmas Story(!), It's a Wonderful Life, Frosty, Rudolph, Miracle on 34th Street, etc.), listen to Christmas music and focus on what this season of the year is REALLY about. HINT: Jesus is the REASON for the season. Just times where we grow together as a family instead of letting the stresses of the commercial aspect of this time of year get to us; talking and slowing down and enjoying being a family instead of running around in the rat maze of shopping and "BUY THIS...GET THAT...ONLY 40/30/12/5 MORE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS...SALE, SALE, SALE!!!...STUFF WILL MAKE YOU HAPPIER". Ugh! Just reading that makes my blood pressure start to go up!

Like the song "Luckenbach" says, "Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of life..."

What are the basics in your life that you need to get back to?
========================================================
P.S. Your prayers are requested as Oscar is having a procedure on his back tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Central Time to where they are going to put him under general anesthesia and give him a spinal block and then stick needles into his back to shoot radio waves toward the nerves they think are causing him the problems he's been dealing with. After 2 inconclusive MRI's and extensive doctor's visits, they think they've figured out that certain nerves have gotten "caught" in the joints between the vertebrae in his lower spine and they're getting pinched whenever he moves a certain way, causing him the pain that can literally drop him to his knees at times. They're hoping to "kill" those nerves with the radio waves and they also might be moving the nerves out from those joints with some really long needles they slide into his spinal area. They are hoping that this causes the problems with his back to be completely over and done with so that he can go back to work and go back to living a normal life without excruciating pain.

One thing is for sure, this has certainly taught us to trust in God and His provisions for our lives. Without the faith that we share, neither one of us would be able to get through this past year plus of everything we've been though without feeling hopeless and desperate and just unable to see anything positive about this. But God uses ALL things for good for those who love Him and it has only served to increase our faith in God and learn that God knows what is best for us, even when we can't see it. There is a good measure of peace in the middle of this stress and it's a peace that truly does pass all understanding.

I AM

2010-10-21T19:19:00.001-05:00

I can't remember where I found this from, just that it was important enough for me to copy and paste it into a draft that I never got around to posting. I went back and read it today and realized how important this is for everyone to read and understand.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Past, present, and future.

We each have all three. When it comes to our past, we may enjoy looking back to savor its wonderful memories (something that becomes an increasing focus as we enter life’s later years). Or, all too often, we look back and dwell on our past mistakes, pains and sufferings, disappointments, and regrets. If, in the present, we spend too much time trying to live in the past—rehearsing what we should have done differently and obsessing over what actually did happen—we will make ourselves miserable.

When it comes to our future, we may enjoy planning for it, or to looking forward to accomplishments and milestones and happy experiences. But if, in the present, we spend too much time trying to live in the future—worrying about the awful things that may be headed our way, about possible threats to our pocketbooks, livelihoods, relationships, health, or even our continued existence—we will make ourselves miserable.

We can’t control or change the past.

We can’t control or change the future.

We can learn from the past; we can plan for the future. But we can’t live in either place.

All we have is the present. Our lives move through time so that all we can inhabit is a single moment. The present. NOW.

We are not what we WERE. We are not what we WILL BE. We are who we ARE.

No one has ever said it better for me than Helen Mallicoat:

I was regretting the past and fearing the future.
Suddenly, my Lord was speaking!
“My name is I AM”...He paused...I waited...He continued.
“When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WAS.”
“When you live in the future with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WILL BE.”
“When you live in THIS moment
it is not hard. I am here.
My name is I AM.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Though not exactly the same as the wonderful words above that I found, the "I Am" caught my attention and it reminded me of one of my favorite Christian songs by Nichole Nordeman called simply "I Am".

The song takes you through this woman's life, past, present and future and all the things that she needs and asks God to be for her and He responds very simply..."I Am".

God is everything we NEED Him to be for us. Shoulder to cry on. Person to rage at. Savior. Comforter. Healer. Father. Sounding board. Advice giver. Best Friend. He is BIG enough to be ALL for us and never leave us. Even when we can't raise our heads. When we are so weak or sick or spent or discouraged or grieved. When we have secrets that we don't think we can tell anyone else. When we don't think anyone understands. He is there. He IS...as He says..."I Am".

Pencil marks on a wall
I wasn't always this tall,
You scattered some monsters from beneath my bed,
You watched my team win,
You watched my team lose,
You watched when my bicycle went down again,

CHORUS:
And when I was weak unable to speak,
still I could call You by name,
and I said “Elbow healer, Superhero,
come if You can,” and You said “I am”

Only 16, life is so mean, what kind of curfew is at ten PM
You saw my mistakes, You watched my heart break
Heard when I swore I’d never love again

CHORUS:
When I was weak, unable to speak,
still I could call You by name,
and I said “Heart-ache Healer, Secret-keeper,
be my Best Friend” and You said “I am”

You saw me wear white, by pale candlelight,
I said forever to what lies ahead
two kids and a dream, with kids that can scream
too much it might seem when it’s two AM

CHORUS:
when I am weak, unable to speak,
still I will call You by name.
“Oh Shepherd, Savior, Pasture-maker,
hold on to my hand,” and You say “I am.”

The winds of change,
And circumstance blow in and all around
us so we find a foothold that’s familiar,
And bless the moments that we feel You nearer

Life had begun, I was woven and spun,
You let the angels dance around the throne, who can say when,
But they’ll dance again, when I am free and finally headed home

CHORUS:
I will be weak, unable to speak,
still I will call You by name
“Creator, Maker, Life-sustainer,
Comforter, Healer, My Redeemer,
Lord and King, Beginning and
the End, I am, yes, I am.”

Jeremy Koffel: 3/9/86-10/18/10

2010-10-20T21:19:00.005-05:00

He was only 24 with his whole life ahead of him. If you saw him or looked at his pictures, he was always smiling, always in the middle of the crowd. He was an incredibly handsome kid. Beautiful smile. Sweet spirit. Generous heart. He loved just being out with friends and living life and enjoying it so this just...something like this hits hard.

Oscar and I got word earlier today that a very sweet young friend of ours was found dead on Monday after he hadn't showed up for work. We are in shock! I don't know. It hurts. It's perplexing. It makes me angry! It makes me sad. I just don't understand, you know?

I knew Jeremy for over 2 years, Oscar knew him for longer. They used to work together, go out together, have fun together. I met Jeremy when Oscar and I first started dating in 2008 and what struck me most was how much he loved to smile and how he always flirted with the PYT's (Pretty Young Things for those of you unacquainted with the Michael Jackson era songs) and enjoyed making others smile.

There's a couple of stories floating around out there, but we're not sure which one is true right now. What I DO know is that he had broken up with his girlfriend last week and apparently it hit him harder than anyone realized. The story floating around most is that he OD'd. Nobody had any idea he was doing drugs. He didn't talk about it, he didn't do them around anyone, the company he worked for has a very strict zero tolerance drug policy and did frequent random drug tests so, if that is the case, this is a real shock to everyone. And...if that IS the case we don't know if it was an accidental or on purpose OD.

Another story is that there was a GSW to the head, which would be a deliberate act and prone to almost 100% probability that it was not an accident.

Both are from sources within the company. It was co-workers who found his body. The last time anyone saw him, that we're aware of, was on Friday on the job, driving away to deliver some pipes.

I know in 2008 I was around a couple of times when he had had a little too much to drink and would literally cry into my shoulder for no more than a minute or two while I held him. I was one of those people he apparently felt comfortable enough around to let his guard down. I do know that he had some real demons in his past life that were chasing him, but he didn't like to talk about them and that was ok. Or so we/I thought.

We never, ever in a million years dreamed that something like this would happen. He'd broken up with other girls in the past and moved on.

I just can't get the chorus to the song out of my head that Blaine Larsen did a few years ago:

How do you get that lonely, how do you hurt that bad
To make you make the call, that havin' no life at all
Is better than the life that you had
How do you feel so empty, you want to let it all go
How do you get that lonely... and nobody know

How does a young man, a young woman, a teen...a child...an adult...get so lonely, feel so isolated and hopeless and helpless that they don't think there is anything left for them? Think nobody cares what happens to them? That the pain inside of them hurts just so damn bad that they're suffocating from it and can't think of any other way to stop it? How does it get that bad and nobody notice?

I have hurt that bad over one specific relationship and EVERYONE noticed. I felt like I would die from the pain and the grief, but I never wanted to actually die. It's hard for me to understand the suffering that one goes through that is so bad that they feel the only option is to just end it all. Death, unlike what some people like to believe, is NOT the end. When you die, that is the beginning of eternity. An eternity of living with your decisions. An eternity of either heaven or hell. An eternity of either no more sorrow or tears or pain, or an eternity of torment. Choose wisely what you will do today.

Oh, Jeremy, if only you knew how many people out there cared about you, liked you, loved you...would you have still done it? If you could see now, the grief that has spilled over in the wake of your decision, would that have changed your mind?

I read the comments those who love you have left on your FB wall. Dozens of them. Angry ones. Sad ones. Comments of disbelief. Comments of love. Of friendship. Of prayers and pleadings.

Jeremy...if you could see the pain your decision has caused to so many, would you have made the same one? Or would you have called and asked to come over, had a few drinks and cried it out on my shoulder like you used to?

We'll never have the chance to know now.

Days like today are exactly what the post below with the Prayer of Release are all about...

Jeremy Koffel
Sweet Friend
You Will Be Missed
RIP
3/9/86-10/18/10

WFW for October 20: I know the One in Whom I trust

2010-10-20T06:17:00.003-05:00

One of my friends posted this beautiful prayer in a forum for someone who has been not only a cherished friend but also a spiritual mentor of mine for a long time and who is currently undergoing some major health issues that could possibly be very serious.

I felt like this painting perfectly illustrates the point of the prayer that she posted of just letting go. Of reaching the end of yourself and entrusting yourself to God and to His will for your life.

It especially spoke to me in light of all of Oscar's back problems that the doctor's can't find the cause of, even after 3 MRI's, epidural steroid injections, etc. He's finally scheduled for a CAT scan on November 2 – election day. Appropriate. In the meantime he works as he is able to and we pray for God's provisions for us and are very thankful for His grace and mercies toward us.

We, as a people, worry about so much in our lives because we take on the burdens of life that we were never meant to carry. We often forget, in our busy days, that God is to be the sole sustainer of us. We are to be completely dependent on Him and often times when we get to where we completely forget that and try to do it on our own, He will put us in a place where we have no choice BUT to depend on Him for ... everything.

Prayer of Release
I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. 2 Timothy 1:12 NLT

Heavenly Father, I release to you the burdens that I have been carrying, burdens that You never intended for me to carry. I cast all my cares upon You—all my worries, all my fears. You have told me not be anxious about anything, but rather to bring everything to You in prayer with thankfulness.

Father, calm my restless spirit, quiet my anxious heart, still my troubling thoughts with the assurance that You are in control. I let go of my grip upon the things I have been hanging onto, with opened hands I come to You. I release to Your will all that I am trying to manipulate; I release to Your authority all that I am trying to control; I release to Your timing all that I have been striving to make happen.

I thank You for Your promise to sustain me, preserve me, and guard all that I have entrusted to Your keeping. Protect my heart and mind with Your peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Father, may Your will be done in my life, in Your time, and in Your way.

Scriptures:
Psalm 55:22: Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.
1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
Philippians 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Matthew 6:25-34: 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the Gentiles run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Isaiah 26:3: You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Luke 11:2: So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.

Thy will, oh Lord, NOT mine, be done...

For other Word Filled Wednesdays please visit the Internet Café Devotions or drop by “The WFW portion of the Internet Cafe” to find out more about how to participate in Word Filled Wednesdays.

Marriage Monday for October 11

2010-10-11T16:20:00.003-05:00

The unexpected reaction...

Several weeks ago Oscar and I had a discussion in which he mentioned he'd never had a Bible of his own. He had one as a child, but it was a child's Bible. He has never had an "adult" Bible. So, for his birthday this past weekend I decided that my gift to him would be the Life Application Study Bible, so I got it in the NIV version (the version we use at church and the easiest one to read without all the "thee's" and "thou's", etc. that doesn't change the context of what is being said, plus it seems like it would be easier for someone with the severe dyslexia like he has to understand). I got it in a nice, soft, Italian leather with his name imprinted on the front in gold. I figured that would be nice for him to see his name on it and know that was HIS Bible, and looking inside the Bible I knew that the Life Application part of it was really going to be key for him.

So, we all went to dinner on Friday night before Emily had to go to her dad's for the weekend and I gave it to him there at the restaurant. I was completely unprepared for his reaction though. I was a little uncertain about giving it to him b/c my ex would have scoffed at and ridiculed a gift like that. With a little apprehension I watched as he opened it and immediately said, "Oh WOW!" with such excitement that one would think he'd been given a priceless heirloom. After that, he had to compose himself and he was speechless for a good while. He was fighting back tears and when he could finally talk he looked at me and put his hand over his heart and said, "You have absolutely...no idea what this means to me. Thank you!" He was excited to be able to use it for the first time yesterday in church and is so proud of it that he has told his family about it, told our pastor about it and showed it to him and he prefaced it by saying, "My wife loves me so much, she gave me my first Bible for my birthday!" That's how much such a simple gift, in my point of view, meant to him

I will never take such a thing as having had my own Bible(s) for years for granted again when faced with the reaction of Oscar to his first "real" Bible. He has had his nose in that Bible several times since Friday just looking at things and figuring out how it works with the Life Application part and you can tell that to him it is like water to a man on the verge of dying of thirst.

I have challenged my husband to read the Bible through, cover to cover, and I promised him that I would be doing the same thing, especially since, sadly I have never done the same myself. It is my prayer that as Oscar treasures the Bible he has been given, that our already awesome marriage will continue to grow and be strengthened in the Lord as we individually grow and are strengthened in our walks with Him. I am encouraged so far that we are on the right track.

You can find the Mr. Linky to other Marriage Mondays at Come Have a Peace.

How much do you have to hate someone...?

2010-10-05T17:35:00.001-05:00

I think this is an extremely important video to watch. This is Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller fame. He is an avowed atheist, yet this one encounter with a Christian man, who was genuine in his compassion and belief, really, deeply touched him and you can tell that he is still wrestling with the experience. He asks a very pointed, very simple, very profound, very IMPORTANT question...

"How much do you have to hate someone to believe that Everlasting Life is possible and not tell them?"

Mr. Jillette was truly in the presence of the Holy Spirit, I believe, during this encounter with this man and it did not leave him unaffected. You can tell from his physical actions. And the fact that he openly shares this is an eye opener too! It's a great way for us to see how we do have an impact and what we do and what we say does matter to those who are watching us. He was deeply touched and it's just hard not to wonder, how many nights does he go over that incident and no doubt, maybe kept the Bible and just thinking and debating? It's not about instant acceptance, it's about this...planting a seed and giving it to God and letting Him do the rest...that's the impact...not us...but God.

Praying that God really will grow that seed that was planted and allow him to come to a saving knowledge in Christ...the same as for Glenn Beck who is NOT an atheist, but still believes in a different God and Jesus (at the heart of his Mormon religion) than what we do. God changing powerful people can change the world, just through the actions of one person planting that seed.

It's convicting too because it makes one stop and really think: WHY are we afraid to share what we believe? Are we more worried about offending men than we are of offending our Father? Galatians 1:10 asks those very questions: "10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

I hope you are as affected by this video as I was.

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

2010-08-02T07:25:00.003-05:00

Because, God knows I don't have any of my own right now! This weekend was miserable and nuts and hot and sticky and sweaty and just...YUCK!

We moved. In learning what I did about this move, I have realized we have too much "stuff". We have a 10x10 storage unit which is almost full. I think we filled a total of something like 30 boxes that currently are mostly parked on the patio in the back yard. We'll be moving in mostly this week. Need to clean up areas in the garage to put the boxes so they're out of the elements and away from birds and squirrels. Oscar and I are so exhausted! I think Thursday-Saturday night I got about 11-12 hours of sleep combined.

Poor Oscar had to work Saturday at 6:30 a.m. and got off around 1 and then had to work moving out of the apartment. I was up around 6 to continue packing/start moving and both Oscar and I didn't get to bed until around 2:00 the next morning. Thank God for such wonderful friends like our friends Steve, Rob, Hans, Leigh, Colleen and Shelby! They really made such a huge difference! They're the best kind of friends – the ones able to help out and help hard, even when there's really nothing in it for them. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful they all are for being willing to help.  I [we] am blessed by the gift of their friendship.

This is the time when we will be going through everything and figuring out what we need to keep and what we can do without. That's going to be mighty hard! But neither one of us wants to move that much stuff on our next (and hopefully final) move.

So, you've already read about Nate pulling himself up in the crib. EEP! It gets even better! He was following me around my mom's house Friday morning by crawling after me and focusing on my feet. Really was just sooooo cute! When I stopped he'd grab for my big toe and hold on to it. I guess the polish color caught his eye. LOL! Burnt Orange - GOOOOOO HORNS!

On top of him learning to crawl this week, he now has 6 teeth in. 4 on top and two on the bottom. And the final bit...Nate was standing just holding my fingers and took about 6 steps forward when I took a couple small steps backward while holding onto his hands. Now, when you hold onto his hands and he's standing he does NOT want to sit, he wants to try and walk.

Oh, and, at his school (I'm sure this is b/c we read to him almost every night) he has gotten to where he will surround himself with books and "read" them. He'll turn the pages, "read", go through all the pages and then put it down and reach for the next one. LOL! I believe the comment his teacher said was "ridiculously cute!" LOL! You know how most babies are with reading. They look at it, teeth it, slobber all over it and then toss it. Not Nate. LOL!

So...in one week we've gotten:

1. His 4 top teeth in
2. Him crawling everywhere now
3. Him pulling up on everything
4. Him taking his first tottering supported steps.

He's growing so big and too fast. It seems like just yesterday he was all cuddly and snuggly and now he's really becoming Mr. Independent already. Makes me alternately happy and sad.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics taken last week for your viewing enjoyment

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails – as well as sugar and spice and everything nice!

They grow up so fast!

2010-07-29T00:00:00.005-05:00

Just a real quick note before I go to bed (SO MUCH on my mind...the move - will we be completely ready on time, I think not b/c it's so hard to pack with an active baby who is dealing with separation anxiety (I can't put him in a room by himself but I can't put him down in the apartment b/c we have stuff/boxes, etc. everywhere) - and now the story below so I will most likely have to take at least part of Friday off, if not the whole day in order to be ready on Saturday...oy, I digress!) Anyway, I just had to share the following...

Soooo, I put Nate to bed earlier and then kept packing for this weekend's move and I hear noises coming from Nate after about 15 minutes so I walked in to see what His Little Highness was up to and WOWOWOWOWOW...he'd pulled himself up and was STANDING in the crib, leaning over the railing and looking out the door to see who was going to come through the door. Scared the "you-know-what" out of me because he was leaning over so far he almost fell out. He was sooooo proud of himself and I was proud of him. It is now time to lower the bed in his crib, but we have to take it partially apart to lower it b/c it is a very sturdy crib. HE'S GROWING FAR TOO FAST! This PLUS the 4 teeth this week that have come in within two days of each other... He just turned 8 months old LAST Monday! He is seriously growing too fast. He hasn't even completely started crawling yet. He's sorta got it. He needs to crawl before he walks! It's all about how the brain wires itself and kids who walk before crawling have a hard time reading.

I SOOOO have my hands full with his little active self and my wonderful 8 year old Emily who is needing more mommy time right now and the move.

Ok, maybe once the move is done, my insomnia will go away and I can sleep adequately again. SIGH!

'Night all...or, actually morning...

Miracle Monday for July 26

2010-07-26T11:45:00.000-05:00

God is good ALL the time!

I just have to write a quick note about how God has blessed us today.

We are moving essentially two households this weekend. Moving stuff out of and around in my mom's house to make room for our stuff. Yesterday two good friends contacted us out of the blue to ask if we needed help moving this weekend. At that point it was going to have been Oscar, my mom and myself moving. THEN, one of my best friends shot me a message this morning that she, her kids, her sister and a mutual friend were available to help around 1:30-2ish. Talk about a real blessing they all are!

We needed to have a moving truck from Thursday to Sunday and, wouldn't you know it? ALL the trucks are sold out for anything longer than a 6-8 hours period, unless we wanted to pay upwards of $60/day after all is said and done for a truck from a different company. Something about this being the busiest weekend of the year for moving, blah, blah, blah. I guess it has something to do with the college kids, since Austin is SUCH a college town. It was a definite Kevin Fowler "# (Pound) Sign" song kind of moment – for those of you who don't know the song, the main point of it is this:

Just in case there might be
Little ears around
I won't say it
I'll just spell it out

I feel like pound-sign, question mark
Star, exclamation point
Don't give a blank
And a whole lot of other

Choice words I can't say
Today I feel like
Pound-sign, question mark
Star, exclamation point

So I posted a little vent about it on my FB status and within 10 minutes the wife of Oscar's very first foreman emailed me to say that they had a horse trailer that we were welcome to use! BONUS! So, now we have one horse trailer and 6 trucks to move and do storage in on Saturday, plus the help of 7 other people aside from me, my mom and Oscar.

God works in mysterious ways, so we're using the money we saved in not renting a moving truck to buy BBQ and drinks for all of those who are helping us, including the friends who gave us use of the trailer

A true miracle that we needed! My friends are the absolute best ever and I am thankful every day they are in my life! ♥

God is so good
God is so good
God is so good
He's so good to me!

An Illustration of Buyer's Remorse by Meat Loaf WRT Dave Ramsey

2010-07-26T07:10:00.003-05:00

I was listening to some "classic" music last night and was enjoying Meat Loaf's first album, "Bat out of Hell". I got to the song, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and I was kind of belting it out b/c, hey, it's a classic. I got to the fun part, "STOP right there!"... and she goes into this whole spiel about

"Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?"

And she goes on and on and ON about it, almost ad nauseum, kind of like a high pressure sales pitch from a salesman who knows they have you right where they want you. So Meat Loaf, comes back with the appropriate response:

"Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
And I'll give you my answer in the morning"

At that point, Oscar blurted out in laughter, "Sounds like he's been listening to Dave Ramsey". It had me ROLLING(!) I tell you! LOL! You see, in one of Dave Ramsey's classes in FPU (#6 "Buyer Beware") he talks about the importance of waiting to buy b/c of impulse. How over 60% of people have buyer's remorse over buying something on impulse the day before so they need to sleep on the decision and take time to thing on if this is the best usage of your money, you need to window shop, compare prices, and you need to figure out if it will be worth it in the long run.

Well, poor Meat Loaf does rather well, until the pressure starts to get to him and he just can't take it anymore and succumbs to the impulse purchase and regrets it almost immediately afterward.

"I couldn't take it any longer
Lord I was crazed
And when the feeling came upon me
Like a tidal wave
I started swearing to my God and on my mother's grave
That I would love you to the end of time
I swore that I would love you to the end of time!

So now I'm praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time
It's all that I can do
Praying for the end of time, so I can end my time with you!!!"

That's kind of like the finance deal (of your life) that you can't wait to get out of! The impulse buy is the irrational rush of "I HAVE TO HAVE IT NOWWWWW!!!" and then the next couple of hours or day or week you start realizing that it was definitely NOT the deal of a lifetime, so you're just praying for it to end so you can be free of the unintended consequences of giving in to your inner child.

Meat Loaf really should have slept on it before making that "ultimate purchase" he can't get out of and is wholly miserable in. One moment of fun, pleasure and/or impulse can mess with the rest of your life. I can guarantee if he would have slept on it, he would have walked away and said, "Nah! I don't want to be stuck in a deal I can't get out of", b/c you can never see 20/20 when you're in heat of the moment and that inner child is putting its fingers in your ears and repeating the mantra, "I WANT, I WANT, I WANT...!" in order to distract you into forgetting your resolve.

"Paradise By the Dashboard Light" is the perfect illustration of buyer's remorse from an impulsive inner child. LOL!

Biblical Motherhood: Week Four/Day Two Have I Missed God’s Plan?

2010-07-20T07:24:00.000-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Have I Missed God’s Plan?

As you ask the Lord to bless this study today, consider thanking Him for being Who He is. There is no one like our God, Who becomes for us all that He requires. Come with an open heart and a ready mind, and expect to hear from Him!
*
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says the Lord, "Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope," Jeremiah 29:11.
Please allow me to define guilt using Webster's 1828 dictionary:

Guilt: "...To constitute guilt there must be a moral agent enjoying freedom of will, and capable of distinguishing between right and wrong, and a willful or intentional violation of a known law, or rule of duty. The guilt of a person exists, as soon as the crime is committed... Guilt renders a person a debtor to the law, as it binds him to pay a penalty in money or suffering. Guilt therefore implies both criminality and liableness to punishment. Guilt may proceed either from a positive act or breach of law, or from voluntary neglect of known duty."

Have you missed God's plan for your life? Have you messed things up so badly that all is lost? You know that it won't be what it would have been if you had had God's best for you, and there is no going back. You can't undo what was done to you, no matter how many times you relive it or block it out of your mind. You can't make the choice again, or you would; you would do it differently. You can't do what you should have done, or not do what you shouldn't have; it's too late and there's no going back. Life keeps going, but you struggle with having missed God's perfect will for your life. How can you live with confidence and make decisions from here with this wound that never will heal? You look at your children and you know that this is not the inheritance you want to give them. Have you passed the point of hope? Does Jesus – can He – give you hope in this mess? How does God see you? Will He hear you, and if He could heal you, would He?

Let's consider titles for these conditions of life: Plan A and Plan B.

Plan A is learning what is right and having no trouble accepting it and following through on it. It is focused on the Lord in thought, word, and deed, and being totally given over and obedient to the Lord. It looks good – because it is good. To trust in the Lord with the whole heart, believing Him to be fully the God who loves, and to love others at one's own expense, and to do it right the first time; that is Plan A.

How about Plan B? This is for those who have failed. Plan B is all about falling down and needing mercy to even look up. It is far short of good; it is helpless hopelessness. This is the way of someone who has blown it so much that they aren't even sure that God can use them again. Or if He'd even want to. Weakness, failure, and selfishness exposed, it has an awareness of such unrighteousness, yet an area of numbness that doesn't want to admit it has failed that badly. That is Plan B. It will never be Plan A. How does God see this?

Plan A carries God's heart of love. It is greatness like we have never fully seen, and He loves Plan A. But because of our lack of love, He will wait for heaven to work out His Plan A. His sights are still on it. It is still His intention, but He will wait.

In our human nature, we have a desire for continuing in Plan A by refusing to acknowledge that it has been made unreachable by our own fault. So when we attempt to achieve it, we must do so using force, anger, and manipulation. We have actually set up ourselves as the measurement of what is good in this; an attempt to be our own god. This results in a system which looks good on the outside, but is dry and empty on the inside.

To enter the failure of mankind is to enter the steadfast love and self-sacrificing nature of our Mighty God. We need to know that we have God's attention. This Plan B, the place of missing God's perfect will, is where He showed us His greatest demonstration of commitment and fervent love as He took nails in His hands, in His feet. This is where He meets us where we are with eternal words of promise to give us hope and a future. It is Plan B where He promises us great things that He will fulfill unfailingly by His power. This is where we learn by personal experience the faithfulness and the love of God! This is where our own faith in Him is made authentic. Yes, you are in Plan B. And God is fully committed to Plan B!

Yet in any ground we gain, any area of life we give to Him here in Plan B, we can have a taste of Plan A; a foretaste of heaven! We'll have the full Plan A when we get to heaven, and there we will walk in it perfectly, but we can experience something of the character and the mercy of our God now, and experience Him, incredibly, because of Plan B.

Please make note of how God feels about you, and His promises to you.

Psalm 3:3 (Is God the author of shame?)

Psalm 18:19

Psalm 18:35,36

Psalm 37:23,24

Psalm 37:37 (Remember, if you are in Christ, He has transferred His blameless and upright character to your new identity.)

Psalm 37:39,40

Right in the place where you have failed – maybe you are afraid you married the wrong man, or are in the wrong place, maybe you've gossiped and ruined a friend's trust, acted unfaithfully, had an abortion, been violated in body or soul, or have treated your children harshly – in every kind of failure you have experienced, God has gone ahead of you, and in fact, He has a plan to use that very failure.

Please turn to the book of Joshua. Chapter 6 recounts the victory at Jericho, the first city that the children of Israel defeated. The Lord gave explicit instructions they were to follow, and with their obedience, they saw the arm of God move on their behalf. The city was taken in the Lord's name, and a place was gained for them to inhabit in the Promised Land.

A city here may picture a place in your life which has been inhabited by the enemy. The people of the city are temptations and they keep the stronghold of the city from the reign of Jesus in your life. You have God's authority as a child of His to take it under His control and, as with Jericho, maybe you have experienced God's power in your life and are longing to see Him move again. Only by your obedience will you see Him work on your behalf! Without Him, you can't; without you, He won't!

Chapter 7: A nearby city was Ai, a small town, and Joshua sent spies over to it. They knew the Lord was fighting for them, and decided to let most of the men rest, sending over 2-3,000 men to easily gain ground. But what they didn't know was that one of their own men had disobeyed the Lord and had taken some of the treasures of Jericho and hidden them for himself. Because of this sin, when the army went to fight, they were chased away and ran from Ai, confused and confounded in terror.

Joshua sought the Lord: what had gone wrong? God revealed to Joshua where there was unrepented sin (v. 11-26) and what to do about it. Only after they had cleansed the nation from sin could they proceed. It needed to be confessed and forsaken!

Here we are, in chapter 8. Now the children of Israel are sent back to Ai, and God gives them the battle plan. It will only be the same as that at Jericho in that all of the warriors were to be involved. From here the strategy is a whole new plan. They are to divide in groups and set an ambush on two sides behind Ai by night. Joshua and his men were to gather in the valley in front of the city, in plain view. When the king of Ai and his men saw the Israelites in the valley, they got themselves ready quickly and ran out to meet them in battle. The Children of Israel were to run for their lives! They fled – and when the Lord nudged Joshua that it was time, he turned and held up his spear into the air. At that signal, the men hiding in ambush rose up and came from behind, lighting the city on fire and sandwiching the men of Ai and Bethel in the middle of the armies of Israel.

They fought until every enemy soldier had been killed, and then turned to the open gates of the city. Only the livestock was to be kept as booty. Please record here (either word-for-word or in your own words) what took place in the first attack from Joshua 7:4.

Now turn to Joshua 8:5. How was this second attack to go?

This tells us something incredible about our God! He is so sovereign, and so flexible and full of grace that He will actually use our failed attempts at life as part of the strategy for coming victory. How powerful the work He did on the cross, how complete and beyond our desire to hope. He not only redeems us from the pit, but sets our feet upon a rock and enables us to be established in our walk!

See Psalm 40:1-3. In what horrible pit, miry clay, have you found yourself hopelessly stuck?

What should you do?

What are God's promises to you in verse 2?

In verse 3, what are His promises to you?

Please hold your place in Psalm 40 and also find Psalm 18:31-34. From Psalm 40:2 and Psalm 18:31, what guarantees that the place God sets you on is steady?

Psalm 18:33 says that God makes our feet like a deer, able to scale the heights, to go places without fear and with confidence. Verse 36 tells us how. How does this increase your confidence in and love for Jesus?

When He makes our way 'perfect'(verse 32), it means that from this point, after we have come to Him with our failure, we can rest in confidence in Him. The consequences of our sin He will use as His servant, as our servant. The time spent He will not deem as wasted or useless. The longer I know Jesus, the more grateful I am for Him showing me such mercy.

And the longer I know Jesus, the more I don't want to find myself in a pit or in clay! He teaches us how to avoid the pitfalls of the enemy, and we become more skilled in standing on the Word of His truth as we continue in daily study with Him. But when we do find ourselves bogged down, He will always reach us in mercy. Praise His name!!

Will you come before the Lord with me?

Our Father, You are my Redeemer. You made me, and You've bought me back again. There is no one like You, Who uses even the ashes of my life so that I can walk in Your victory. You don't treat me as my sins deserve, but You use it all to serve Your purpose: to redeem that which was lost. I worship You, Lord! By Your Spirit, I believe You that You forgive me, and that You are not ashamed of me! I believe You have a plan for my life and have already worked my failure into it by Your grace. By Your Spirit, I am not ashamed, but am trusting Your sovereign power and love! In Jesus' name, A-men!

Biblical Motherhood: Week Four/Day One Mother, the Restful

2010-07-19T22:22:00.002-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Mother, the Restful

As you come to a quiet place with the Lord today, ask Him to reveal places where your unrest comes from not realizing all He is for you, and ask Him to help you to put your trust in Him right there.
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"This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls," Jeremiah 6:16
We have discovered that the only meaningful study that will last beyond this life is the study of God Himself. Learning of Him must become the meditation of Mother as she learns to teach her children to know Him. Not only do we know Who He is, but we have a relationship with Him, based on what He has done for us and our receiving of His sacrifice. There must be a personal decision involved.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name," John 1:12.

To receive Him is to have a heart of agreement toward Him, and to ask Him in by prayer; as simple as that. We want to be in the family of God and to lead our children to that relationship as well. While they are young, they will follow because they love and trust you, and when rebellion begins to crowd in, you

have the Word of God to lead you to tell them, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," Joshua 24:15.

Walking together, and sometimes with you leading the way, you will be fulfilling the heart of God for your family. If you prod from behind, "Don't do it like that! Do this! Get over there! Move it!" you are blinded to the precious value of your children to the God who formed them. He longs to help you to see that He loves you without your earning Him at all, He cherishes you just as you are, and your children, too.

When you see this great acceptance He offers you, no strings attached, you begin to see your lack of accepting others. Often we expect others to behave a certain way before we will love them, but that is not in the character of our God and King, Jesus. We begin to long for His kindness and tenderness to be within us!

This is the meaning of Isaiah 29: 23,24, "When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction." It is believing that our children are valued by God and loved by Him, and seeing our own lack of love that brings us facedown before God, crying out for His mercy upon us. There is a time to grieve and mourn over our sin.

And after we have, we must place our trust in God, that He took our eternal punishment for us, and go to His Word for hope and life. We live now by His promises.

And we teach our children! As we learn, we teach them, just as a mother bird feeds her young from her beak to theirs. Our study is of the Word of God; we speak to them of Him during our waking hours. And we speak to Him of them!

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates," Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

What is the difference between the way we live and the way of the unsaved?

Several years ago I awoke with three verses in my mind and the difference clear, as though spoken to me. I don't think I've ever had an experience quite like it before or since. But I want to share with you what the Lord showed me:

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways."
Psalm 139:1-3.

If you look at these two passages (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Psalm 139:1-3) together, you will see the same actions:

Deut. 6, " when you sit at home"
Ps. 139, "You know when I sit"

Deut.6, "and when you walk along the road"
Ps. 139, "You discern my going out"

Deut.6, "when you lie down"
Ps. 139, "and my lying down"

Deut.6, "and when you get up"
Ps. 139, "and when I rise"

These are written of God and His people. Now let's see another passage that reveals the actions of the unsaved:

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Psalm 1:1
Here we see only three actions:

"walk in the counsel"
"stand in the way"
"sit in the seat"

What is missing?

The lying down. Rest, which pictures spiritual rest: trust, surrender.

What a privilege we have in trusting God. Believing Him is rest for us, and it is exactly what the unbeliever never has.

"For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
"In returning and rest you shall be saved,
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength,"
Isaiah 30:15.

"But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked,"
Isaiah 57:20,21.

This is the result of reading the Word of God, but not trusting in the Word made flesh. It is placing emphasis on ritual and performance of virtue, but leaving off the cross, in order to have a kingdom on this earth, a reward here and now. This is why the cross is so offensive. It boldly says: "You cannot measure up to God. You have nothing, and this is your due reward." Judgment is sure for anyone who has sinned, and only those who leave their performance as filthy rags and wholly lean on Jesus find their penalty paid by Him, and thus, find rest. It is not just a first time repentance, though this is crucial since it is the point of the Holy Spirit's entrance into the human body and soul (Ephesians 1:13)! Now it is also a walk of repentance and trust, repentance and trust. And in the trust is where the life is lived in resurrected power. All the living is built on this foundation, and the walls are raised by actions now done in trust in the King, and growing love for Him.

Think of the order of things:

God told the Jews to celebrate the beginning of each month, which was marked by a new moon (Numbers 10:10, 1 Chronicles 23:31). You cannot see a new moon; it is dark, resting.

The Sabbath day is a picture of our rest in Jesus (Heb. 4:3). God rested on the seventh day (Heb.4:4), and after the resurrection of Christ, we call the day of rest Sunday, the first day of the week.

In the same way, God, who created the day, began it in the evening. Genesis 1:5, "...And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day."

We see that all of these point to a rest before work. So do we resist any work until we are completely trusting in God? No, we do what is right, and God will take care of our motives as we go. For work that will go ahead of us into heaven, it must begin with trust in the Lord. That's what He is working in us all the time. We are all in the process, and we are perfect in His sight as we trust in the Perfect One! Born again, and learning to walk. Growing up to maturity with the ability to reproduce spiritually. It's a process.

Will you join me to pray?

My Father,

You are so different from my inclinations to panic and press and make things happen. You tell Your children to rest, to trust in You, and You will see to it that our work is good. By myself I don't know how to rest and take confidence in You, so I will trust that You will work that in my life. You are so good, Father. You are trustworthy, and I worship You. I want to authentically trust in You. Thank You for telling me the truth, that not only is this the way I am saved, but the way I will live my life of faith. You will enable me! In Jesus' name, A-men.

FFT for July 9, 2010

2010-07-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

This Friday Field Trip I think has affected everyone at some point...

Ah, the Mondegreen, those delightful little lyrics that are "misheard". The term 'Mondegreen' is generally attributed to one Ms. Sylvia Wright, who is credited with coining the neologism in a 1954 Harper's column. Ms. Wright was chagrined to discover that for many years she had misunderstood the last line of the first stanza in the Scottish folk ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray," which reads:

Ye Highlands and ye Lawlands,
Oh! Where ha'e ye been:
They ha'e slain the Earl of Murray,
And they laid him on the Green.

Ms. Wright misheard this stanza as:

Ye Highlands and ye Lawlands,
Oh! Where ha'e ye been:
They ha'e slain the Earl of Murray,
And Lady Mondegreen.

From the disappearance of Sylvia Wright's tragic heroine, Lady Mondegreen, came the term for describing unconventional interpretations or understandings of oral repetition, usually in the form of song lyrics.

Perhaps the most popular Mondegreen is from Jimi Hendrix's song Purple Haze. Many heard the lyric "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" instead of "'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky"

Mr. Hendrix was himself aware that he had been Mondegreened, and would occasionally, in performance, actually kiss a guy after saying that line.

Two great sites for you to visit to see if YOU have the correct lyrics of one of your favorite songs over the past years are:

Am I Right?
and
Kiss This Guy

After all, while a "Fire Engine Guy" might be a heck of a lot more fun than a "Fire In The Sky", nobody wants to be laughed at for the (sometimes REALLY) incorrect words. LOL!

I admit, I did have one back in the 90's. It was U2's "With or Without You". While the lyrics actually were:
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I'll wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you

What I heard was:

See the storm set in your thighs,
See the phone twist and your sigh
I wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate,
On a bed of meals she makes me wait
And I wait without you

Yeah, so glad I never sang those lyrics in front of anyone! LOL!

Friday Fill-Ins for July 9

2010-07-09T07:16:00.002-05:00

And...here we go! The Friday Fill Ins, courtesy of the wonderful Janet!

1. Layers of tulle.

2. Spiritual insight.

3. I'd be willing to bet money that Obama's trying to create martial law through all of these "crises" (after all Rahm Emmanuel said "never let a crisis go to waste") by reating panic in the American citizens (just look for the magic word "evacuate") in order to suspend the November elections. After all, he's acting as if they don't even matter.

4. Scolding scares the dog.

5. I'm fond of cherry pie!

6. I think I worry about money and the bills too much! Bur really, if I didn't, then who would?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting my new Skechers Shape Ups - non-skid shoe with some of the money my in-laws gave me for my birthday (THANK YOU!), tomorrow my plans include probably manning a garage sale with my mom - UGH! and Sunday, I want to GO SEE "DESPICABLE ME"(!) with my GJ - that is if we don't have to drive 1/2 way to Midland to get Emily. SIGH!!

Truthful Tuesday for July 6, 2010

2010-07-06T06:51:00.012-05:00

So it's been a while since I've done one of these, but I really have something on my mind.

How does one deal with someone who inexplicably treats them like they're a non-entity? Especially when this person is selective as far as who they "deign" to treat like gold – in front of those they have chosen to give the brush off to?

To me it reeks of manipulation and I do not tolerate that kind of treatment! For me and my daughter to be treated like we're nuisances to someone and can't even be bothered with, but yet Nate and Oscar and others in the same group are treated like they're on pedestals and fawned over...tsk, tsk, tsk.

I do understand that this person is going through a rough time. But, let me caveat this: I. Don't. Care. what goes on in a person's life, there are no excuses to be made for that kind of hurtful, awful attitude towards others. I can sympathize and I feel for them, but for them to select WHO they are going to treat with courtesy and decency in a small gathering and do so in front of those they choose to pretty much give a cold shoulder to is very rude. And then to try and circumvent rules and behavioral guidelines that have been placed in OUR household and to do so in front of me with pointed intention... Oh, no ma'am! For shame!

I have always been taught that you CHOOSE your attitude. You don't let it choose you and for heaven's sake you DON'T play selective favorites and shun others in the same group. It's common courtesy and just plain within the bounds of decency.

IDK why this has upset me so, other than it's egregious and horribly manipulative behavior to not only me but my daughter as well who is the sweetest, most tender hearted child you will ever meet who has a real heart for God and feels things very deeply, though she will hold them in if she's hurt. I love the person who is acting this way and they'll be in my prayers for an attitude adjustment, but if it happens again, I cannot keep my mouth shut about it, but I need to know how to do it the right way!

Either tell me the problem you have with me and my daughter (or are you treating my daughter that way as an extension of the unknown or imaginary "issue" you have with me) or put your big kid britches on and get over it! No excuses!

This hasn't happened to just me either, but also from time to time to someone else that I hold very near and dear to my heart. It's just plain WRONG! It's no better than a slap in the face and there's no reason behind it, but then people make excuses for the behavior, which allows it to continue, and I don't understand WHY! I abhor manipulation in any form so even though I love this person, it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth and I don't want to have that in any form toward this person, which is why this is so difficult for me to feel this way about them!

So, my lovely, Godly blogfriends. I'd like to know how you would handle it b/c the next time it happens I'm afraid my words might not be seasoned with much Grace. I don't want to cause a rift, but I am not going to allow myself and especially my daughter to continue to be treated this way!

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I have to say that I love going to see Oscar's family in Midland. I'm just very, very sorry we didn't get to see his dad and step-mom this time b/c they are just such wonderful people who are so full of life and laughter!

We had a blast up there for the 4th and my birthday though at his mom and step-dad's. I do not feel 37 at all! I love the peaceful feel there. His mom always has such huge enveloping hugs that make you feel warm and fuzzy and his step-dad is just the sweetest, most unassuming guy there is and seems genuinely surprised when he's thanked for something or told that something he's done is appreciated.

I love being a part of their family and I love that they are part of mine! Just being with them is a blessing and a gift enough.

Emily is up there this week to do golf camp and swimming. First time other than with my mom or her dad that she will have been away from me for such a "long" time. I hope she really enjoys it. I think she would do great if she gives it a chance. I'm not a fan of golf, but, hey, I'm great at driving the cart and doing QA for the drinks. LOL!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July! I'm looking forward to hearing your advice on the above matter. I really could use it.

Where'd the study go?

2010-06-30T17:50:00.001-05:00

Hey, everyone! My apologies for falling behind on the Biblical Motherhood Study. My brand new hard drive crashed again and turns out that the NEW hard drive I bought was a bad one. Seriously?! What are the odds of that happening?

But, I can totally tell the difference this time between the new (bad) hard drive and the new (good) hard drive. Not all the files would load on the bad hard drive, even with the disk – in fact, quite a few of the important drives/files wouldn't load, only I didn't know that. I just knew that the back ground, start/programs area, everything looked different.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have your information backed up! (CARBONITE!) I almost lost all of my pictures of Emily from birth. I DID lose a whole lot of documents, well they're not lost but it will cost several hundred to get those and the current pics of Em and most of the pics of Nate off of the original hard drive – that went KAPUT after only 2 years. Thankfully I did have several pics of Nate and Em on either Facebook or MySpace (really happy now I never cancelled my MySpace account last year!) that I was able to copy over and I do have the pics of Em since literally birth saved on a flash drive that I'd forgotten I'd had them saved on there. So, got my new hard drive up and running Monday night and trying to re-load everything is a real pain in the patootie – plus Nate and I have been sick. The molds are beyond off the charts here in Austin and both of us have been running fevers and feeling miserable in general and now I have a sinus infection and the start of an upper respiratory infection.

Nate got his two bottom teeth in last weekend and the top two are going to pop through any day! He's a relatively happy baby, but this has him down in the dumps a bit. Still happy, but more quiet and observational instead of participatory and he's actually fussy on occasion instead of never being fussy. My poor baby!

We got Emily back early on Monday night b/c apparently her dad's baby mama had their baby a month early and with complications, etc. she's recovering and the baby had to go back in the hospital and it was just "too much" for Em's dad to handle. This is the 3rd child they have together since he got her pregnant while we were still married. His 5th child altogether out of 3 different mothers. Someone needs to be fixed. Just sayin'.

I'm beyond thrilled to get my baby girl back early! She is the light of my life and the joy in my heart. When she was a baby I felt a bit removed from her b/c her dad was all, "MY baby!" and really didn't leave much of the parenting for me and when I tried he would start to push me out of the way so I never really got that mommy/baby bond with her even though I craved it. I can remember him telling me how he couldn't wait to have another baby with me so that way he could teach Emily and the new baby to gang up on me with him and show me how much they hated me just like he did. He said this within earshot of my mom.

Why did I put up with that unbelievably spectacular brand of BS for sooooo long?

Emily and I are closer than probably most moms and daughters are these days. When I kicked her dad out and finally divorced him I got to know my amazing and wonderful daughter the way I always wanted to. She is kind, compassionate, generous, sweet, honest, Godly on top of having a real heart for God, respectful, a real helper, loyal to a fault, creative, fun, witty and super intelligent. She's so many other things that it would take several paragraphs to put it into words. She is the child I always dreamed of. Even when I felt like she and I were estranged as she was a baby b/c of her father's actions and attitude, I prayed for her and over her. God answered my prayers in spades.

And now I have a new baby to love from the beginning, just like I always wished to have with Emily. They both are my little miracles and my total answers to prayer. How blessed God has made me with both of my babies!

Oh, and Em was gone for almost a month and she grew from just above my chin to the top of my mouth – she's only 8 and I'm 5'7". WOW!

Anyway, back on subject. We have our 4th FPU tonight and this is the biggie about dumping debt so chances are I won't be able to do today's Biblical Motherhood study either AND we're having to get ready to move in July AND we'll be out of town this weekend – hence packing for the trip, I'm going to postpone this week's Biblical Motherhood Study until probably next week. Since we'll be headed back on Monday, which is my birthday (can you believe I'll be 37?!), I probably won't post until Tuesday.

I might post one more time before we go but if I don't, HAPPY 4th of JULY everyone!

Biblical Motherhood: Week Three/Day Five Links of Approval

2010-06-25T17:31:00.000-05:00

Links of Approval

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Please pray today and thank God that He wants to give you His view of you! Ask Him to help you to receive it!
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"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise, " 2 Corinthians 10:12.
As you read this verse, do you wonder how can we not compare ourselves to others? Isn't that how we are urged on to do our best? We know that competition in business helps to keep prices down, and in sports team competes against team to find who are the most skilled players. What about grades in school? What could this verse mean? What could God be after?

First, we must know that the way of the whole world is to compare people to people, and it is a powerful motivator. Dependence on others' thoughts of our character and the opportunities we might gain through them can move us to do great things. The world will always compare people, and because of our old nature we will feel pressure to do the same. In fact, it is the only measurement there is outside of God.

But in Christ, is there an authentic measurement?

In the world of competition where one goes against another, the goal is to see who performs the best. Value is placed on the actions one is able to do. This is essential when, say, a person is applying for work. An employer must be able to determine whom to hire, and he must look at each person's achievements to make a judgment between them. He should choose whomever is most suited to the work.

Often a Christian should look at the gifting he has and others have been given by God to find where the Lord has designed him to be. The above verse is not speaking of this kind of comparison. This is discernment. We need this!

What God is speaking of in 2 Corinthians 10:12 is something harmful to us. It increases our fear of what others think of us and takes our eyes off of the Lord. This kind of comparison pits us against each other in an attempt to put ourselves first, or at least to do as well as others. It is a counterfeit that can only work fear in us, and not love. To gain God's view of this issue, we need His Word! Because we are studying God's design for us as students, we will liken this to the approval we attempt to achieve through our studies, but it also applies to any situation in life where there is comparison, which is used to control us. It is a good illustration of a place in our life where we often have an altar built to worship something other than God but, as is with most altars, it is not easily recognizable.

We all need correction. For example, it is good to find where we have worked math problems incorrectly and must go back to find the right answer. That is how authentic learning takes place. It can be through getting information that is true, and we believe it and act on it. That's the easiest way! But learning often takes place through our failure: when we forget, or when we make a mistake as we are working, or if we refuse to use the formula needed to achieve the right answer. When we are tested, we find where we have not gained an understanding. Through repetition we may remember what we have tended to forget. But a test often reveals what questions we need to ask in order to know what we have been missing. We can be thankful for correction.

You are going with your children through their education. Your child needs to know where he has done something wrong in order to learn to do it correctly. When he receives a certain percentage on his paper, it is a legitimate mark of performance. It shows him and you what he 'got' and that there are things he still needs to know. It is not an assessment of the child's person. It does not tell you who they are and what they will achieve one day. A score can be an opportunity to go further. It is correction that forms us and informs us!

Please copy here the last lines of both Proverbs 15:5 and 10:

But comparison such as in 2 Corinthians 10:12 is not correction. It is fearful of what others think, and that is oppressive. In the center of the word "oppressive" is the word "press." That is what oppression is like. It pressures us and makes us act out of obligation and fear. Creativity and desire are not encouraged under oppression. It does not know joy. It will earn acceptance from others even at great cost. Walking this way, we will find we have a heavy burden, a "chain" we think we need in order to be approved, links that we cannot get free from.

When education becomes about pleasing people, achieving an acceptance from others because of what we can do, and hoping for good placement from them, we are in a vulnerable position. We are trying to please others by 'works', taking man's counsel, and looking to our performance to gain what we want. But we have missed the heart of God, not understanding that He is looking for us to use the gifts and skills He has given to us not to please men, but to please Him!

Israel did this, taking Egypt as their covering instead of God. For us, Egypt is a picture of the world, and this passage is very instructional to our lives in this light. Please read Isaiah 30:1-5. In verse 1, what did God want to give His people?

From verse 2, what did God want to give and be for His people?

Verse 3 tells what Israel would receive from the people in whom they had placed their trust. What did they receive?

We often have hopes of receiving what we need from the world. We live in the world and feel that in order to "make it" we must do whatever it takes. But God doesn't see it that way. In God's eyes, when we trust someone other than Him, it is idolatry.

In the King James Version, verse 3 says that their trust would become their confusion.

How about you? Have you received confusion where you thought you would find wisdom?

God has more for you than this! What does He offer you in Isaiah 33:6?

We need to know God's character in order to stand firm in Him! Please copy 1 Corinthians 14:33:

We can thank God that He doesn't write confusion, but His peace is His trademark. As it is written, this is true in all the churches of the true believers! Those who are united by the Spirit of God in the family of faith can encourage each other and we can learn and grow together out of confusion and into the knowledge of God through His Word. Once we have a family (husband and children), God lets our impact affect one another greatly as well. While it can be used either way, He intends it for good.

Turn to Deuteronomy 30:19,20. In verse 19, who will your choice affect?

From verse 20, what is God for you?

Your life is in Christ, as a believer. He made you and saved you! You belong to Him! He also holds in His hand the "length of your days," how long you will live. You don't need to worry about your life. He, who is your life, also holds your life. You can rest in His provision.

You may want to copy Revelation 4:11 here. It is an excellent verse to memorize with your children.

From Romans 11:29, God gives two things to you that He will not take back. What are they?

Do you realize that you have certain gifts from God for which only He can reveal His purpose? He made you and has a plan for your life, your husband's and your children's lives. Know that your children's strengths and weaknesses are a tool for you to see which direction the Lord would have them go. We aren't made to excel at everything. The gifts God gives are His, and what we receive from Him can be invested and made useful for His kingdom! He will meet every effort we give for His glory with His power to perform it, that people may see that He is God, and that He is good. We mothers will see God's glory as we make attempts to teach our children, and find the Lord's loving kindness there at every turn. Our children will see God's glory as we learn to love them with the acceptance that God gives to us, no matter our exact performance! His love is for them in the same way!

Our children do need to have skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic. They can't be compared to others for how quickly they should "catch on." Sometimes the greater lesson is not the mastery of a skill, but of patience and kindness, and the upholding of one's value not because of their performance, but because they are loved deeply by God.

Who should our studies give glory (reality) to? (exalt, boast about) See 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Now how can we glorify God or do something as to the Lord? Romans 14:6 says, "He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks." Through this verse, how can a person do something "to the Lord?"

A people who are not controlled by fear from outward pressure can be a people filled with joy and ready to do what is in their hand to do for God's glory! It isn't that we don't need any authority. We are under God's authority and those humans He puts in authority over us. Our children are under our authority. But as the people of God, we should grow past the need to be made to be productive, to have someone checking over our shoulder on us, because of our desire to please and obey the Lord. We will practice this to a greater degree the longer we walk with Jesus. It is a process of the heart, and God gives us a picture to help us see how it can look.

Please find Proverbs 6:6-8. As we "consider her ways and be wise," what will we not require in order to work diligently (verse 7)?

What kinds of things might we be about (verse 8)?

In the Word of God we learn that God has given us His creation through which to observe His character (Romans 1:20). But we are quite unable to learn His goodness and perform it. This is what the cross is all about! Now that we are saved, how can we do that which we know is His goodness (Romans 8:9a)?

As mothers, we are learning how to be a student under God, to live by His Spirit (to hear from God and obey Him through His strength), and to lead our children to Him as well.

"Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him," Psalm 25:12.
When our heart is open toward the Lord, He will teach us in a way that will suit our gifting from Him, and He will show us the way to use it! We will gain confidence in Him that He will also do this for our children.

As we instruct our children we will need to listen to them, and to be prompt with discipline for lying. This is essential, since there is an honesty about not needing someone to make you do your work. We can function in freedom, gladly thanking God for what we can do, and we can teach our children this way of keeping at our work until it is finished. Teach, encourage and correct! Live in front of them; live with them! But avoid fear instilled by human comparison that will keep you from teaching your children by the Spirit's leading.

How can we avoid such fear? We see the problem, but how do we move from here to freedom?

The key is found in understanding where we are focusing, and where we need to focus. Please find Hebrews 12:2 and write, very simply, our Focus:

From Matthew 5:8, what work is the Lord doing in us so that we can have this view?

So before our heart is pure, it is clouded with things that keep us from seeing Him. Consider what a person's focus will be on if she is very concerned about a letter grade which shows her where she is in comparison to other people. Won't her attention be on others? How about a concentration on one's own percentage? There one is absorbed in how well her own progress is going, and so is thinking about herself. One who cares very much for accumulating ideas, knowledge and the benefits it promises to bring will soon find education itself the focus.

But a purified heart will be seeking God in each area of study; He is the Subject. In all that is taken up to learn, it is done to please Him and to know Him a little better. The skills of mathematics and reading and writing a language are intensely about God. To invest them to know Him gives Him honor and glory! And so education now is no longer about a measurement of our achievement, but about the Lord God, and our study becomes a pleasure rather than an endless pursuit. This is not to say that it will never be difficult, but study becomes so full of purpose that the links of heaviness and expectation are unhooked and no longer hold our attention captive.

Now, we not only are enjoying God in our study, but we have something to share with others. The knowledge of God becomes our fragrance! (2 Corinthians 2:14)

So how should we consider the measurements of mankind now that we are learning to be controlled from the inside by the Spirit of the Living God? God can still use them for us.

Please find 2 Corinthians 8:8. What does God use to test the sincerity of our love for Him?

Sometimes the diligent, earnest efforts of a person are for another, sometimes a person can be earnestly against the other. God can use either for His child. As we grow in trust in Him, He can help us to see the positive and negative reactions of others toward us as His test for us, and so we can gain courage because we know that He is using it for us.

And when we gain courage, we can be for others, too! As it is written in Hebrews 10:24, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." When we are encouraged by someone else running the race, we will find ourselves no longer trying to outdo them, but instead we will pray for their continued courage, speak words that hold them up, draw boldness and determination to do well in our own life, "as unto the Lord," and live thanking God, thanking God!

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth," 2 Timothy 2:15.
Will you please pray with me?

Father, You are different than my old nature which tries to manipulate to be pleased or comforted. I confess that I have these things in me that are so against Your nature. I remember the cross You died on for me and I ask You to forgive me for the sake of Your own Son. Please so change me that I will treasure Your approval of me! Take out of me this fear of man so that I can fear and respect You! You give Life; You are Life. So I wait for You now to do this work in me. Help me see Your acceptance of me and let go of trying to please the world. Replace that fear of the world with a fresh focus and authentic love for you! Fill me with hope so that I will love my family the way You love me. Give me courage to be a workman who encourages others. Help me to obey what You tell me so that You can set me free. In Jesus' name, A-men!

I'd like your input and the Friday Field Trip

2010-06-25T12:01:00.001-05:00

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple—then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a “successful” suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

It’s easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily…

But who do you know who lives like that? Do you?

Join the challenge.

Have you ever wondered if we're missing it?

It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe-the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor-loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.

Whether you've verbalized it yet or not.we all know something's wrong.

Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts-it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same.

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I'm sure many of my blogfriends have read the books shown above. "Radical" by David Platt and "Crazy Love" by Pastor Francis Chan. I've heard some things about Crazy Love, all good, but I haven't really heard much about "Radical". I am leaning toward getting them both because I am intrigued by what the jacket covers say, but before I do, I'd love to hear from any of you out there who have read one or both and let me know how the books have inspired you or changed your life, etc. I'm a very careful shopper these days and would love to have some personal insight from friends to help me in my decision making process.

And now, it's time for the FFT. The Friday Field Trip. When I remember (eep!) I post a fun, interesting and/or informative FFT for y'all to enjoy on a Friday.

This one is...a bit different. Welcome to the "Politically Incorrect Ads of Yesteryear!" and "Vintage Ads: What Were They Thinking?"

Yes, two different sites with those ads that make you glad you don't have to live with attitudes like that these days. Now, I do not vouch for the content of first site other than for the ads (as that's the only part I've seen) but the second site is FoxNews and is perfectly safe.

I tell you what, if some of these ads ran today the lawsuits would fall so fast and furious they would be like a blizzard. I had to laugh at the audacity of some of these ads. Things were a lot more humorous before PC came into play – even if they were just completely wrong!

Biblical Motherhood: Week Three/Day Four Open Heart, Open Eyes

2010-06-24T17:41:00.001-05:00

Open Heart, Open Eyes

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

As you pray today, ask the Lord to make a solid foundation in your heart of the knowledge of Him. Ask Him for cool water where your soul is thirsty, and to redeem what is your inheritance!

Yesterday we let God define false wisdom and true wisdom for us, and He also identified their sources. Today we will seek His Word to carefully lay the groundwork for gaining true wisdom. The Lord will show you by His Spirit where He will work in you. Your part is to stay pliable to Him and put your trust in Him and in His Word. When the foundation is secure, the storm will blow but the house will stand firm. That is God's aim for us!

"My purpose is that they...may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments," Colossians 2:2-4.
In Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! This is Bible truth! So can those wonderful treasures of wisdom and knowledge be found without Him? The Bible says no. True education is built on the nature of God; it is about knowing God. How can we know Him? There are three ways that the Lord reveals Himself, and they all work together to make Him clearly seen.

How does God reveal Himself from the following verses?

Matthew 4:4

John 15:26

John 15:27

Romans 1:20

The Bible is the Word of God, and we will have a special lesson more specifically on it in week 6.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, and we will look further at Him in week 4.

In this lesson we will go through the creation more thoroughly to gain a better understanding of how God uses it to make Himself evident.

Let's go to Genesis chapter one. From verses 8, 9, 10, please list the three places that God made to support the life He was going to create.

Please see Psalm 135:6. (Do you see a pattern here?)

There are many verses in the Word of God where these three places are spoken of. God made them, and then filled them with creatures. All of them tell of His character. They reveal Him to us. However, they must be interpreted by the Spirit of God using the Word of God. When sin entered the world, it brought with it decay and death, and these have confused the message that God conveys through His creation. Without the Spirit and the Word of God we will begin to think that God is against us, and that we will surely always be under His scrutiny because we are untrustworthy. Even in reading the Word of God you may have noticed this tendency in your understanding. The Spirit speaks to us if we will take the whole counsel of God's Word and believe Him, and He applies it in creation to make truth tangible so that we have insight; we understand.

This study of created things is generally called science. True science can be tested, and the same results are observed again and again. Creation-science includes the physical makeup of air molecules, gravity, the speed of light, planets and rotation, stars, time, seasons, the layers of rock, sand, precious metals, gas and water in the earth, the lay of the ocean floor, currents, salt vs. fresh water, feathers, flight patterns, types of birds, styles of nests, habits of creatures, weather, feeding patterns of land animals, skeletal structures, cold-blooded vs. warm-blooded animals, types of fish, sea creatures, underwater plants and depth and density of water, for example. And all of it is here to testify of God's presence, His power, and His character.

Not only are there the sky, the earth, and the sea, which God made, but if you will look at Genesis 2:7, you will see God's tenderness with His last creation: man. From this passage, what intimacy do you see in the way God created the first man?

God's desire was for fellowship with mankind from the very first. He so intensely desired us! In fact, before we were ever born, before the first people could even sin, He knew what was coming, and so He had provided far in advance. From Revelation 13:8 we understand that as far as God was concerned, Jesus was, in His heart, crucified "from the foundation of the world," so set was his plan to buy us back. He is God for all people for all time! From the first man who stood upon the earth and breathed in air to those who today are being born, Jesus is The Answer. He was there to watch the birth of the firstborn child upon the earth. He was there, and He grieved over the people, which led to the flood. He was there when the people loaded up their earthly possessions to travel to unknown places on the earth. It was God who sent His Son as a tiny baby among the Roman soldiers, busy streets, and crude walls of an obscure stable. He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross in order to take the punishment of justice that sin required. He was there to rise from the dead and make His victory in the unseen realm known to all men in this physical act. He sees all the children He is forming within their mothers all across the world. He sees every person in every country, and has throughout all time. He watches the streets and farmland, He is in the tents, huts, and houses, with every man, woman, and child, and His great desire is for them to receive His sacrifice for them, to live within them, and to have fellowship with them.

The study of mankind we most often call history. History is not meant so much as a study of people in the past, present, and future, but of God and His presence and provision for the past, present, and future of people. Included in history are mechanical and medicinal inventions, languages, cultures and family groups, clothing, foods, transportation, uses of creation (creatures and resources), effects of climate and topography, governments and laws, uses of time, education, wars, value of money or trade, architecture, and dentistry, for starters. All of these things speak not so much of people and their coming and going, but of God who has provided the knowledge of Himself in creation and the opportunity for those who have His Word to testify of Him to others. It is His-story.

These areas of sky, earth, and sea and all that is in them, and the study of mankind become fresh and exciting when we see them in this light. No longer a list of subjects to fulfill on a report card, for us these become a way to know our God, and they are our pleasure to search out!

"But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?" Job 12:7,8.
You may find that you want to study in a new way, different than you have before. God's Word is the most important book you will ever read. Don't neglect it for the study of the creation. But it is an opportunity of a lifetime to pick up a book on nature and compare it to the Word of God. Take a walk and gather flowers to press, and find "flowers" in your concordance to see what God is saying to you. Sometimes He has more than one likeness for a picture.

Run a glass of water and find it a type of the Word – think on it. Ponder these things. Dig in your garden and look at the soil. Find a path and look closely at the ground, and then meditate on Mark 4:3-20.

As you bake a batch of cookies, check the sky at night, look out across the horizon as you drive, as you hear the sound of the wind, look into the eyes of your children, God is speaking to you. God is speaking to you! To hear Him requires not merely the desire for an educational experience, but the will to know God, to have fellowship with Him, to hear His voice!

In 2 Corinthians 2:15,16 we read, "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?" Every time we smell the blossoms of an apple tree, or catch the scent of a lovely perfume, the Lord wants us to hear from Him! That is the sweetness of His smell! With the odor of spoiled potatoes or a garbage can left too long comes a reminder from God to help us to understand how offensive the Righteous One is to the lost around us. They cannot come without the Lord's power.

From these verses, please identify the picture used and the lesson given. Remember that they are to be used in dividing the Word of God, not to become our focus in themselves. The creation must serve the Word of God and the Spirit of God!

Matthew 15:13

Matthew 15:14

Matthew 16:6,11,12

John 2:19-21

John 4:14

John 4:35

John 6:48,51

John 15:16

Oh, my friend, do you see? He has given us the creation to explain things that we cannot see yet, things that pertain to the life to come, life in His kingdom!

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer," 2 Corinthians 5:16.
When we see people, we can have God's vision of them, God's vision for them. Could it be time to ask Him for sight for the blind, that we might see from heaven's point of view? We might see a little clearer our Savior, our King Jesus and we might grow in longing for His kingdom and the citizens of that kingdom. Because of Him, we can see with new eyes! We will experience life like we never have! May what we learn be ours for eternity!

Please pray with me!

Oh, Father! Thank You for making it possible for me to hear You! It cost You everything to have fellowship with me. Oh, help me to see, open my eyes and my ears so that I will understand how much You love me. Till up the soil of my heart so that I will not listen out of mere obligation, but with thankfulness, and a desire for Your heart. Thank You, Father, for this beautiful earth, and for using even the mean things of life to speak to me. You will not waste any of it. Open my heart that I might study to know You! In Jesus' name, A-men!

Ensuring The Worst Case Scenario?

2010-06-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

From time to time I will post an article from my dear friend Jack Kinsella of The Omega Letter, especially when I thing they have great importance. Today's article is a real doozy and It makes me almost sick to read, but it is important enough information to share. Several of us have been wondering why BO has been acting like the elections in November don't matter...maybe b/c they don't, according to the reasoning in this article.

Pray for America.

Ensuring The Worst Case Scenario?

One of the most enduring features surrounding the Gulf Oil Spill now entering its third month of belching oil from the seafloor is the fact that no matter how bad the most recent worst-case scenario speculation, the next one will be even more terrifying.

The base-line measures of the crisis have steadily worsened. The estimated flow rate keeps rising. The spill is already worse than anybody could have anticipated and there remains no end in sight.

According to point man Admiral Thad Allen of the US Coast Guard, the reason that BP stopped pumping mud into the well in last month’s “top kill” effort was fear the effort would damage the casing and open new channels for oil to leak into the rock formations.

"I think that one thing that nobody knows is the condition of the well bore from below the blowout preventer down to the actual oil field itself," Allen said last week. "We don't know if the well bore has been compromised or not."

Making things worse, the admiral said, was the fact that the blowout preventer is ‘leaning’.

"The entire arrangement has kind of listed a little bit," he said.

Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University, says one of the characteristics of the Deepwater Horizon blowout is its unpredictability.

He said the deep-sea ‘plumes’ of oil detected by research vessels are probably not from the blowout but possibly from additional leaks caused by either the drilling or the blowout.

Nobody knows how much oil is actually seeping into the Gulf.

"I actually have a document that shows that BP actually believes it could go upwards of 100,000 barrels per day," Rep Ed Markey [D-Mass] said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"So, again, right from the beginning, BP was either lying or grossly incompetent. First they said it was only 1,000. Then they said it was 5,000 barrels. Now we're up to 100,000 barrels."

Senator Charles Grassley [R-Ia) released a BP document entitled “Maximum Discharge Calculation.” The document was published internally was based on theoretical calculations made before drilling began.

That document says given the most "optimistic assumptions" about the size of the reservoir and the intensity of the pressure at depth and assuming a total loss of well control and no inhibitions on the flow, "a maximum case discharge of 162,000 barrels per day was estimated."

BP recalculated after the Deepwater Horizon blew up and came up with what it called a “more reasonable” worst-case scenario of between 40,000 and 60,000 barrels per day. A ‘barrel’ of oil is roughly 42 gallons.

About the only thing that we ARE sure of (we being the public) is that everybody is lying about it. BP is looking to mitigate the damage to its corporate image and its bottom line.

Members of the Congress are looking for ways to use the oil spill to mitigate the damage to their own re-election prospects.

Admiral Thad Allen is looking for ways to make it appear that the government’s intervention is helping, rather than hindering efforts at both plugging the hole and cleaning up the damage.

The truth is that every one of them is lying. Nobody knows how bad the spill really is or how many other leaks it may have caused. At the same time, nobody wants to admit that they don’t know.

Except Matt Simmons, founder of Simmons and Co. Simmons and Co. is an oil investment firm. He claims that he does know and that the news is much worse than anybody else believes.

Simmons says the leak that BP is focusing on at the “riser” is not the problem. The real problem is a gaping hole at the “well head,” 8 miles away.

“The riser leak is a deception,” says Simmons. “The hole is in the well head — it’s the well bore.”

“When they [the research vessel Thomas Jefferson] finally got the permission to circle the three-mile radius,” of the well, “once they got up wind [of the blast], within 20 minutes all the crew [of the boat] were nauseous, and several people are still in the hospital. There is benzene coming out of that stuff. If a hurricane finally blows up the Gulf, we could have millions of people die.”

According to Simmons, the ultimate worst-case scenario has not yet even been contemplated.

“We're going to have to evacuate the Gulf States. Can you imagine evacuating 20 million people? . . . This story is 80 times worse than I thought."

Only eighty times worse?

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asking the Defense Department for six thousand active duty military personnel to be dispatched to the Gulf to aid the Louisiana National Guard.

Jindal says that the reason he needs federal troops is because the National Guard is busy preparing for just such a possible evacuation.

“Currently, our Soldiers and Airmen are staging for and are engaged in the planning of the effort to evacuate and provide security and clean up for the coastal communities expected to be impacted by the oil spill.”

If the well isn't capped soon, the toxic gases from the well, together with the highly toxic Corexit 9500 chemical dispersant being used will eventually force the evacuation of the Gulf States.

It may already be too late.

Assessment:

Those living in Florida are presently at the highest risk, but the danger also appears likely to spread to all Gulf Coast states east of Louisiana -- and possibly even to the entire Eastern half of the United States once hurricane season begins.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already declared the airspace over the oil spill site to be a no-fly zone until further notice. As we’re already seen, various sources have indicated that local police, highway patrol, National Guard, US military and foreign troops may be involved in an operation to evacuate the Gulf Coast.

Since the Deepwater Horizon first exploded, the role of the federal government has largely been confined to blaming BP for the spill, demanding reparations for the spill, but nothing to stop the spill.

Had the White House mobilized every oil skimming rig in the country and accepted foreign assistance offers, much of the oil now threatening the American coastline could have been skimmed off.

Seemingly inexplicably, the White House has largely taken a “hands off” approach -- apart from talking about it, that is. In short, it seems as if the White House is simply allowing the spill to proceed.

The federal government shut down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.

The department says one area where sand is being dredged is an ecologically sensitive section of the Chandeleur Islands!

So efforts to protect the entire coast from ecological destruction was ordered halted to protect one endangered section of beach. Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who was one of the most vocal advocates of the dredging plan, sent a letter to President Barack Obama, pleading for the work to continue.

"Once again, our government resource agencies, which are intended to protect us, are now leaving us vulnerable to the destruction of our coastline and marshes by the impending oil," he wrote. "Furthermore, with the threat of hurricanes or tropical storms, we are being put at an increased risk for devastation to our area from the intrusion of oil."

Despite his plea, work on the sand berms halted at midnight Wednesday. Why?

Since September 11, 2001 the United States has been in a state of national emergency, which means that martial law can be declared by the President at any time and for any reason.

A declaration of martial law authorizes temporary rule by military authorities. Under martial law, civil rights are suspended and civilian courts are restricted or supplanted by military tribunals.

Although a declaration of martial law is theoretically temporary, there are no time limits. A state of martial law, once declared, can be extended indefinitely.

The forced evacuation of as many as 80 million Americans from the Gulf Coast region would indeed necessitate such a declaration. In an evacuation, the federal government would determine when and where evacuees would be moved to and for how long.

Martial law would not be confined to the Gulf States -- since the evacuees would have to be relocated inland across the United States, so too would military rule.

Under the provisions of martial law, the president could also order the suspension of national elections until the national emergency is over.

Here's the real kicker. The only one that can declare the national emergency "over" and rescind a declaration of martial law is President Barack Hussein Obama.

And suddenly, it all starts to make sense.

Biblical Motherhood: Week Three/Day Three Authentic or Counterfeit?

2010-06-23T17:59:00.004-05:00

Authentic or Counterfeit?

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Please ask the Lord to speak to you today from His Word, and to teach you to discern the difference between the knowledge of the world and the knowledge of Him.
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"For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent," 1 Corinthians 1:19.

We had a kitten that had a strange habit of jumping up into my husband's shirts, which were in the closet on hangers. The first time, I heard muffled meowing and knew he was somewhere in that closet, but only by going through, shirt by shirt, could I find where he was stuck. It only took once for me to learn where he would be. It took him longer to figure out that those shirts did not contain Jim! He was looking for someone, and got something instead!

In 1 Timothy 6:20,21, we find Paul warning Timothy against the same danger:

"O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge - by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen,"

Knowledge is important, and the desire to learn is built into every one of us. Our desire to know is given by God, and genuine, real truth is the only way to an authentic education. For every authentic reality God has for us, Satan devises a counterfeit to make us feel sure of ourselves, yet confused. Only the genuine reality will hold up during a storm when the wild winds, the circumstances of life, blow hard against us! We will take a look at authentic wisdom, and its counterfeit, "what is falsely called knowledge," today.

From Hosea 4:1, what is the charge God brings against those who "inhabit the land"?

See Hosea 4:6. What destroys God's own people?

Please record what is the result of God's people having no knowledge (Isaiah 5:13).

Slavery in the physical realm is another person having control of your body. In the realm of the soul (mind, emotions, will), bondage is someone's control of your thoughts, your feelings, your decisions.

What controls your thoughts will affect your feelings and your decisions. The spiritual battle is waged over your mind.

In Hosea chapter 5 God speaks through Hosea to explain to the people the reason for their poverty of mind. In verse 11 He addresses a specific family line (Ephraim), but this also applies to any of God's people. Please copy Hosea 5:11 here and mark the phrases which tell their condition, and how they got there.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines precept as follows: "In a general sense, any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action, especially applied to moral conduct. "

We see that in focusing on the rules of human acceptance, God's people were controlled and oppressed by other people. They lacked discernment in life's situations and had lost sight of God's viewpoint. Oppression like this causes a heaviness and dullness of spirit. It overburdens, is unreasonable, and gives you no freedom for creativity.

Can you think of any area(s) of your life in which you have been walking by human precept?

In these areas you may notice a tendency to feel inferior at times, or to be very self-confident. It is a knowledge that "puffs up" (makes prideful), and is actually a counterfeit of the knowledge of God.

1 Corinthians 8:1 says, "...We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."

1 Timothy 6:20,21, "...avoiding...what is falsely called knowledge."

See James 3:14,15. What is God's definition of false knowledge (verse 14)?

What is its source (verse 15)?

The knowledge of God (wisdom) doesn't focus on humans as its point of interest. It is completely taken with God! How does God define wisdom? Is true wisdom a thing or a Person (1 Corinthians 1:30)?

The knowledge of the glory, the reality, of God is the knowledge that God is for us. We must know and understand that He is God, He is real, and we are not Him and will never hold His position as God. False knowledge (selfish ambition) is what puffs us up to think that we have control of our lives, that we are, in effect, God. But we aren't, and He calls us to humble ourselves to acknowledge the truth of His reality while we are still on the earth, before we enter the realm of eternity in heaven or hell.

When we trust in the ways of selfish ambition, what does God say will happen to our false security? Isaiah 30:12-14.

His remedy is Jesus! Please write God's counsel in verse 15!

Also copy God's instruction from Jeremiah 6:16.

When we study, we will either study to know God through His creation and the skills He gives us, or we will study to know and exalt ourselves. It has to do with the motive of our heart: why we are studying, and what, or Who, we are studying.

The religious leaders of the day took away the "key to knowledge" (Luke 11:52) by a counterfeit; by putting the people in fear of the leaders rather than focusing the people on God. If we don't understand the Way God has provided to Himself, we will never know that we can come to Him in full confidence in Him, never mind what any man says! God must become greater in our vision than any man. We must fix our eyes on Him to see how things really are.

What are some benefits the knowledge of God will bring to our lives?

Psalm 119:29 (something God will do in you!)

Psalm 119:134

Psalm 143:8

Proverbs 22:17-21

Isaiah 33:6

Isaiah 33:17-19 (What will be your focus, your vision in life? V.17)

Hebrews 9:14

The Lord has such good things for us as we learn of Him in all that we study! He longs to fill us with good things and satisfy and refresh us! If you will come to Him, He will never disappoint you. You will be His student; He will be your Teacher.

"Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart," Psalm 119:2.

Please pray with me:

Dear Father, I know that You are God, and yet I have such a tendency to think that education belongs to men instead of to You. I've sought after the approval of teachers on this earth and have found my attention on them instead of on You. I have been hurt by oppression, and I have joined in on that oppression toward others. This is not Your heart. Please take this out of me, and replace it with Your heart for learning. I receive Your forgiveness, and thank You that Your ways are not like mine. Please teach me Your ways. I love You, Lord, because You are good! In Jesus' name, A-men.

Word Filled Wednesday for June 23

2010-06-23T07:04:00.006-05:00

Psalm 121. What an amazing chapter in the Bible. It has been rolling around in my head this week for some reason. I think it has to do with all the stresses in my life. We're going through FPU – for those of you in who aren't "down" with the lingo, it's Financial Peace University. This will be our third week . . . the week of the dreaded "B" word. BUDGET! Going through the quickie budget of the first week made me realize that we are breaking about even regarding income and outflow. Some months we may be a little under, some months we may be a little over in regard to the numbers.

One of the things that Dave Ramsey frequently says is that for women, money represents security, and it's true. If I have money in the bank, I feel I have more room to breathe than if I don't.

But my view is wrong. My security shouldn't come from whether or not I have money in the bank for emergencies (like the brakes in my truck which I think are about to go out, but I'm not 100% about yet). It should come from God, our Provider. When Oscar was out of a job for almost 8 months, I trusted in God and leaned on His provisions like never before, and you know what? We always had money to make it through the month. God always provided.

God is my security. He has promised in this chapter that He is my help. He does not sleep so He always knows what is going on. He will not let any harm come to me. He MADE the heaven and earth and He is watching over me!

For other Word Filled Wednesdays please visit our hostess Lori or drop by “The 160 Acre Woods” to find out more about how to participate in Word Filled Wednesdays.

Biblical Motherhood: Week Three/Day Two “Who Are You, Lord?”

2010-06-22T22:34:00.002-05:00

“Who Are You, Lord?”

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Ask the Lord for His identity to be revealed to you in greater clarity today! He knit you together, and wants you to know Him. He is so pleased that you are studying and He will bless your every effort!

“That, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord,” 1 Corinthians 1:31.

There is a children’s book entitled Blueberries For Sal (by McClosky) in which Little Sal and a bear cub get mixed around while each of them are picking blueberries with their mother. Little Sal hears a noise and follows what she thinks is her mother, eating blueberries all the way. Little Bear has the same experience as he is busy munching the sweet berries. Only in time do any of them check to see how the other is doing only to find, “You’re not my baby!” and, “You’re not my Mother!” Both Mother and Mama Bear do find their own offspring and all of the berry-eaters leave Blueberry Hill satisfied. (Mother even has blueberries enough to can for winter!)

It is a sweet illustration of a much greater search for truth: Who is Jesus? To be following someone we think is our Savior, only to find out that we have not had Him at all would be devastating now, and also have eternal consequences.

“Who are You, Lord?” Acts 9:5

If we will go to God’s Word for the answer, we will find what we need to know, and we, too, will leave in security, having been satisfied!

“But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me,” Jeremiah 9:24.

If we know God, we can boast about Him! Did you think all boasting was wrong? Here is one that, in God’s economy, is good boasting, in fact, it pleases Him. As we know God, we will understand!

“Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,” Proverbs 9:10.

Way back in the beginning, God was revealing Himself through His creation, even before sin entered the world. We read in Revelation 13:8 that Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Before He even began His creating process, God knew what would all take place, and He knew the Remedy He would provide.

As He considered His crowning work, mankind, He ‘conferred together.’ “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...,” Genesis 1:26.

In fact, in the first verse of the Bible, the word used to describe God is, in Hebrew, plural. “In the beginning, God...”

The word used is elohiym, “plural of elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God.”

Yet Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”

When Jesus, in John 10:30, said, “I am My Father are one,” what was He saying? We are going to look at the Bible and compare, Old Testament and New, to see the whole teaching from God’s Word on Jesus’ identity. We will choose some key verses, but there are many more that you may read in your quiet times with the Lord. If you stay consistent in spending time each day with the Lord and His Word, you will learn more than if you study a large amount in a sitting or two, and then nothing for days. It’s like eating. You will be stronger if you take regular, healthy meals than if you gorge on whatever you happen to find in the kitchen, and then fast for days.

Following are eight questions. You will be able to find the answers in the Bible verses provided.

Question #1:

In Isaiah 44:6, we find the first part of this course of the meal! From this verse, by what names does God reveal Himself?

The word ‘revelation’ means ‘the act of revealing’. From the first line in Revelation 1:1, Who does the book of Revelation reveal?

Just a few verses down, see Revelation 1:8 and 11. By what names does Jesus reveal Himself?

Outside of any other teaching, what does the Bible itself claim about the identity of the First and the Last?

Question #2:

The glory of God is His ‘weight’, His splendor, His reality.

What does God say about His glory in Isaiah 42:8?

With this in mind, please turn to John 17:5. What does Jesus say about His glory?

If God doesn’t give or share His glory with anyone, yet Jesus has had God’s glory from before the world was created, who is Jesus?

Question #3:

From Isaiah 6:1, who did Isaiah see?

From John 12:41, who did Isaiah see? (For clarity on who is the subject of verse 41, please read verses 36-41.)

From these two portions of Scripture, what is the identity of the One who appeared to Isaiah?

Question #4:

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. From Revelation 22:13, Who is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last? (Verse 16 identifies the speaker.)

Who is the First and the Last? Please see Isaiah 48:12 and 13.

Revelation 1:17,18 – Again, Who is the First and the Last?

From verse 18, what are His credentials?

Question #5:
Who raised Jesus from the dead? Acts 2:24

Romans 8:11

John 2:19

Using information from the Bible only, in your own words, who raised Jesus from the dead?

Question #6:

The word ‘manifest’ is defined as “Clearly apparent to the understanding or the senses; palpable; obvious. To make plain to sight or understanding; reveal; display.”

Please read 1 Timothy 3:16 (in the King James Version if you have it). Who was manifested in flesh?

What does that say about Jesus?

Question #7:

What does Jesus’ name ‘Immanuel’ mean? (Matthew 1:23)

Question #8:

In Isaiah 45, the Lord emphasizes one truth over and again. To find it, read verses 5-6, 14,18 and 21. What is it?

Please copy Isaiah 45:22.

God says there is no other god besides Him, and He ought to know. He is God!

Is God’s motive to try to disguise Himself and be mysteriously hidden? Read Isaiah 45:19. (1 Corinthians 14:33 may also give insight.)

When we think that God is trying to deceive us and manipulate us, who is actually doing the deceiving and manipulating? (Romans 2:1, “…For in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”)

Oh, soften your heart to receive the truth! Jesus is God in the flesh, and He is desperately in love with you! He has done everything to make a way for you to be with Him!

From 2 Corinthians 11:4, does every church preach the same Jesus?

Are there those who would urge you to receive a different spirit than the Spirit of God?

Is there a gospel that some preach that is not the gospel of the Jesus who is God in the flesh?

In 2 Corinthians 11:3 it is written: “But I fear, lest somehow...your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Dear friend, there is simplicity in the Living God! It is found in believing Him, putting your trust in what He has done for you, and what He says.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:23 to those who will not be in His kingdom, “I never knew you.” He is desiring an intimate relationship with you. His desire is to know and be known by you.

The cross of Jesus, this Jesus, is offensive because it says that you are not good enough to win God’s favor, that your good works are filthy in God’s sight because they promote you. Any other Jesus will accept your efforts and demand more of you. But God the Son will accept nothing that you bring; He demands only that you place your trust in Him. That requires that you leave off working for your salvation. In your mind, your trust must be placed in Him instead of in yourself, or in any one else. His sacrifice is sufficient for you!

If you have placed your trust in another Jesus, it is time for you to believe God’s Word and agree with God. The Bible is where we learn of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible is where we learn who He is, and who we are. Why should we take another companion book to the Bible so that we must believe the Bible sometimes and the other teaching other times? God says His Word is pure (Psalm 12:6). If you place your trust in Him and His Word, the Bible, you will know the God who made you and loves you, who redeems your life from the pit, who calls you His own, and will never leave nor forsake you.

If you have called others Christians who have confessed another Jesus than the Jesus the Bible reveals, you have given them false hope and have disagreed with God to their hurt. It is time for you to believe God’s Word and agree with Him.

“For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance,” Matthew 9:13.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me", Revelation 3:20.

If this issue has not been a crucial matter to you, you have not seen it the way God does. The name of Jesus is about His identity. This Jesus, the Son of God and God, the Son, is the only One who has the authority and power to redeem a soul from an eternity apart from God. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved,” Acts 4:12.

There is no one like our God! He is the One who saves!

Will you pray with me?

Lord, You have spoken clearly in Your Word about Your identity. You don’t require that we understand the Trinity, but only that we trust what You say above our own thoughts. In this matter, I relinquish my ideas and ask You to replace them with faith in You and what Your Word teaches. Help me to see that Your Word gives life, and that You are the Hope of the whole world. There is no one who doesn’t need You. I worship You as You tell me who You are in Your Word. I place my trust in You, the God who came in flesh to save me. Cause me to be unashamed of the truth of Your identity in the presence of others, because You alone are God. In Jesus’ name I pray, A-men.

In Other Words for June 22

2010-06-22T06:42:00.002-05:00

It's been a few weeks since I've done one of these, but I'm back! Good early morning everyone!

“One of Eve’s biggest mistakes was she stopped and started to think about what Satan was saying and it made sense to her. Not everything God tells us makes sense but that’s where faith comes in. We need to learn to be lead by our hearts and not our heads.”
by Joyce Meyers
How many times have you felt God's leading to do something and you hesitate because it just doesn't make sense and you can't understand for the life of you why God would tell you to do that? How many times have you listened to the "other" voice in your head whispering with craft and cunning something that sounds sooooo right, even though it seems a little off? I for sure have. And I'll tell you that story as it is part of my testimony.

Back when I was in my mid-20's I was, let's face it, a party girl. I had accepted Christ at an early age and was very strong in my faith, but once I hit public school in 10th grade, I started drifting away. Seeking the approval of my peers rather than walking the path that God had set before me. I enjoyed the attention, enjoyed the acceptance, reveled in the popularity. Oh, I still had a fairly naïve and innocent, unaffected personality, but I craved the approval of others.

Once I hit my mid-20's I was in a relationship with the guy who would become my first husband and my daughter's father. It was not the most stable relationship but it was one that I was determined to have. Did you notice that? "That I was determined to have" . . . not the relationship that God had in mind for me. We had moved in together and as things started to go sour, my life also started to sour and I just couldn't find the meaning in my life I was SURE I was supposed to have.

Slowly, subtly the voice in my mind started whispering that surely there was something "more" out there. Surely there was something I could find that would fill the emptiness I had inside. The more I listened to that "other" voice, the further away from God I found myself, until it was almost like I was running full steam in reverse. I still loved God, but I was disillusioned and felt lonely and like I had no control over my life.

I started searching for things that would make me feel fulfilled as my relationship started deteriorating to the point where we were pretty much broken up but still sharing a bed. My search started leading me to "women's empowerment" and how I was a "goddess", etc. and so forth and so on until I finally landed on the spot in the feminism game called Wicca. For those of you who may not be aware of the term, it is a whitewashed word for witchcraft.

Do you know how much of a struggle it is to have two parts of yourself that are completely at odds fighting for dominance over your mind and body? Notice I didn't say soul because I knew that Jesus had my soul and had for years, but I felt that certainly there must be some sort of way for both parts to co-exist. Of course, there wasn't.

As I got further into the occult I realized that I was progressing at a speed that was vastly different (greatly increased) than other people I knew who were into the same stuff until it scared me so much that I could do these things with ease after just a few weeks or even days of practice that I stopped cold turkey. I threw away the "book of shadows" that I had created for myself and I met with my pastor and divulged to him what I had been involved in. Thankfully, he is a true man of God and faithful to His leadings. After a lengthy discussion and prayer session I came out of there with a different outlook on life and started my own fledgling journey back to the path that God had for me.

Of course, as is usual, that "other" voice crept in again, one more time in a different manner – I guess it had decided that since I could no longer be drawn by witchcraft again that it would try partying once more. After all, that's how it got me back in high school and my mid-20's, and, for a while I followed it again, ignoring the faint voice in the back of my mind that said this is wrong.

Thank God that His love is stronger than any glamour of the devil! When God decides He wants someone He will not give up until He has them. I am stronger in my faith today than I have ever been – with the exception of the absolute faith that I had as a child, and what I would give to have that depth of faith again!

If I had only listened to my heart from the start instead of my head. I've learned that God will always speak through the heart, and only sometimes in our minds. And the voice in our minds is a quiet, still, soft, gentle voice, full of love and perfect peace. Have you heard it?

The wily one, the enemy, the trickster, the devil, Satan will always speak through your head and your negative emotions, because if your heart and soul belong to God, there's no way that Satan can actually touch them. That "other" voice is vastly different. It beguiles, it seduces, it lures and carries with it a sense of "because I owe it to myself". Have you heard that voice?

I've, hopefully, learned the distinction between the two now, believe me, I've had enough practice, and I certainly know which one to listen to. So even when God doesn't seem to make sense in what He is telling us, that doesn't matter because we can and will never go wrong by obeying Him. We may not see now the understanding behind the reason why God wants us to do something, and maybe we will never understand this side of heaven, but rest assured it is all for the glory of God and when God is in our corner and on our side and we are obedient to Him, there is no greater feeling than to know that we are doing what is right and that we are pleasing God.

The One who created us.

The One who watches over us and holds us in His hand.

The One who has prepared a place for us with Him for all eternity.

The One who gives us perfect peace and rest when we abide in Him.

I'd rather have that any day than the faux "feel good" feelings that listening to the "other" voice and doing the wrong thing can produce in the moment but leave behind a lifetime of regret and sorrow once that moment is gone.

For more perspectives on this In Other Words quote, please visit our wonderful hostess this week, Karen @ In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus.

Biblical Motherhood: Week Three/Day One Mother, the Student

2010-06-21T18:07:00.000-05:00

Mother, the Student

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Ask the Lord for His light burden and easy yoke today. To be His student is to be taught of things that have value for this life and the life to come. Ask Him to help you choose His way!

*

“Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,and you will find rest for your souls,” Matthew 11:29.

“Learn of Me.” We are first and continually a student of Jesus before we can teach with understanding.

To teach is nothing new. There are teachers in every imagination and religion of man under the sun. That is because God has given His gifts, in this case, teaching, to people and the test is in how we will use it. Teachers of other gods have many sound observations and give practical counsel, some that mirror the Word of God. So who copied whom?

The foundation of all that we know must be in the identity of our God. Is He different than any other god and what is that difference?

Jesus is God manifest in flesh. The Bible makes that claim, He spoke openly of His identity while He walked the earth, and His followers stand on this fact as basic doctrine. If God came in the flesh, and human beings crucified Him, and then He rose from the dead, we are in real trouble. There is no greater fear for mankind than the fear of standing before the Judgment Seat of God, the Judge. Some ignore this thought or drown it out with anything one can reach, but in the end, this is what it comes down to: you and God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
This is God’s remedy for our prideful rejection of His identity: His own death upon the cross. He tells us if we will look on Him with faith, He will credit His death to us, and His resurrected life to us as well. Our old nature must be willfully rejected by us, and faith in Christ embraced.

That Jesus died on a Roman cross is an historical fact. People who were there wrote about it, and not all were followers of His. People who were there also claim that three days later He rose from the dead, and that they saw Him, and touched Him, ate with Him, and heard the things He said. They said He later rose up into the clouds, and angels announced that He would return the same way one day. The followers of Jesus had had everything to lose when He died, and it seemed reasonable to the Jews and Romans that they would try some sort of deception to hold on to their hope. But the thing that should shout to us is what their claim about Jesus led to.

Many people have died for what they believed in if they really held it as the truth. But if these followers of His had taken His body, as the story was told, they would have known that He didn’t actually rise from the dead, that it was a hoax and a great deception that they had carried out themselves. They would’ve known it wasn’t the truth. But they were treated with the greatest hatred, beaten, and killed (except for one, who was tortured, but survived) all saying the same thing to the end: “We didn’t take Him. He rose from the dead!” This rings with authenticity! Rest your faith on what Jesus did on your behalf! He rose from the dead, and He is like no other god! He alone has broken the powers we cannot see, and HE testifies of Himself every day.

And so we read God’s Word understanding that it is the “Word made flesh” who speaks to us, calling us to see the truth about ourselves, and the truth about Himself.

There is the beginning and ending of all Truth: God Himself. He is One God, of three Persons. Believe the One who died and rose again from death. He alone has the right to tell you just how it is.

“Learn of Me.” I need to know what He means specifically. How can I do this? If I am to know God, He must reveal Himself to me.

And if God will reveal Himself, it must be a practical revelation, something I am able to “get.” If I become a student of the Word of God, I will find that He tells me details. If I will take the whole counsel of God, not trying to make the Bible say something, but reading it to hear what God is saying, I will learn how to learn of Him. So how does He reveal Himself so that I may learn of Him?

“And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood;and these three agree as one,” 1 John 5:8.
First, the Spirit: the Spirit of God bears witness of Himself. John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” The first witness on earth is the Spirit of God.

The second witness is the water. Scripture must interpret Scripture, and with that thought, we wonder, how does water witness of God? In Ephesians 5:26 we find that God uses water as a picture of His Word: “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” So the second witness is the Word of God, pictured by water. In John 1:14 we find that “the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us...” The Word of God is not a book of rules and regulations, but it breathes life by faith in the One it speaks of: Jesus. Jesus Himself spoke of this in John 5:39,40, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” We can miss Him in the Word if we take it as a good way to live, a good book to follow. But if we come needy, we will find Him on every page.

The third witness: blood. Hebrews 9:22, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Jesus came to shed His blood upon the cross so that God could pour out His judgment on Him instead of us. When we believe in Him, He sees that it was your and my sin condemned on the tree. He stood in for us before His own righteous judgment on sin. He took the full measure of the wrath of God toward sin. God is wholeheartedly against sin. He hates sin. Because He is pure, how can He agree to dwell with sin? He cannot. And likewise, we, in our sinful state have nothing but distaste, envy, anger, even hatred and malice toward God. Sin separates us from God! And it breaks God’s heart like we have never known.

That is the love of God.

And that is our condition without His blood.

But He! He is righteous: wholly right; the rightness of God in all His wonderful character, purity embodied, beauty manifested, Life, true Life. We would be wise to see things the same way He does, and when we find rebellion in ourselves, confess it openly to Him, not trying to cover it up, and trust that what He suffered in our place was enough. That is trust. Do you trust that the blood Jesus shed on your behalf is enough to cleanse you from sin so you can be close to God? If you do not, you are trusting that you have something that God Himself does not. You are placing your faith in yourself, and what you can do. But He knows what it took to defeat sin and death and Satan and, my friend, you don’t have it. His sacrifice reveals human lack. Place your trust in the only trustworthy One: Jesus, and He will become yours!

Blood, this third witness, took place here upon the earth. This planet is where God came in flesh to take upon Himself a body with a heart that pumped blood, and this is where He gave Himself a sacrifice, letting His blood pour out as payment for us before His Father. This all happened within the realm of creation. And so we find that the witness of blood includes His creation in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” All things seen and unseen, with and without breath, were created by God and it all reveals Him to us.

But consider the first part of Hebrews 9:22, “In fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood...” Nearly everything? Yes. Creation has been tainted by sin, and by looking at it alone to see God you will easily become confused. A mother cat rejecting her weakest and tiniest kitten, a diseased maple tree, bindweed infesting a garden, a broken body in a hospital, a grieving human soul; do these things picture God? No, not by themselves; these things have the effect of the condition of sin upon the creation of God, but the things that do not need to be cleansed with blood are the things that are pure and holy already and have never been touched by sin. These are the Spirit of God, and the Word of God. These two must interpret creation.

In order to study to know God, we must understand that He, by His Spirit, His Word and His creation speaks of Himself, and these three are in agreement. The Spirit of God will teach us: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you,” Psalm 32:8.

His Word must be our constant plumb line: “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,’” Matthew 4:4.

Creation is the place of application so that we will understand. “Now all these things happened to them as examples,” 1 Corinthians 10:11. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,” Romans 1:20.

How about you? If you took away all the extras, is your faith resting on the grades your children achieve to get them somewhere in life? Do you consider education to belong to God, or in your mind, would you sacrifice a study of the truth in order to win the favor of men?

All of creation tells us of God. It is not ours to study and make a living with by our own will, for our own purposes. It all belongs to God, and He will take an account of our stewardship. Have you glorified mankind in your hours of study, or have you glorified God? You cannot do both.

When you study to know man (yourself included), the weight is on your shoulders to accomplish, to understand, to achieve. When you study to know God, there is delight and security because He is all you need, and He will teach you as you go. The burden is not heavy with Jesus. To be yoked with Him means that He carries the weight, and we learn to walk with Him! When we lean into the yoke it will be with confidence in Him, and for His glory so that people might see that He is good. It is no longer about how well I am doing, but about His heart. It is not to show myself worthy, but to understand His worth to me, and my worth to Him. “We love Him because He first loved us,” 1 John 4:19.

That is where our worth comes from: we are loved by God!

Our effort to win the approval of men will keep us from loving God. No longer must we compare ourselves to those around us. God compares us to His Perfection. He also meets us with Perfection because of our total failure. He becomes for us what He demands. Only then can we do anything that He will acknowledge. We miss the eyes of God when we strive to become accomplished in the eyes of anyone human. “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him,” 2 Chronicles 16:9.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us,” 1 John 4:16.
Please pray with me!

My Father,

Please free me from the desire to please the world, and to believe Your complete acceptance of me just as I am in Your Son, Jesus. Help me to understand something of the way Your Spirit, Your Word and Your creation tell of You, and cause me to believe that all that I can see exists to worship and testify of Your reality. The sky, the earth and the seas all are Yours, and all the inhabitants of them. They were all made to speak of You. And all of mankind through the ages have their existence in You. All of us were made to worship You, and without You we have no stability for this life or for eternity. Thank You for telling me the truth. I put my faith in You, and I worship You. In Jesus’ name, A-men.

Biblical Motherhood: Week Two/Day Five Yoked Together (Part II)

2010-06-20T09:07:00.003-05:00

Yoked Together (Part II)

Hi y'all, my apologies for falling behind on this. My computer's HD crashed last week and I have been working on re-loading everything after replacing the HD.

I must say that I think so far that this is one of my favorite lessons in this study so far and certainly gives much food for thought. (And HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the wonderful dads out there!)

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Invite the Lord to speak to you as you study this morning. His Word brings refreshment to a dry and weary soul!

“Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding,” Proverbs 4:1.

Our own physical marriages are an illustration of our spiritual relationship with Jesus. Though human marriage is imperfect, we still can see a picture of our relationship with our bridegroom, Jesus, through it (Ephesians 5:22-33).

We will always find encouragement and instruction from God’s Word in all of our relationships, and we will always have reason to seek the Lord for counsel, and even for correction. In Christ this is not a shameful, condemning admittance, but because of the cross it is an acceptance of the offer of hope and healing!

Today we will look at raising our children to know of marriage the way God intended for it to take place. Our culture is saturated with worldly ideas. The only way to see this issue from the perspective of eternity is to seek the Lord in His Word.

Our God describes His heart on the matter in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. This passage is not included in order to berate or to condemn, but in order to make evident God’s desire for those who follow Him. Know that the Lord only opens a wound where there is need for healing. While we are hearing from the Lord we learn to trust that He will tell us the whole truth, but always in the light of hope. Here God (through Paul) asks questions designed to clarify the issue for us. Please list the comparisons He makes (verses 14-16):

From verse 16, why are we called to be separate?

Please confirm how God directs us to obey Him in this from verse 17.

Because the process can be painful, He gives us a promise in verse 18. Please tell what God is saying to His people (to you, Sister in the Lord)!

God is the perfect Father to His children, and He knows that in order to separate ourselves unto Him, we need to know Him and be close to Him. This is true for our children as well. If we will follow Him in this, we will be able to avoid yoking together with those who would work against His life in us.

And so today you can ask the Lord, “What do you want me to learn about yoking together, especially in marriage, for these children, Father? Will you show me in Your Word?” Ask in confidence!

Please turn to Ezra chapter 9. Ezra had come to Jerusalem with many Jews out of exile in Babylon (Persia). They had rebuilt the temple, the place of worship, in their midst and had even celebrated the Passover together again! After 70 years of slavery, most of the people had only heard wonderful stories of God and the feast of Passover, and now they were actually able to experience it themselves! To worship God in freedom was their privilege! Maybe you have come to a place like that yourself, a time of seeing God for who He is and worshiping Him as the center in your home, along with special times of feasting and celebration that you are now able to do for God’s glory in your heart!

But we see a problem arise even in the city where worship has been reestablished. Ezra 9 tells us of the hearts of the people being softened against their call to separation, and intermarrying with the people who did not worship God. We are often encouraged in God’s Word to reach out to the people around us to love them and show them our wonderful God! In that process we will be refined, our motives revealed, and there will be much opportunity for fellowship with God to grow and for us to mature in our faith. But if we neglect our relationship with God in our dealings with people (possibly faithfully continuing to read the Bible and pray, but with a dryness that we accept without crying out to God), we will begin a descent in our view of people, and we will become about our own business instead of the Lord’s, promoting ourselves instead of Him.

From Ezra 9:1,2 what did not separating themselves lead the people to do?

Please read verses 10-11. How does the condition of their culture reflect the condition of our own (for Christians and the unsaved alike)?

After we confess to God our heart’s condition, there must be a remedy in our actions. This is how the Lord draws us back to Him and sets us free from our unholiness (lack of separation). The ones Ezra addresses first are not the children, but the parents! From verse 12, please tell what the work of these parents included:

Lest we think of this as only Old Testament doctrine, we will look at a father’s responsibility for his daughter written in 1 Corinthians 7:38. From the Amplified Bible (which uses more words as it gives a fuller original meaning to our English words): “So also then, he (the father) who gives his virgin (his daughter) in marriage does well, and he (the father) who does not give (her) in marriage does better.”

From this verse, in God’s family, who is given guardianship over the acceptance of a marriage partner for his children?

As the Lord draws us to love our family, we will not want to control this situation and expect that our children should “obey our choice” for them and neglect God's desire. But a father who loves his child will be prayerful and watchful, listening for the heart of God in the heart of his child before he seeks to give him or her over to another.

Once again, please read 2 Corinthians 6:16,17 and compare it with Ezra 9:12. To truly seek someone’s (spiritual) peace and prosperity is to win them to Christ and see their faith grow. Does it please God to keep romantic company with someone of the opposite sex in order to tell them about Jesus?

Seeking someone’s (physical) peace and prosperity comes by joining together with them to help them. In marriage, from Genesis 2:18, what is a wife’s work?

In this physical life, it is important to God that our children join together with those who are walking the same walk in this life, by the same Spirit. That walk will mean life work, interests, and goals and, in the Lord, a person’s focus is totally different than the focus of living for this life.

The last part of Ezra 9:12 says: “that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.” The physical interpretation had to do with an actual land and food to eat grown on that land which would make them strong in life. What does this mean as a spiritual reality for us? (See Galatians 5:22-24.)

What importance does God put on our children marrying someone who loves Him?

God’s desire is for His people to ask Him for the person He will bring into our child’s life. What would be some long-term affects from the obedience of this command?

Galatians 4:1,2 tells us that a child is under guard by stewards until he is ready to manage his inheritance. How might this shed some light on why God instructs parents to be involved in the choice of company their children keep?

The Jews were God’s set-apart people. They had to be set-apart in order for God to give the Messiah through them to the whole world. Remember that God uses His creation to reveal Himself (Romans 1:20). He would give the Jews the privilege of enjoying His blessings in order that they might know Him and worship Him, so that the Gentiles could know Him through their lives, and that Jesus could be born through a people who could trace their ancestry and find that it matched the predictions perfectly. The Messiah’s identity would be proof positive, and through His sacrifice upon the cross and His resurrection, provide eternal life to all who would believe.

Because there was purpose to the nation, they must be able to raise up their children to know this God who desired to win their hearts. The Word of God shows the character of God, and we know by this that He wrote these things not only for the Jews, but also for all of His people. In the following passage, please mark those phrases which give instruction to you.

“Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, “Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children,” Deuteronomy 4:9,10.

Mount Horeb is also called Mount Sinai. We read in Exodus 19 and 20 that God gave the Law, the Ten Commandments, to Moses on Mt. Sinai. His Law is perfect love in action. They are how it would look to love God wholeheartedly and see that flow out to love others around us. It is the way we come to Christ for forgiveness, seeing that we have failed the test! We cry out to God for mercy, and receive the sacrifice He made for us.

Have you told your children and grandchildren about the Lord, “especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb”?

You don’t need to go into detail about your sin, but they need to know that you are leading them to where you are yourself; to find mercy at the cross of the God who died for sinners. This is authenticity. To admit your sin in Christ is to be able to extend mercy to others!

Please read Deuteronomy 7:3-6.

What can happen to our children’s heart for God if they marry someone who is not saved from spiritual death? (verse 4)

What should our dedication be like to see that we will not worship what our society (and our old nature) worships? (verse 5)

What is our motivation? (Fear? Anger?) (verse 6)

Because our obedience is what God uses to keep us free, He would desire first that we obey Him out of love, but if we cannot do that yet, He will accept our obedience out of fear of His judgment. True, we will not face eternal judgment, but we do understand that He judges our sin even now to cleanse it from us. If we fear God, we have the beginning of His wisdom (Psalm 111:10)! To have greater wisdom is to begin to obey God out of love! The process is His to accomplish.

It is a godly mother who will be in prayer for the Lord to accomplish this through her life and her husband’s first, and then to reach their family. It is a wise youth who humbles himself in the sight of the Lord, seeks the Lord’s direction for his own life through prayer and His Word, and who listens carefully to the counsel of his parents, especially to parents who are led of the Lord. Seeking the Lord together is so important. God is not looking for parents to usurp authority over a grown child’s life, nor for a child to go his or her own way, but for them to ask the Lord in prayer, waiting on Him so that they will recognize whatever it is He chooses to do.

In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we read how God moved the heart of a Persian king to set free the captive nation of Israel so they could live in their own land once again! It is a book filled with pictures of faith for us as mothers. As the Jews build the temple (in Ezra), we learn that God is our Beautiful Place of worship! As the Jews build the wall (Nehemiah), we learn that He is also our Surrounding Protector! He wants us to learn how to join Him in the work He is doing.

We find that the people lost vision after years went by. The work took so much time and they wanted to live life for a few of their own interests. There were friendships made with the pagan communities that led into marriages, and because of their lack of dedication to God and for their people, while some felt apprehensive about the direction things were going, no one took any action against it.

But Nehemiah came to check on the Jews who were rebuilding Jerusalem, from his residence in Persia, from where the taste of slavery could not be washed from his mouth. From this perspective, he takes inventory of the situation and holds it to the light of God’s Word!

Read Nehemiah 13:23-27. If you wonder the level of effect you really have as a wife and mother in your home, though it is a negative example, take this to heart!

With what fervency Nehemiah sought to do what was right before the eyes of God! Use his intensity against your own old sin nature. Be that dedicated to God! Humble yourself before the Lord! Seek Him to cleanse you and your family that you may love Him faithfully in all you say and do!

Don’t wait until you sense an urgency. If you are at that desperate place, by all means, cry out to God! But if you see early signs of trouble, begin then to humble yourself before the Lord on behalf of your loved ones.

“With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness,” Isaiah 26:9.

How can this be accomplished? Here is basic counsel which, when lavished in prayer, God will use as you seek to obey Him.

1. Be active in the friendships and relationships that your children have. Don’t be afraid to say “no” to relationships that are harmful to your child’s character. To allow a daughter to pursue or to call a boy on the phone is to encourage her to usurp and disrespect the leadership role that God gave to her father, and to the boy who will one day be a husband. To allow our sons to receive those advances is to teach him to accept the take-over of his father's authority and his own future role as leader, provider and protector of his family. Teaching a son to be the head of his household and to love his wife, and a daughter to respect her husband must not be forsaken at the time of real life application!

While friendships with both sisters and brothers in the Lord are valuable, until a person is ready for marriage, it is not wise to have a romantic relationship. To set one's mind on Jesus and to give other thoughts to the Lord for His capture and control is crucial. “Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases,” Song of Solomon 3:5. Waiting on God can be painful, but it is the only way to have His best!

2. Singleness should not be tolerated, but embraced! It is a special time to be lavished in the love of God, to draw near to God and spend time with Him, getting to a place of putting Him first in one’s heart.

A list of character traits of a godly personality is a good thing to consider at this time. What is important to Jesus, and so to your son or daughter? It is good for them to know what they value in another person, not just someone of the opposite sex, but in friendships as well; those are the things that will help them to recognize the mate the Lord has prepared for them. The desire for Jesus to lead is nourished as intimacy with Him grows!

Time with Jesus is so crucial, and when do you have more time than when you are single? Learning to watch for Him in life experiences, and to listen to His voice in His Word and by His Spirit, these are the things that single days are to be soaked in! Finding ways to serve Jesus among His people in the church, studying, and gaining interests and learning to use and refine skills that a person is acquiring takes energy and focus, and singleness is the time to give undivided attention to the Lord in this way.

3. If the Lord has designed your child for marriage, at just the right time, He will give direction toward a certain person! You may need to find out if a specific nudge is from Him or not.

How?

Watch for the character of the person of interest: their response to Godgiven authority, the language they use, the way they help others (or don't), whether they are a person of integrity by how they act, whether they love truth. How do they treat their family members? Watch for the fruit of the Spirit, and discuss qualities with your child; how would this person speak to an elderly person, or to a little child? Will their humorous remarks at another's expense be funny if directed at your child for the next forty years? Does the person you see try to get attention for him/herself, or to love others for Jesus' sake? This is the time to stay alert!

And if you see strong evidence of the Lord and it seems good to all involved, pray for an opportunity, and then step out in faith, to discuss with the intended more directly the issues of life and specifics of faith. Do this before action is taken to move ahead with the relationship. If you are uncertain or can see that this relationship is not of the Lord, “go back to sleep” on the desire for marriage, as Adam did while God was forming Eve! (See Genesis 2:21,22.)

Our culture practices dating, a “try it out/break-up-if-it-doesn’t-work” mentality, which has the same thought pattern as “marriage/divorce”. Spending time together is essential, but is best guarded in the company of one or the other’s family, or with godly friends in a group, having time to talk together and to watch and learn how the other responds to situations.

But impress upon your child to stay alert, and pray for him or her to “make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts,” Romans 13:14. Time alone together can be a time the flesh, which is weak, is tempted. Your advice should be for them to stay in the company of trustworthy people who love and care for their soul. As Dannah Gresh, author of And the Bride Wore White writes, “Stay public, stay vertical”! Physical contact creates an emotional bond, which is why some wisely keep even handholding for betrothal or marriage. Continue in prayer and don't compromise your walk with the Lord, but draw nearer to Him, and maintain the godly relationships He has graciously placed in your lives!

Suggested reading: I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl, both by Joshua Harris.

Pray these things in, ask the Lord to do in you what only He can do!

Reread the lesson if you want to understand this better. Pray for your child to embrace his or her singleness and to live it unto Jesus. This time of life is precious! Pray for discernment and for a godly mate for your child, if it is God's desire. Focus with your child on serving the Lord, finding creativity in this life of service! Be watchful and read and believe the Word of God!

The most important decision a person makes in this lifetime is whether or not to receive Jesus Christ’s payment for their sin. The second most important decision is the choosing of a marriage partner. When your child marries, you don’t want the walk down the aisle to be just a tradition, but a physical sign of a spiritual truth.

Will you join me in prayer?

Lord God, my Father, You are a Father who provides for His children. Please do what needs to be done inside of me so that I can be faithful to you in this area of my life. I ask You to work in my family, too. I know that Your Word brings death to my old nature, and life to my spirit. Cause me to so believe You that I will be fervent to speak of You to my children, and to obey You with joy. Go ahead of us to prepare our children and their spouses for one another. Protect their spouses from the entanglements of the world, and give them someone to teach them of You and to give them a good inheritance. Please help me to be faithful in prayer for our child’s future spouse. Thank You for betrothing me to Your only Son! In Jesus’ name, A-men!

Biblical Motherhood: Week Two/Day Four Yoked Together (Part I)

2010-06-20T08:22:00.005-05:00

Yoked Together (Part I)

Hi y'all, my apologies for falling behind on this. My computer's HD crashed last week and I have been working on re-loading everything after replacing the HD.

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Yoked Together (Part I)

Call on the name of the Lord before you begin this study! Ask Him to help you believe His mercy for you, and His plan, which, when you seek Him, cannot be ruined!

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit,” Galatians 5:25.

Not long ago, your family members used a team of horses or oxen to work or to travel. You can still see those strong beasts at work if you drive through areas where the Amish live, during a season of fieldwork. The whole idea of yoking two animals together to work has been used by men, but was invented in the mind of God. He designed it to teach us about Himself.

A man fashions a yoke, or buys one, to enable two oxen, horses, etc., to pull together out of necessity. Work too hard for one becomes doable by two. The power is doubled or more because of the strength and encouragement of working together. Usually one of the beasts pulls stronger than the other, but they work together and could not do it alone.

God uses this as a picture for us to understand what it is for us to walk with Him (keeping in step with the Holy Spirit), and then for us to be instructed in our relationships with others as well.

Today we will discuss those other relationships of joining together, especially in marriage, and tomorrow we will study the same, but with our children in mind.

Please make a list of relationships or responsibilities in your life that you must yoke up with another to have or to do.

In any working relationship that we have, in order to be productive, we must be walking in the same direction as those with us. This is God’s original design, because it exemplifies how we will live life best keeping in step with the Lord Himself. And it explains why it is so appealing for us to be with people who have our same interests! But at times, we find ourselves in a situation where we are not equally yoked with others. I’m not just talking about befriending someone who is very different from ourselves, but an actual joining together to accomplish something, such as in marriage.

Most women in our country have a say in who they marry, but regardless how it comes about there will always be surprises in marriage; maybe something you took for granted would be in your marriage, or out of it, has left you disappointed, sometimes situations arise we never foresaw, and at times, we find one of us has changed. How we deal with such differences, whether it is day to day or a crisis, is not only crucial to the survival and/or health of our marriage, but to our walk with our loving Lord Jesus, Whom we are yoked up with first.

Then, when we are equally yoked with another person, much good can be done and enjoyment had, and we will escape much trouble, though there will always be trials to go through. But we must refuse to look at an already existing unequally yoked marriage as hopeless! Rather, it is an opportunity to see the faithfulness of God at work! In either case, we will learn much of our God as we allow Him to take the weight of the burden in our lives, and to wash us from our guilt.

A favorite passage in the Bible for anyone who has experienced a load too heavy to bear, and has found that burden lifted by Jesus, is Matthew 11:28-30,

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

There is where the meaning of the yoke is fully realized. It is an illustration of something God wants us to understand in the spiritual realm, which we cannot see – yet.

This yoke is fitted once for all when we come to Jesus for salvation, the saving of our souls for eternity. Some people sense a burden lifted when they receive the forgiveness of God; others don’t. Salvation doesn’t hinge on a feeling, but on fact! Yet, we experience the yoke of rest in this life little by little in the areas where we learn to trust the Lord and leave off our own ways. Wherever we learn to give control to God and simply walk, “pull”, together with Him, that is where we will experience peace and rest, and we will find the work being done to accomplish His purposes in love, just as He promised!

In our work or relationships with other people we never leave the yoke of Jesus. Instead, because of our yoke with Him, we learn to choose wisely how to work together with others.

One area of life this passage directly relates to is marriage. God counsels His daughters and sons not to marry a mate who is not yoked together with Himself. No matter what the situation, it is not God’s heart for a precious child of His to become linked together with someone who has not been born again. This is actually the only “interracial” marriage there is: a child of Adam (stillborn in spirit) yoked together with a child of God (born again by the Spirit)! Not only this, but it is also possible for two Christians to be unequally yoked together and thus to be pulling in separate directions. These relationships begin most easily in times of compromise and the confusion that always accompanies sin. But once vows before God and witnesses have been said, both types of marriages are received by the Lord as valid and sacred, and He will now work them into life as instrumental in His plan.

For those unmarried, God’s Word to you is: wait on the Lord! Trust in Him, be about His business and don’t look for a partner. Allow Him to meet your needs, and you will know it if/when He brings someone for you. Be single-hearted in your life with Jesus, and you will receive and not miss His plan for you. Love and enjoy the Lord, stay in His Word, and He will give you His desires for your life!

Copy Psalm 37:4 and commit it to memory!

Is there any hope for those already unequally yoked in marriage, now wanting to serve God and lead their children to Him?

Please read 1 Corinthians 7:10-16. The word “sanctified” or “holy” means “set – apart,” in this case, set–apart for God Himself. In verses 10-11, we find that God’s will for a wife is not to leave her husband, and for a husband not to leave his wife. He says this plainly and without apology. But if something should happen so that she decides to go, what are her choices if she still will please the Lord?

From verse 12 and 13, Paul describes situations where a husband or wife becomes a believer after they are married, and lays down a pattern that will please God in their new situation. What is it?

In verse 14, what does Paul say is taking place as you live together, even in an unequally yoked family situation?

From Acts 1:8, do you see how you can show the love of God in your home even without saying anything?

You are a witness of His, wherever you go! Thank Him that without your help, He speaks of Himself through you! Thank Him that you can join Him and keep in step with His Spirit!

Please write what 1 Corinthians 7:15 tells us a believer should do if his/her unbelieving spouse decides to break their union.

We see in 1 Corinthians 7:16 that the Lord gives hope now! Though the end is unknown, there is hope that the testimony of Jesus through the saved person’s life will draw the unbeliever’s heart. Here is where 1 Peter 3:1-2 give counsel to a godly wife! How is a woman in this situation to “preach the gospel” to her unsaved husband?

Sometimes a believer considers that while a spouse may not be physically unfaithful, he is certainly committing spiritual adultery, loving something more than his family (i.e. addiction to the computer, alcohol, work, etc.), and so God will accept a divorce in this case. Considering that you are made up of body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23), what part of you is made one with your husband? See Genesis 2:24.

What parts of you, as a born-again believer, are joined as one with God? Please read 1 Corinthians 6:17,19,20.

According to these passages in God’s Word, physical adultery can be committed against whom?

And spiritual adultery can be committed against whom?

We know that God intends a distinct image of His relationship with us to be pictured through marriage. In marriage, the physical union is an illustration of the indwelling Holy Spirit in each believer and the intimate relationship He has with one whom He has redeemed. The body and soul are so interrelated that what hurts our body also affects and hurts our soul. A physical union actually involves the soul as well, and that is why it tears the heart apart to engage in physical unity and then break the relationship, or to be involved in an unholy union.

The spirit of a person is interrelated with the soul as well. A person who is not born again is dead in spirit (the connection with God), but a person who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit through faith has been made alive by the Spirit (the spirit has been “born again”)! So a man and his wife who are born again by the Spirit are also spiritually related, since the same Spirit dwells within them both making them children of the Living God.

The soul is the place where body and spirit meet. It is the ground that the enemy claims territory in, the place we battle for by the power of the Spirit of God so that the Lord might reign over us instead. It is the soul where rebellion first is nurtured, and that rebellion is acted out through the body. It is in the soul where we are convicted of sin, and where we must choose what to do with that guilt. The ear is what hears the gospel message of Jesus' death for sin, but it is with the heart, unseen in the soul, that it must be believed (not necessarily understood, but believed) and in so doing, quickens the spirit. The soul can be troubled (John 12:27) and it can be healed (Ps 41:4). It is where we feel delight (Isaiah 55:2), are both afflicted and satisfied (Isaiah 58:10), and where we wait for the Lord (Psalm 62:1). It is the place where we love God (Matthew 22:37). Jesus says the soul is priceless to Him, and we need to see it the same way. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

This is why we can be confused about spiritual adultery. Our soul is grieved at a lack of intimacy with our spouse, and we may tend to think of that deep betrayal as a spiritual thing. Really, though, it is the soul that has been wounded. And the Spirit within us is grieved.

Please turn to Malachi 2:13—16.

This passage is written with husbands in mind, but it describes God's heart on the covenant made in marriage. Both a husband and a wife covenant with God in marriage. In Malachi 2:14, we see that one spouse has dealt with the other treacherously. The Doubleday dictionary explains treachery this way: (treacherous): “Likely to betray allegiance or confidence; untrustworthy... Apparently safe or secure, but in fact dangerous or unreliable.” (treachery): “Violation of allegiance, confidence, or faith; treason.”

Please record here God's word to you in verse 16 concerning treachery. Change “your” and “you” to “my” and “I”.

Does the Lord have reason to be grieved over any untrustworthiness in you?

Are you able to pray faithfully for your husband and to return sweetness for insult?

If bitterness keeps you from loving the way Jesus does, confess it to the Lord now! Bitterness is a tool of the enemy to destroy our soul.

Please turn to Genesis 27. Read the chapter to refresh your memory on what treachery was dealt to Esau.

From Genesis 27:34, what kind of cry did Esau give?

The bitterness in Esau's heart was displayed in his attitude toward his brother who had deceived him. Because he did not confess it as sin to God and turn from this bitterness, what was the end result? See Hebrews 12:16-17.

Forgiveness is a choice you must make, and when you do, showing your regard for His forgiveness of you, God meets you to strengthen you! Please write the first statement in 2 Chronicles 16:9. It is a promise for you from the Lord!

If your husband is committed to something more than to you and/or your family, pray for him (fast and pray!), and ask the Lord Jesus to help you gain ground spiritually for His unseen Kingdom because of this painful trial in your life. But do not allow the enemy to twist the truth of Scripture in your mind.

Commit yourself to the Lord, and wait for Him step by step, not looking for a way out, but staying where He has you and expecting His great work on behalf of you, your husband, and your family, for Jesus’ sake!

It is a battle for the soul, really; the mind, emotions and will. The choices, the beliefs of our heart in our soul are what enact our responses and bring us to side with our flesh or with God’s Spirit in us.

At times where an unrepentant heart refuses to turn from sin (i.e. abuse), a physical separation may be needful. But it should be accompanied with Godly counsel, seeking the heart of God through His Word and prayer.

Please copy 1 Peter 5:6,7 here. (It is another precious verse to commit to memory!)

When you are tempted to mull over those faults of your husband, and find yourself unmerciful to him, stirring up trouble between you, or if you are plagued by past sin and treachery, remember (by 2 Corinthians 10:5, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”) that God has heaped up all of your and your husband’s guilt upon His Son and it was done away with, paid for in full, at the cross. You must learn to believe what He did on your behalf at the cross, and thank Him! When the accuser comes around to taunt you, ask Jesus to take captive those thoughts against your husband or yourself, and you sing to Jesus and thank Him for what He accomplished on your behalf and on behalf of your husband! Sin has been put to death for you at the cross, and you have been purchased. In your case, yes, you have done things that you are accused of, but Jesus knows them intimately, having suffered your punishment as though He Himself committed those sins instead of you. Confess your guilt to Jesus; yours, not anyone else’s. You can tell Him of your specific hurt, and then release it to Him, unwilling to camp there in your mind again.

At times you will experience grief over your sin. Be sure to grieve, then, as is written in James 4:7-10. But after you have confessed the sin to God, it is no longer He who reminds you of it, but the enemy.

Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Understand who it is who feeds your thoughts with accusations against your husband or yourself.

Jesus has taken your sin away how far? Psalm 103:12.

If you imagine you hold a globe in your hands, place your finger near the south pole and begin to move it north. Keep moving your finger, and eventually you will be traveling south. But take your finger to the equator and move east. Do you see the physical picture of the spiritual nature of what Jesus did for you? He also suffered for your husband. Jesus is so in love with the both of you, and He is wholeheartedly committed to seeing your marriage through.

“The Lord...redeems your life from destruction,” Psalm 103:1-4.

If you are burdened, take it to the cross where you find healing and rest. Be refreshed in knowing that Jesus is yoked together with you and He will never leave you nor forsake you. You are not alone. If you are lonely, you are in good company with Him. He knows all that you can feel, and He is eager to be the Lover of your soul!

“For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength,” Isaiah 30:15.

Will you pray with me?

Ah, my Father, You are better to me than I realize. Help me to be satisfied in Your precious companionship with me. Help me to love my husband with Your love, and to discern that it is the enemy who tempts me to count everything as hopeless! Teach me to discern Your voice and to listen to You. You have given me a way to pull with you where I will not grow weary and will not be burdened. Let me see my marriage as precious as You do, and let me be wholehearted toward my husband, and to You. Thank You for Your unending love! In Jesus’ name, A-men.

Biblical Motherhood: Week Two/Day Three The Inheritance

2010-06-16T18:04:00.002-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

The Inheritance

Pray before you study that the Lord will open your eyes to the wealth you have as His child, and that you respond with courage where fear has always reigned!

“I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore,” Psalm 86:12.

We have a desire to give our children an inheritance, a desire for them to somehow have “more” than we had. That is a God-given desire! While it is a good thing, a blessing, for parents to leave their children with a physical inheritance (2 Corinthians 12:14), it is not the greatest blessing they can receive.

There is an abundant spiritual inheritance that God intends each of His children to be lavished with from Him, and to pass on to our children from Him so that He can add even more to it in their lifetime, and that is what we will study today.

If you had been given a vast inheritance, which guaranteed that all of your living expense would be covered for all of your life, you would learn to not worry about money, wouldn’t you? Maybe you would test the waters first, spending very little, or maybe buying enormous amounts, just to try it out and see if it really “works.” After a number of years, it might be safe to say that you would rely on those funds being there, if you used them, and would be involved by that time with many other interests, because your need would be supplied at every turn.

That’s kind of the way God has in mind for us to see His inheritance for us. His desire for us to be “sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1) is so fervent that He has gone to great lengths to see that you hear of it, can read of it, and He is with you now to enable you to grasp this news with your heart.

To see what this inheritance means for us and for our children, let’s first find a contrast. Many times you can see truth clearer by looking at its opposite.

Jeremiah 16:19 says, “The Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.”” Lies make a people poor and miserable, yet they are the inheritance of Gentiles (those who do not know God). This is the lot we deserve, seeing that our old nature is Gentile, and we have all taken part in this heritage of deceit! But the cross of our God has changed everything for us. By faith, we embrace the inheritance He speaks of in His Word, because we believe that His death was enough to redeem us from our sins completely!

Our inheritance is of the greatest value, of priceless measure! We don’t receive an unprofitable plundering now that we belong to Jesus, but our inheritance is vast and beautiful. In Jesus, we have everything, in fact, we have Him.

Please find Genesis 15:1 in your Bible. What did God give Abram as his protection and his “exceedingly great reward”?

This is repeated for us in the following verse. Please mark what is most meaningful to you:

“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance,” Psalm 16:5,6.

How can we fathom what treasure we have in God who gives Himself to us? And God Himself has an inheritance! Please record it from Psalm 33:12.

When God speaks of nation here, He is not only talking about the earthly nation you are a citizen of, but of the spiritual citizenship of those who trust in Him; “But you are…a holy nation, His own special people,” 1 Peter 2:9. These are “the people God has chosen as His own inheritance”! This is the beginning of the fulfillment of Song of Solomon 6:3, “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”

Just as an earthly heritage has principles, so does our inheritance in Christ. God uses the tactile to reveal the invisible to us.

What can be the result of rushing newborn faith? See Proverbs 20:21.

Does having a spiritual inheritance necessarily mean we are ready to use it wisely? See Ecclesiastes 7:11a.

In Psalm 37:11, we learn that our inheritance (because we are in the Meek One, Jesus!) includes the ________________. In the same Psalm, verses 29 and 34, we are to inherit ______________. This is a type, or picture, for us of an unseen reality (1 Corinthians 10:11). The Promised Land to the Jew was a physical land, Canaan. This pictures what it is in the unseen realm; it is a spiritual land, the human soul.

Please turn to 1 Samuel 17. Here is a great likeness to how the inheritance of our soul is won. Please understand that David was already living in the Promised Land, as you are already saved eternally if you have received Jesus as your Savior. The battle we will look at is not about salvation, but sanctification, the process by which we are set apart for God, that is, the areas of our soul, our life, which are won for the reign of Jesus.

To catch us up on what is happening: David has been sent to check on his brothers who are in the army of Israel, but upon his arrival, he finds an alarming situation. The people who have set themselves up as enemies of God, the Philistines, have denied the right of Israel to take the land. They have always lived there! How dare these Jews come in and claim that they now own the area! But the Philistines overlooked one detail.

God is the Creator of the land, and He gave it to the Jews! From an earthly perspective, we would agree with the Philistines. From a heavenly one, we will side with God! He is painting a picture here that several thousand years later we will need for invisible warfare.

Here is the spiritual likeness: Just as the Philistines didn’t want to let go of their hold on the land, so your old nature wants possession of your life and would deter you from allowing Jesus to have control over you. But God has given a promise to those who receive Him in Joshua 1:3, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.” This means that any area of your life that you recognize is not given over to Jesus, you have the Lord’s authority to see that it is, whether it be anger, lust, gossip or boasting, deception, coveting or maybe an issue with a certain person or a daunting fear. But the thing that is showing itself will not give up easily.

Please read 1 Samuel 17:4, and 8-10. This giant pictures a temptation that tries to intimidate you into leaving the battle in its control. What does the enemy say to “cut a deal”?

Can you identify an issue in your life where the enemy is suggesting you make a deal with him so that you will be afraid, and allow the issue to stay? David sees that the entire army is paralyzed with fear, but his own vision is full of the faithfulness of the Lord and the command He gave to take the land, little by little. The situation you are facing will intimidate you unless you stay your mind on Jesus, fill your heart with His songs, and your mind with His Word.

Please read 1 Samuel 17:39,40. The king’s armor didn’t suit David because he wasn’t used to them. God had been preparing David for this battle in advance, though he hadn’t realized it, and he would fight it in his own clothing with his own tool: a slingshot.

Is there someone urging you to handle the battle you face in a way that you are uncomfortable with, maybe instructing you to use a certain ritual or specific words or counsel that seem to lessen your focus on Jesus Himself?

Read 1 Samuel 17:41-51. The enemy tried to distract David from his focus, but David spoke words of faith in God and matched those words with action. He picked up 5 smooth stones and ran to the battle line, confident in God to deliver His people into the land, and he took down that giant and cut off his head!

To aim for the head is to aim for the thoughts. When David destroyed the giant’s ability to think, the Philistine army fled.

And that’s the way it is in battle for our inheritance. We must believe God’s thoughts and forsake our own. That is destroying the giant’s ability to think through our fleshly mind. Believing Truth gains ground in the mind, and our obedience enables us to control the land of the soul under the command of Jesus!

Please turn to Psalm 47:4. Please rewrite the first part of this verse, but where it is written our and us, insert my and me.

Your very situation is what God will use to give you your inheritance. He will choose it for you, and where He has you, that is where you will find the thoughts He wants you to take in His name, the land He wants you to battle for and put under His control. Your time must not be spent looking longingly at someone else’s life. See what good things the Lord has for you! He has tailored your inheritance for your personality, your gifting, and your ability! And He has given you the authority not only to take this ground, but at some point, to hand it down to your posterity.

Posterity is different than ancestors in that to see your ancestors, you must look back. But to see your posterity, you must look ahead to what is yet unseen, and by faith put your trust in God for those who are to come.

From these verses, tell what the Lord also gives to us as inheritance:

Psalm 127:3

Matthew 19:29

Matthew 25:34

Psalm 61:5 also tells us that God has given us the ability to gain what someone else has fought for. The Lord teaches us through others! We need each other in the Body of Christ!

But Psalm 119:111 tells us a heritage that we must take. What is it?

None of us are born understanding our Maker or being in fellowship with God. But He has spoken to reveal Himself, to teach us of His enemy, and of our own condition in His Word, the Bible, and these are His testimonies. These are the inheritance we must willingly partake of, and to seek Him that we might believe Him! And this is up to us to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest,” (Martin Luther). He will bless what we will invest! God is so willing to give us His inheritance, but He wants us to walk with Him, to join Him in this endeavor. God’s Word is our heritage forever!

Isaiah 54:17 tells us what inheritance God will work in us as we take His Word! He will so change us by His power that we will stand strong, trusting Him, even against spiritual weapons in the invisible realm, and every person who rises up to condemn us, because we belong to Jesus! This is not a way to protect our tendencies and desires from criticism! It is the way we will be able to reach out to a fearful and dying world to offer them life and hope in Jesus who died and rose again for them!

Please mark the things that mean most to you in this verse, and don’t forget to make special note of this verse in your Bible. It is one you will want to remember!

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord,” Isaiah 54:17.

From Ephesians 1:11, you obtain your inheritance now, since God predestines by His foreknowledge! This is part of taking His Word! You have amazing riches given by Jesus so that you can take ground in your life from control of the enemy and put it under the control of Christ for now as well as in eternity! It is all about believing His Word, and to do this, you must read it.

And what you take by faith now will be there to greet you when you come!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you,” 1 Peter 1:3,4.

Surely, we can praise God with David and say, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance!”

Will you join me to pray?

My King Jesus, Thank You so much for Your provision for me, Your servant. You have seen to it that I have an inheritance! I am Your child, You promise me a place in Your kingdom, and an inheritance that will never become old! Please cause me to believe You enough to call on You to take the thoughts that come my way under Your control. I see that Your Word is so important to my life. Help me to reflect Your faithfulness by keeping a set time with You each day to pray and read Your Word. I no longer want to be afraid, but to act in courage, putting my trust in what You say! I worship You, my God! You are my exceedingly great Reward! In the name of Jesus, A-men.

Smattering smorgasbord of stuff

2010-06-16T17:53:00.002-05:00

1. So, tonight is the 2nd night of the FPU at our church at 7:00. Let me tell you, the whole budget part has been fairly scary. Actually seeing what is going out vs. what we have coming in is not pretty. At least we're not under, but we have nothing to spare either. My friend at work who teaches this asked to see our budget and he made some suggestions as to where to cut back for right now, but still it doesn't give us much extra. He also said that it's fine and dandy for me to have done the budget but that Oscar needs to sit down and do it too so that it actually sinks in to his brain the importance of what we have (or don't have) to work with. Really looking forward to what this course can teach us.

2. Thank GOD for progesterone. I never really stopped bleeding after the miscarriage on May 9 and over the past 10 days it has gotten just astonishingly worse in a big way. Thanks to lab work I found out that by this point I'm severely anemic. The same thing happened after I had Emily – for 7 months, but I was just fine after I had Nate. Basically what it amounts to is that my hormones are all jacked up – progesterone levels are far too low to regulate anything. Unfortunately, when this happens to me the only way to regulate anything hormonally out of whack with my body, barring surgery, is with . . . some kind of hormone, but I absolutely cannot take birth control pills b/c of my high blood pressure – it would send it SOARING to even scarier levels! So my OBGYN called in a prescription of progesterone yesterday and it already is sooooo much better. Like 90% better. In a couple of days I should be (hopefully) a-ok and will have stopped bleeding altogether. I'm looking forward to our tubing trip on the 26th, so this had BETTER be stopped by then. It's supposed to be stopped by this weekend with the elevated dose of progesterone I'm taking. I'm also looking forward to not being so extremely anemic, which is a big cause of my lethargy of late.

3. So, I've only had my computer for about 2 years and the HD crashed on me Sunday night. A very awesome friend looked at it yesterday and said the HD went kaput. The disk wouldn't even spin on it. Replacing the HD is not very much money and he was kind enough to do that after I got it, but in order to retrieve the data on the former HD it's going to mean going to some place here in town and cost roughly $300-500, of which I can't even begin to come up with right now. Seeing as how ALL of Em's pics from her birth through now and ALL of Nate's pics are on there, along with numerous documents I've created/collected over the years, I'm going to have to pay it somehow. I had Em's pics through 2 years ago and quite a few docs on a thumb drive, but I'm not sure if I can find it now - that's what I used to get the info off of the old computers, so if I can't find it, then Em's early childhood is gone without the mondo expensivo retrieval off the HD.

This has really driven home the importance of having a backup storage - which I've researched and the best one I've found with ringing endorsements is Carbonite - unlimited storage for $55 a year. It seems to be the one that a lot of people use and recommend, including quite a few of my friends.

Anyway, I hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far. Mine's been a little stressful, but nothing that a good hot bath, a cold glass of wine and a bit of time in prayer won't cure.

Biblical Motherhood: Week Two/Day Two Criticism vs. Hope

2010-06-15T19:02:00.002-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Criticism vs. Hope

Do you realize that Jesus looks at you not to find fault, but to find cause for reward? Please ask the Lord to fill your mind with His word and bring you anticipation of coming good!
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“He brought me to the banqueting house, And His banner over me was love,” Song of Solomon 2:4.
God is all for communication! He is pleased when we desire to know our mate through activities and discussion. He is even interested in our disagreements!

How we disagree is about character. That is what our study is about today. Ruth Graham once said that if your husband and you agree on everything, one of you is unnecessary. It is not wrong to disagree with your husband! It can be healthy.

The marriage union is one of equality of value between husband (head) and wife (helper), only according to God's Word. It is not a matter of greater or less importance, but of differing roles. If, at every time of disagreement, you believe you should ‘submit’ by denying your thoughts and taking his, your husband has just entered a realm in your heart reserved for God alone.

While it is right that a wife should feel free to lovingly share what is on her mind with her husband, she can easily enter into an area she doesn’t belong, one of deciding how her husband should live his life as her husband and the father of her children, and if it applies, as a man of God. A tell-tale sign will be when she begins to repeat the same message time and again with a heart of bitterness. “Better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman,” Proverbs 21:19. It is this kind of communication that will be addressed today. Sometimes it hurts to see where we fail, but that hurt will give way to healing if it is brought before Jesus!

Please read this carefully:

“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husband, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear,” 1 Peter 3:1,2.

Believe it or not, this passage contains a promise of hope, not blame, for both you and your husband!

As a wife, do you feel that it is your responsibility to see that the entire family obeys God?

You do have responsibility before God to correct your children, but what is the result of trying to make correcting your husband part of your responsibility?

How does he respond?

What are your actions and words like?

Criticism doesn't respect people. See Revelation 12:10. Who accuses people, and before Whom?

How does it feel to be accused?

When a woman finds fault in her husband and condemns him with it, she is taking sides against one whom God loves, and is, in her soul, partnering, joining with the purposes of the enemy to attempt to destroy him.

Typically, will a person who loves their sin forsake it?

So the problem is deeper than outward actions.

Please find the word criticism in the dictionary and define it here:

What position do you take when you criticize your husband?

The promise for you is not that your husband will change, but it is about your life in Jesus. From 1 Peter 3:2, write what the promise of character from God is for your life.

Whoa! Is God saying that is this you will be spiritually faithful to Him instead of to the enemy? Yes! And is God saying that you will be reverent? That's what the fear of God is; it respects God.

So, yes, He is saying that His promise to us when we will turn to Him from criticizing our husband is that we will respect God in this area of our heart. With respect we will esteem Him, look toward Him, care what He thinks more than others, honor and give our attention to Him.

From Ephesians 5:33, what is God's desire for a wife's attitude toward her husband?

Please also see Ephesians 6:12. Who is your struggle against?

When we fight against a person, we are in the wrong battle! Disrespect is part of whose character?

To believe God for this victory, you must see that, being born again, you are identified in Christ, no longer in/with your old nature. Read 2 Corinthians 5:16- 17. Write it here, either word for word or what it means in your own words:

Your fight is for your husband, against the enemy in the power and victory of Jesus!

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up,” James 4:10.

If it is time for you to grieve over your sin, do it before God.

Repent with this promise: Psalm 147:3. Please write it here:

Your hope is that Jesus will change you. He will save your from yourself! This is the power of His cross and resurrection! It doesn't matter how long it takes. You can't see all that must be done so that this is authentic, but Jesus can, and His work is sure. Put your trust in Him to draw you close to Himself. He is intensely interested in your heart in this. Continue to call on His name, memorize verses that speak directly to you on this issue, sing songs of worship to Him, do what He tells you to do , and wait for His deliverance!

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us,” Romans 5:3-5.

Your husband has a promise, too, and that is that he will see your intimacy with Jesus and in this way, understand who his enemy is. That is when he "may be won over"! The Lord Jesus makes the impossible possible! His reason? So that we might know Him. He's not so interested in performance as in the authenticity of the heart toward Him. Then the actions and heart are together. There's our safe haven.

Will you pray together with me?

Oh Father, how many times have I found fault and condemned my husband instead of praying to You for him about it! Forgive my sin, Lord. I remember the awful price that was paid for me. I remember that You are enough to wash me clean from my unfaithfulness. Please change me inside so that I will be on Your side, and that words of blessing and thankfulness will overflow from a heart filled with You. Help me believe that You do not blame me, but lavish me with hope! In Jesus' name, A-men.

Biblical Motherhood: Week Two/Day One Mother, the Helper

2010-06-14T17:18:00.004-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Mother, the Helper

The Lord God hears and answers prayers in Jesus’ name for His sake, so call on Him today before you spend time in His presence. It is His pleasure to spend time with you!

“The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:11-12

Way back in the beginning, God had a plan for you as a wife and mother. While He made you with talent and a style of your own, He gives insight into the way He is pleased when you use them in Genesis 2:18: “And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Marriage is God’s institution, and one that He is not ashamed of. Your husband can be a great delight to you, the one you would want to be closest to, yet maybe sometimes a source of discouragement, but always he is the one God wants to use specifically in your life to teach you about Himself. Marriage is not so much to make us happy as it is to make us holy, set apart for God. That gives us hope. No matter how many mistakes we have made, times we have been selfish and unloving, God is still at work in us and in our marriages to bring about character in us that will last beyond this life.

“I will make him a helper comparable to him.” You are a helper, specifically designed for the husband you are married to. Whether you love your marriage or not, God does, and He wants to give you vision for your place in it. What should you be helping your husband with? As far as motherhood is concerned, there is more detail in Ephesians 6:4, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Your husband’s work as a father is to teach and raise up your family for Jesus. You are his wife, and that makes you his helper. It is a joint work.

“My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother,” Proverbs 6:20.

The Bible often speaks to sons; being a son was to gain the inheritance and to be brought up to lead others. Seeing this from a spiritual perspective, we are all sons if we have been adopted by faith, having the inheritance from God (Isaiah 54:17), and all have the enablement from God to lead others. When you see the word ‘son,’ put any name there of a child of God, and it applies. It is “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith...” 1 Peter 1:4,5.

So how exactly is it that a mother helps a father in teaching and nurturing the children “in the training and admonition of the Lord”? Certainly it is not to talk our husband into taking an active role in the children’s lives. It is not getting him to change or do anything. To criticize is not to help. We are called to be for our husbands, not against them. Pray about everything, take it all to Jesus, and “above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins,” 1 Peter 4:8. Your husband may be uninvolved, interested and praying for you, or so involved you feel that you have no room for creativity. But you are an ambassador from the King of Kings, sent to love God and love others to Him, and sometimes that is done without a word!

“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,” 1 Peter 3:1.

This means that there are times that a husband cannot move from disobedience to the Lord because his wife continues to talk about it and point it out. He will see the love of God in her life if she is quiet about the issue, but he cannot hear it from her because of the position God has given him. It isn’t that he is just stubborn or too prideful to listen; it is that God has wired him to be the head; he has been created to lead, and so that is what he will do, no matter how he is pressured. He will be wholly a man when he is leading, and a wife will be wholly a woman when she is helping him, because that is how God designed His plan to work. Following God’s ways will dispel confusion and quiet our storm.

It may be that your storm is in your heart, and that it concerns choices you have made. You struggle with guilt and wonder if you have missed the will of God in your life.

In the book of Genesis, we find the account of a man, Jacob, who married two sisters. He actually chose one and loved her, and he worked for her hand in marriage for seven years! When their wedding was performed, however, her father had deceitfully presented Jacob with the sister whom he had not chosen! Bridal gowns were very concealing at that time, and there was no way for Jacob to know until it was too late.

A heartbroken and angry man left his tent the next morning. He had been treated with deception, but he was not innocent of earlier deception himself, so he was reaping the consequences of his own sin. He could relive the situation a hundred times but it would never change: he was in this trap because of his own sin. Jacob tried to fix his life. He changed his marriage status by also taking the wife he wanted in the first place. He tried to make it all work out, yet his life as a husband and father was chaotic and unfulfilling. Amid all this turmoil, had he missed God’s plan for his life?

Let’s flash forward through Jacob’s life to the end, his last recorded words, his dying breath. We see him there, on his bed, a man who has had many years to consider the outcome of his choices, to learn to rely upon the mercy of His Creator. He is making a request for his remains: “Bury me...in the cave that is in the field...There...I buried Leah,” Genesis 49:29-31. He chose to be buried with his first wife, the one he hadn’t taken by choice, the one he had received through deception. Why?

Jacob could look back and see something in his old age that he hadn’t seen going in: the sovereign hand of God. While his father-in-law was seeing to the switching of the brides, God was at work. No, it wasn’t His will for a man to deceive Jacob. Lying is never God’s will. But long before it ever happened, He foresaw what would occur. In time, the Promised Messiah would come through Jacob’s line. The line would be through Jacob’s son, Judah. Who was Judah’s mother?

Leah.

Jacob would never have had to marry again to be in God’s perfect will for his life. He was right where he was supposed to be, even in the center of what looked like someone else’s control. And in the end, he understood what he would earlier have seen only by faith in the God who goes ahead of His children.

Wherever you are, single or married, whatever your circumstance, don’t squirm to get out. Don’t let your mind wander; fix it on the One who goes ahead of you in your life! If you have tried to fix your own life, stop right where you are. If you are wondering what to do, stop. Don’t move, but cry out to God to save you, right where you are.

God is in the now. You don’t have to look back or ahead to the future, just up to God. Sink into His Word. Let His songs wash over your mind and heart. Let Him fix wherever you are broken.

“A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench,” Matthew 12:20.

Remember that God is our healer. His heart is toward us. Whatever He calls us to do, He enables us to do. We live by believing God’s promises. That is what faith is, and we find that He meets our faith with power to enable us to obey Him. It is not the perfection of our obedience, but the heart attitude He is looking at. He will accomplish wonderful things through us when we believe Him. Stay in the Word of God daily, in prayer, and in fellowship with followers of the God of the Bible. Pray and thank Him for His Word!

Will you join with me to pray right now?

Oh, Lord, You have given me the position of a wife and mother, and I need to believe what You say in order to live my life with value that will last! Sink into my heart the truth of Your work for me, that I am to help my husband in raising up our children unto You. Cause me to love my husband and children the way You love me, and equip me through Your Word to not only be content, but to thrive. Wash my heart and mind with Your Word so that I can stand firm on Your promises and build my life on You. I want to be a wise woman who builds her house, not a foolish one who tears hers down with her own hands. By Your grace, You will accomplish Your good work in me! In Jesus’ name, A-men.

A new chapter

2010-06-13T17:27:00.003-05:00

So, Oscar and I started the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and I had to admit, I was a little leery about Oscar's enthusiasm about the course. He seemed a bit reticent when I was discussing it with him. With his severe dyslexia, a classroom setting is NOT a good learning place for him but this is a video and class dicussion after with some homework each week. The more I talked about what the course was like, the more interested Oscar was b/c video and discussion are easy for him to grasp and absorb.

Oscar really enjoyed Wednesday's first class DVD and the great thing is the CD's that come with the course. He's SUCH an auditory learner b/c of his dyslexia, so these are perfect for him in his truck and is totally gung-ho about getting the $1000 emergency fund started. We have to buckle down and get the basic budget on paper for our homework Wednesday. I think I'm a little concerned about seeing where our monthly finances fall right now. I know that we have to do this b/c we're getting nowhere fast on our finances and I don't want to live this way forever. I know we can do better and I KNOW that if we don't do it now, we never will.

I'm looking forward to week 2 on Wednesday. Thankfully we don't have far to go b/c it's at out church, which is right across the street from where we live. Keep us in your prayers that we really learn to change our lifestyle and finances so that we can get out of where we are now and be financially sound and savvy, the RIGHT way...Biblically and going by what God says.

Biblical Motherhood: Week One/Day Five Time With Purpose

2010-06-11T06:53:00.001-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Time With Purpose

Please ask the Lord to speak to you today, and to show you that He will fulfill His good plan for your life! And that He will fulfill you in it!
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“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them,” Ephesians 2:10.

In Matthew 8:14,15 we read of the circumstance of a woman who was in total need of the Lord. He, by touching her, healed her life. What was her thankful response?

Where are you in need of a life-giving, healing touch from Jesus?

Where we are willing to admit our failure or insufficiency, Jesus can heal us. Where He heals us, we can love Him by serving others in love!

Please write the characteristics of an unfaithful woman here according to Proverbs 7:11.

In contrast, where and how does the teaching of children occur? See Deuteronomy 6:7.

Micah was a prophet sent by God to the people who were called God’s people, but who had turned away from loving Him. In Micah 2:9 we find how they viewed home life: “The women of My people you cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children you have taken away My glory forever.” We have a society that feels the same way and presses women to do the same, to leave their pleasant homes, a place God has called women to manage, and in so doing, their children are affected in their view of the reality of the Living God. This is why many women feel pressure and criticism as they leave the workplace to come home – from the inside as well as from without. The Spirit of God whispers to us His desire for us to be about His business, to raise up our children unto Him, and we must fight a battle to believe Him before we can rest in this truth.

You may be a mother who must be out of the home in order to make ends meet in a single-parent household, in case of illness, or another reason, and though your desire may be to stay home, you are unable. Jesus sees your heart. He will provide as you call on Him to make your time at home effective, and He will help you to teach your children the reality of the God who created all things.

It takes a determination in all women to believe God and rely upon His promises for this daily, privileged work. It is a work of the heart that is continual, around the clock, a work of love that grows and matures as we grow in the Lord.

We often hear that little girls speak when little boys often enjoy making noises instead, and that women generally have more words to say than men. From Deuteronomy 6:7, why do you think God gives an abundance of words to women?

Please list the traits of the tendency of women when we lose vision of our First Love, Jesus (1 Timothy 5:13):

That which is a gift from God intended to instruct and build others up can at times be used in our flesh by the enemy to destroy. Often where we are strongly gifted, we can do the greatest damage as well. Your children desperately need to be taught of the Lord by you. Jesus gave you the very children you have by His will. He doesn’t make mistakes. God doesn’t expect you to be perfect! But when you understand that He is perfect, and believe that He is for you, not against you, you will be able to do the work He gives you wholeheartedly as unto Him, and He will use even the mistakes you make, the times you sin against Him. In the process, your life will become about knowing and trusting God more through His Word, and His life will begin to flow through you to your family. They will see Him at work in you, and they will know God in a new way because of the changes in your life!

Every day counts. Every day. In the routine of fixing beds, cooking meals, washing dishes, reading together, going to the market, planning a new project, washing laundry, weeding the garden, feeding the dog or cat, Jesus will make Himself glorified. He will make His glory, His reality, known to you and to others through the days that He gives you to live. You will begin to have greater integrity so that even when no one is watching or will hear of your activities, you will be about teaching your children Jesus. It will become less about what you do or own and more about Who He is. Your time will take on a purpose for the unseen realm, for the Kingdom of God, not just for the earth. Your time is an investment to be used wisely. “He who wins souls is wise,” Proverbs 11:30.

What does God list as the basic necessities of physical life? See 1 Timothy 6:8.

As a help meet (equal to the task, sufficient) for your husband, part of your work includes supplying these to your family, working with what God provides through your husband.

The last phrase of 1 Timothy 6:17 speaks of God’s heart on even the most basic of our needs. Please write it here:

It is so right to enjoy the everyday tasks that make up life as we know it! To cook healthy meals and provide clothing for our family members is the privilege of a mother. It is part of our role, not less than, but different than our husband’s role in the family. Yet because we are citizens of a Kingdom we cannot yet see, these physical things are a picture of unseen realities for us.

Reading John 6:32-35 and 1 Peter 2:2, what does Jesus long for us to understand as we eat our toasted bagel in the morning, for example, or make sandwiches for lunch, and pour glasses of milk for our children?

Please look up Romans 2:4 and note what it is that leads you, your husband, and your children to repent (to agree with God):

In motherhood, the routine you choose to clean your home, the organization you use as you make supper, and what you do to spend time together are really methods. While they are important, it is not so much how you do it, but why you do it.

Your time has a purpose. Love the Lord your God, and enjoy Him, and He will work in you to love your family to Jesus. Love them by how you serve them. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

“And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me,”” Matthew 25:40.

Let’s close this study time together in prayer!

Lord Jesus, You are the King. Your eyes see everything, and You are intensely interested in the way I live among those you have given me right here at home. Thank You that You have told me You care for me, and that You will give me Your heart for my family if I will only ask, and then stay close to You. All we have, even our very lives belong to You. I have nothing that didn’t come from You, so I am actually a steward of what You own and have lent to me for this time, this place. I have used my mouth to say things that were not intended to lead my loved ones to Your kindness. Please change my heart so that I long for Your words to flow from me to them. I have put more attention on our daily needs than to the strength we truly need from Your Word. Here I am, Lord. You gave Yourself for me. I will trust in You for all I need to give myself to You. Thank You for Your blood, shed for me. Because of You, I can pray. A-men.

Biblical Motherhood: Week One/Day Four Anger or Love

2010-06-10T07:08:00.005-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Anger or Love

Ask the Lord for His perspective today. Let Him speak to you; His Word is your life!
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“Surely the wrath of man shall praise You,” Psalm 76:10.
Our God is so sovereign that even those things we see as worthless He can put to use. That is good news for us because we find a lot that seems troubling to us in this life, and one of those things is human anger. Anger is actually deep fear. Fear can look afraid, or it can take the appearance of rage, but no matter which side the pendulum swings to, it is an attempt to protect ourselves and/or to control others, with no trust in God.

There is righteous anger, which is expressed for someone else, so anger is not always wrong in God’s sight. Especially with older children, there may be a time when you sense them challenge you disrespectfully and ‘instinctively’ know that you must gain them in this specific response, or lose their heart. The heart of God in this matter is not to let go of their will, watching them go on to self destruction, but to draw them back to the place of love within the protection of the family in the Lord. This is a fight for your child’s soul, not against him or her for yourself. It is crucial that we understand the difference so that we can act in line with the heart of God, and perhaps see a step toward restoration for Jesus’ sake.

Righteous anger is not against the heart of God, but human anger is, as we will see in our lesson today. The emotion of anger motivates us to take action; the action we take will reveal our deepest attitude, whether we act in a way to love our child, or an anger which intends to destroy. God’s intention is for us to fight the right battle and win back the child’s heart!

We will use God’s Word to teach us to divide between truth and error so that we have the mind of Jesus in this matter. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” Philippians 2:5.

If this gets uncomfortable for you as you study, don’t think you are alone. Sometimes we need healing where we have been hurt, and sometimes we need to see where we are hurting others, but when we come to the Lord for help, only then can God heal us and lavish on us His grace! This is an opportunity to break up the hard, crusty soil of the heart so that it can be a beautiful garden for the Lord!

Probably every person alive at some time has felt afraid of someone else’s anger or threatened by someone’s attempt to control them. A likely response to this is fear, which tries to protect itself. But the authentic intent of these things from God is to be controlled by His Spirit of love, and to respond in love, entrusting oneself unto God. Every gift from God has a counterfeit, and human fear and anger are just that: counterfeit expressions of great things from God.

Please find Isaiah 30:12. Where we begin to trust in the perversities (counterfeits) of the gifts of God, what is our attitude toward the Word of God?

From Isaiah 30:13, we see that our trust has been misplaced, and it cannot hold up when the wall begins to break. This wall is the protection of God around His people, and our relying on our own methods of dealing with people will leave the wall damaged and broken, and find us open to the enemy.

It would benefit us to realize that when we become angry at our children (unrighteous anger), they can learn anger, or they can obey out of fear, but they cannot gain the grace of God through anger. They cannot grow in the one thing we want so desperately for them, the sweetness of the understanding of Jesus’ payment for them and the freedom that comes from His love! Human anger will deepen the mind of works to gain approval and acceptance.

Please copy James 1:20:

While it is true that our children’s wrongdoing needs correction, it can be done with a heart to see them prosper and not to be crushed or to prove ourselves right. Our words matter a great deal at a time like this. Please look up Proverbs 12:18. What is the difference between the effects of words used at a time of discipline?

Jesus can so change us that our motive for correcting our child is for their good, to build them up against the enemy, for the Lord and in the power of His might! A child can learn to recognize temptation and the tendencies in his or her own heart at quite an early age, and also to identify Jesus as Victor!! They can learn to run to Him early and to find in Him hope instead of judgment, identifying themselves from God’s perspective (if they have received Jesus as their Savior).

This is the meaning of 2 Corinthians 5:16, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

This is how we can identify our motive in the correction of our children. When your children disobey or disrespect you, does the anger you feel move you to belittle your child into submission, to separate them from the family, to shame him/her and raise yourself up as the authority?

Have you been grieved over the lack of love you have for your child(ren)? There is only One who can free us from unrighteous anger, (our own or another’s) and that is Jesus. He is able to break the chains of control and yoke us up with Him! His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30), and that is the rest we need and long for. In order to free us, He must show us our own sin. The way up is down! Humility comes before exaltation; the cross came before the rising from death! But the promise of life is ours if we will travel this way. It will be worth the cost.

If you are depending on oppression to correct your children, it will become a bulging wall for you, and in this place you are susceptible to the attack of the enemy. God wants to build up the wall and restore it so that you will have a right response for those who are in your keeping. Cry out to the Lord for forgiveness and to be washed clean in His Word! Make this the prayer you ask of the Lord in faith! Keep asking until He delivers you! You know you have what you ask because it is His will that His children be set free from bondage!

Maybe you have been crying out to the Lord for a long time, and don’t understand why you still struggle with anger.

Please find Romans 6:6-7 in your Bible. Write here what you must know:
My old flesh has been __________________ with Jesus!

(You may want to write Romans 6:6-7 here.)

From Romans 6:11, find what you must count: (reckon as truth) :
My old nature is _________________. I am _____________ to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)

In Romans 6:13,14, state what you are free to offer:
I offer my ____________ to ____________ as an instrument of _________________. God is my Master (Romans 6:13,14)

Your actions have to do with what you believe, what you think about. To be victorious you must know that your identity is not that person who is angry and mean. That person has been crucified with Jesus. She may scream at you and demand that you scream at others, but you have been bought by a new Master who won you over by love! To confess your sin to Jesus is to refuse to hide the usurper anymore. Fling that door open before the Lord! Let HIM answer that temptation!

How can we do that? We must be prepared ahead of time. First we must know what the lie(s) is/are. Ask Him what lies you have believed. As He tells you, write them here: (If He chooses to wait to reveal them to you, just keep asking, though He takes time. You can continue to study even while you wait, asking in confidence that He will answer you.)

A lie must be met with the truth. This is about how we think. His Word is truth (John 17:17) and He must show us specific truth to give us understanding so that when the tempter comes, we won’t succumb to the lie. The devil comes with the lie, and our flesh, our old nature, is his willing ally. We must identify with our new nature, and our risen King Jesus. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

We must have His Word to answer temptation, that He speaks instead of us. As we believe and obey Him in this, He will supernaturally change us, giving us power to believe Him further and resist the suggestion to be angry, and react in His love instead. Yes, it is absolutely impossible without Him. But with Him, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26) He changes His children so that His life is what flows from us naturally. It is gradual, a process, as we learn to believe Him. Don’t be deceived; there is change and real deliverance from unrighteous anger.

As you read the Bible, ask Him for verses that will replace any lie you have been believing. He is faithful to deliver! Write it/them on a piece of paper to tuck in your pocket, tape by the kitchen sink, attach to your frig door, anywhere you will see it, and commit these things to memory! Act in faith, not frenzy. You are a child of the King, and His deliverance is sure. Walk in confidence in the Lord. When the situation arises, you will be able to resist by knowing the Truth!

The victory is ours in Christ!

Let’s pray together:

Lord God, You alone are the only wise Judge, and You tell me that you can change my heart from believing that I am who You are. You are God; I am not. My ways are death to me and to those I love most, and I don’t want to function this way anymore. Please teach me to replace lies with Your Word so that I will live by Your power, not by mine. Help me to love the children You have given me. Please change our home, that it will be a picture of Your kingdom, a place of Your peace, a haven for all of our family. I trust that You will set me free, and I will wait for You and trust in Your Word. In Jesus’ name, A-men.

Biblical Motherhood: Week One/Day Three Salvation is the Lord’s

2010-06-09T06:48:00.001-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Salvation is the Lord’s

Begin your time today with prayer, that Jesus will be clear to you and that you will fall in love with Him as a result!
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Salvation. It’s quite a word, one that may possibly be misused at times.

According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary it means “The act of saving; preservation from destruction, danger or great calamity. Appropriately in theology, the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death, and the conferring on him everlasting happiness. This is the great salvation. “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.” 2 Cor. Vii. Deliverance from enemies; victory.”

What in this definition means the most to you?

Noah Webster used the Bible to define certain words. It is interesting that he considered God’s Word authoritative even in the intent of language. He wasn’t looking to define words himself, but to know and write their definition on God’s terms.

We’re going to do the same, and it’s a good thing, too, because God has specific meaning to ‘salvation’ and we need to know what He says.

Please write out Psalm 3:8 and see who owns salvation.

What accompanies true salvation?

Psalm 9:14

What is God’s definition of salvation?

Isaiah 12:2

Salvation is not a thing, but a Person!

Can a person enact salvation for another?

Psalm 62:1

Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Why do we need saving? If we could learn righteousness, and do good, and earn God’s approval, wouldn’t that be enough? Can’t we live clean lives and make good choices? Isn’t that why we teach our children, so they will do what is right?

Well, yes, we do, and living this way teaches us how to show kindness to others. These are good things, and that is evident to us. We may do many things that are right and good, but none of them will meet God’s holiness because our motives are not pure. So those good things are not totally good, but done for our own benefit. We are centered on ourselves, and in God’s eyes, that is sinful. We may not think it is, but because He is the Creator He is also the Judge. He knows what selfishness is, and it separates us from Him.

In fact, the Bible teaches us we are born disconnected from Him. Our spirits are stillborn because of the sin of the first man and woman. It is our natural inheritance.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me,” Psalm 51:5.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. To offend God is no small thing, and no good deed can make up for it. That offense reveals that there is a source under it. Just as a row of garden peas reveal that there is are seeds in the ground, there is a sin nature under every act of disobedience. It’s not just the action that is against God, but the nature, the heart that allowed it.

We have one wage coming if we are humans. Please copy the first line of
Romans 6:23:

Death is our reward for the condition of our spirits, and the works and words that come from that condition. Physical death is a picture of the more serious: eternal spiritual death. This spiritual death is an ongoing condition of dying without end for our body, soul, and spirit, apart from God who is Life.

Please also copy the second half of Romans 6:23:

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8.

There is our hope. We have One Way out of our assigned punishment: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me,” John 14:6.

The reason Jesus died on the cross is that “the life of every creature is in its blood” (Leviticus 17:14). Because death is the penalty for sin, blood must be shed in payment. “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” Hebrews 9:22.

How does this exchange take place? If I want to receive what Jesus did in my place, what must I do?

First, acknowledge before God that you need His forgiveness.

And then believe that His death paid the price for you. This believing is called faith.

Then ask Him to come into you: “ Forgive me of my sin, wash me clean, and fill me with Your Spirit of life! I give You my life in exchange for Yours.”

Read the Word of God each day; that’s how God talks to you. Pray to Him; that’s how you talk to Him. And find a church that teaches the Bible in truth. You will find you have family there! The rest of your life will be filled with understanding more and more of what He accomplished on the cross and through the empty grave for you! The inheritance of life that you now receive as a child of God is for this life as well as for eternity.

If you have received Him, welcome to God’s salvation! Welcome to the family of God!

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” John 1:14.

If you have received Him earlier in your life, thank God through prayer and rejoice that your name is written in the Book of Life!

The best is yet to come!

Please pray with me:
Oh Father! Thank You for the Way You have provided so that I can be forgiven and filled with Your life! I am parched and dry on my own, but You quench my thirst. Thank You! I receive what You have done, and I rejoice in Your salvation! Help me no longer to depend on others to make me happy, but to find my satisfaction in You. In Jesus’ precious name, A-men.

P.S. If you have previously received the forgiveness that Jesus offers, can you share this news? It is the best news ever spoken by the human tongue! Keep the message simple: We are separated from God by our sin, Jesus gave Himself to pay for the debt we owe God, and receiving Him into one’s heart brings forgiveness from God and eternal life in heaven! Simple, yet profound!!

Biblical Motherhood: Week One/Day Two The God of Honor

2010-06-08T12:00:00.002-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

The God of Honor
Today we will take a look at honor. This is your study, between you and Jesus. He is with you right now and will stay with you. Ask Him for whatever you need. He is the God of provision!

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“For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place,” 1 Chronicles 16:25-27.
God’s Word says that honor and majesty are before God. They kind of “usher the way” before God is seen. What exactly is honor? In Hebrew the word used in this verse is hadar (haw-dawr’). It means “magnificence, i.e. ornament or splendor: beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honor, majesty.”

God is definitely the Honorable One. In an English dictionary we read that honorable is described this way: “Possessing a high mind; actuated by principles of honor, or a scrupulous regard to probity (virtue), rectitude (correctness of judgment), or reputation.” God is marked by virtue, integrity, strict honesty, and rightness of principle and practice. Mr. Webster includes this note: “The more nearly the rectitude of men approaches to the standard of the divine law, the more exalted and dignified is their character. Want of rectitude is not only sinful, but debasing.” Without such honor, one actually degrades in character and value.

Which definition(s) of honor mean the most to you?

It is God who honors man and gives us worth, value. Life of mankind is valuable to God! He is why your life is precious. He is so in love with you!

Please read Psalm 8:3-9.

The Lord inspired David to write this. From verses 3-5, what made David think of the seeming insignificance of mankind?

Yet, far from insignificant, God has placed great value on mankind. Verse 5 tells us that God places honor and reality on the head of man as a crown (our ability to think).

Please see Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Philippians 4:8. What kind of thoughts would God desire for His children to think?

Psalm 8:5 tells us that God has crowned us with glory and honor, meaning that He has given us authority to think such lofty thoughts, even though we are made a little lower than angels. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read that we are to bring every thought into captivity so that it will obey Jesus. When thoughts come into our minds that dishonor others or rears up against the reality of God, we have the authority to hand them over to God in exchange for His peace. To keep our mind stayed on Him we will need His words to remember, or a song that worships Him (did you know that this is what your ability to ‘hear’ songs in your mind was for?). Do you have certain thoughts that seem to grab hold of your mind and don’t want to let go? Jesus has given you authority to think His thoughts. They are not of degradation, fear, or shame, but thoughts of honor, good judgment, peace, and His reality even though He is unseen.

Not only does God say He honors us in our thought-life, but He has entrusted us with His creation. From Psalm 8:6-8, what are the things God lists through David that He has given man dominion over?

God has so honored us! Now, even more importantly, if you are a human being, you have been given parents. If your parents are gone, you may have someone you look up to. If you are married, you have been entrusted with a man whom God created and loves.

Please write out Exodus 20:12:

There may be situations (i.e. past or present abuse) which require a separation for at least a time, so be in prayer as you consider these questions. These are not designed to lay guilt on you, but to encourage you with an eye on the future. How do you honor your father and mother in actions, whether you are near to them or far away? (If your parents are no longer here, are there others in your life whom this may apply to?)

Is your general heart attitude and thought-life toward your parents honorable?

Read Genesis 2:23-24.

Adam understood that Eve was part of him. God made marriage; it was His plan from the beginning. He is the one who makes two people one flesh.

Do you believe that God has joined your husband and you together as one flesh?

No matter how you feel, it is what you believe that matters, and the truth is that God has joined you and your husband as one! Sometimes you may not know what you believe. Then look for your actions. Actions have a way of speaking louder than words. Wherever we don’t believe God we are believing a lie of the enemy. God sees your husband and you as one flesh and that means you are one in body. You belong to him, and he belongs to you.

From verse 24, is it a parent’s or married child’s responsibility to ‘leave’ in order to ‘cleave’ to one’s spouse?

You cannot cleave to your husband if you continue a childlike relationship with your parents, depending on them as you did in your youth. Yet it is possible to continue to honor your parents, even though you no longer are under their authority. That will require your thought life toward them to be of honor, thinking highly of their good points, and being thankful to God for the provision He gave through them. Pray for your parents daily! That is one way to honor them before the Lord, and if your heart is hard toward them, God will use prayer to enable you to love them in truth!

The same is true in marriage. God uses prayer to heal not only those who are being prayed for, but those who are doing the praying! It is essential to believe the unity that God has created in marriage, and prayer is the key. God says it is true, He has joined us with Himself through faith, and to our husband through marriage, but you must believe it to be protected by God’s authority in these areas!

Ephesians 5:33 God tells a husband to love his wife, but a wife to see that she respects her husband. What does this reveal about the tendency of a wife toward her husband?

Please write Proverbs 31:10-12 here:

Marriage so pictures the relationship with Christ that a woman’s heart for Jesus is actually reflected in her heart toward her husband!

Please copy Philippians 2:4.

Is there an interest of your husband’s which you have resisted joining him in?

From Colossians 3:23 and 24, who is it you actually serve by being interested in your husband’s life?

What is the promise you can count on as you make an effort to walk in unity with your husband? See Philippians 4:19.

Real hope must depend on Jesus. He who instructs a woman to respect and honor her husband also will supply her need so that she can accomplish it!

Where we have failed, we can run to His open arms and know that He does not condemn us, but in the midst of our lack He teaches us to trust His willingness to supply!

At times we need to see an example of honor in person so we can better understand it. Ask Jesus for a glimpse, and He will show it to you. If your heart is to honor others with the honor God has given to you, He will see that you get what you need. If you do not feel honor toward someone, it doesn’t mean you cannot honor them. You begin by confessing to God your lack of honor toward others as sin before Him, and ask Him to put His honor in you! And then wear honor as clothing by your outward actions, and by His power He will change you inside.

If He reminds you to listen, listen. If He nudges you to watch the football game with your husband, do it. You will not always obey Him perfectly. But you are perfectly accepted in Jesus, the Perfect, Honorable One!

And the Lord will enable you to honor others. The woman who honors others finds her desires changing so that she is more concerned with giving honor than receiving it, because she sees the person she is honoring with eyes of compassion. This is a view from the eyes of God, with an eternal perspective.

“Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come,” Proverbs 31:25.
Will you pray with me?

God of the heavens, You are the author of honor. If it wasn’t for You, there would be no such thing as respect among people. You honor me daily with Your attention and care. Thank You for Your Word where You tell me who You are. You respect me as an individual and You don’t override my will. Help me offer it to You freely, to honor You. Because You are God of all honor I am drawn to You. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus’ name, A-men.

Biblical Motherhood: Week One/Day One Honor and Discipline

2010-06-08T11:45:00.001-05:00

(You can read the introduction to this 8 week study here. You can also click the tag at the bottom of this post and all of the Biblical Motherhood posts will be shown to you.)

Honor and Discipline
Before you begin to study, will you ask the Lord to soften your heart to Himself so that you can hear Him speak, and to help you to put your trust in His Word?
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“A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.” Proverbs 10:1
Motherhood! Whose idea is it anyway? What should a mother do with her time? How important is she, really? Some of us have had wonderful, loving mothers, and some of us have had no good example of mothering to follow. But if you are a mother, and you are looking into God’s Word for counsel, you will find help. In Exodus 20:12 we find the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines ‘honor’ as: “To revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to. “Honor thy father and thy mother.” Exodus xx.”

As part of God’s law of love He has said that children should respect their parents. I wonder if sometimes we feel that honor is due us, yet we have not honored our own parents. It is something to ask God about! He knows what is in our hearts. There will be times that we need to do what is right and let God deal with our motive later. Honor is love in action!

So how do we handle this as mothers with children? You cannot make someone love you. Is it right to require the actions of honor from our children?

First, let’s lay some ground work:

The commandments of God are not our rulebook to accomplish. The problem is not with the commands. They are right and beautiful! They are God’s character of love written out in words! The problem is with us and our inability, sometimes our downright rebellion, toward them. This is what the cross is all about. God so loved us that He made a way for us to avoid His punishment for our willfulness. If we will only confess our lack to God with a heart of agreement with Him, and believe that He suffered our punishment for us upon the cross, He forgives our sin. That is what the cross is all about, God making a way for us to be in fellowship with Him! Once we are forgiven, we are cleared by God, past, present, and future, from our sin. However, we will not be able to live perfect lives in practice, but we continue to look to the Perfect One and, in confidence in what He did for us, live free from blame before God. From here on, our efforts to do right are out of love and thankfulness to God, not out of fear of judgment. We are accepted by God! We see something of His holiness and our great need, and we learn to worship Him instead of ourselves or other people.

That being our foundation, is it right to require honor from our children? We need to see this from God’s viewpoint: it is no longer that our children must perform ‘honor’ for them to be good, but to receive Jesus’ sacrifice and that He is good that makes them acceptable before God. They should be accepted by us unconditionally because of the mercy we have found at the cross of Jesus! So to honor their parents now becomes the way of safety and love for them. To tell them they must honor their parents is now done on their behalf, for their good, not to establish our reputation!

The lack of honor we may see in our children now becomes our area of prayer for them, and a warning for us to love the child by correction – and God does mean love. Discipline dished out in human anger will never work love and faith in the child’s heart. “For man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires,” James 1:20.

When we demand that our children perform obedience without error, they will respond in anger. “The law brings about wrath,” Romans 4:15.

And it is no wonder! To demand their perfection brings them to a hopeless condition of guilt and heaviness! How should we deal with our children in their imperfection?

How did Jesus deal with you? He met you with love and a way for you to be forgiven: His own mercy brought Him to the cross.

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” Romans 2:4.

You bring your children to the cross of Jesus where you come together on equal footing. You all have equal access to God there; no one is more valuable or less.

There God becomes the focus. There is God’s heart of grace: His exchange for our sin.

Any correction you give your child should be given with a heart to see them connected with God and in love with Him. And because you are a picture of God to your child, they should have reason to trust that you are for them, not against them. Never should children be corrected to demean them, to discourage or harm them, or to prove that you are right and they are wrong. Discipline serves to love someone back to the love of God in Jesus.

Love is sometimes different than we think. God is love. Look at Him. He was gentle to the hurting, extended healing and understanding to the weak and those burdened by guilt or sickness. To those who insisted on their own goodness and their right to judge God, to those who responded to Him in resistance and anger and lived lives of prospering themselves while demeaning others, He did not whitewash them, even to their faces. He dealt with them with clear vision. No longer was He the tender Shepherd, but the warrior King who fights for His people with a determination that they see their own dangerous condition and return to Him. We have an enemy who prowls around, seeking to devour us. But God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. If we will change our mind to agree with Him, we will see that we were following one who is bent on our destruction, and it will be with thanksgiving that we respond, and we will be better able to identify the smooth flattery of the adversary next time. That is what love sees and demonstrates: a willingness to put our own pleasure on the line for the saving of the one in need. Love is self-sacrificing, focused on the character of our great God, doing everything we can to train up those whom the Lord has given us to know Him and follow Him.

When is discipline needed?

Someone wisely collected behavior that should not be tolerated into three categories: danger, direct disobedience, and disrespect.

For a child to be behaving in a dangerous manner would mean exposing himself or others to loss or injury. There is a reckless lack of care involved.

A disobedient child will refuse to do what her parents have commanded her to do, or will do what they have said not to. It is referred to as ‘direct disobedience’ here because the motive will need to be discovered; there are times when a child disobeys out of mistake, and that is not cause for corrective discipline.

Disrespect doesn’t regard another person with honor, does not esteem them with consideration. It causes discredit, disgrace, and often leads one to treat another with “neglect or a degree of contempt,” (Webster’s 1828).

These are good to remember and you will need to exercise discernment to recognize them in your child. Just ask Jesus: “Lord, what do you think of this? Is this action/attitude harmful for my child?”

It is noteworthy that our enemy is named “the father of lies” by Jesus in John 8:44. Jesus said, “When he lies, he speaks his native language.” If our children have embraced the habit of lying, they will easily be lied to by the enemy. We must be in prayer, asking God for wisdom and discernment. He is the only One who can tell us if what we are hearing is of Him or not. He will answer! Trusting that our children are telling us the truth is essential for a good relationship with them, and will remain so for all of our lives. So be faithful to correct them when they lie! And explain to them God’s heart on this matter, and give them hope of His love which they do not earn, but He gives to them freely. Tell them that Jesus defends us when we sin (“...if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One,” 1 John 2:1.) and that our response should be of love for Him!

What should I do to correct our children?

“The punishment should fit the crime.” Have you heard this saying? It is fitting here in raising up our children. Children know the difference between authentic love and feigned love in discipline. The trouble is that while God is at work in us, changing us, we still need to be faithful to do the work He’s given us to do. That means we will do it wrong at times. We will become angry inside and still need to talk with our children, and to discipline them. You may have felt that because you are angry you cannot do anything, so you let the situation pass and the child go uncorrected. But God has something to say about this: “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death,” Proverbs 23:13,14.

Precious Mother, understand that God is calling us to lovingly swat the bum of our children when it is necessary to save them from spiritual death. Yes, it will be uncomfortable for you and yes, the child may cry and even be angry. There will be times when you have given 2 or 3 swats to the seat to correct your child, but know you have acted out of anger rather than love. Then confess it before God and hug that child and do not apologize for the spanking, but for the anger! Jesus will so change you that you will be able to discipline (vocally or physically) in such a way that healing and restoration is brought to the family. Pray, pray and ask God to help you to know how to discipline your child as unto Him. Give yourself a swat to see how it feels. Remember that true love does not come naturally to any of us. Our “love” is self-serving, even though it may look good. But God’s love sacrifices itself on our behalf, and that is the heart of discipline!

You will also want to ask before disciplining your child, what really happened. “It is not good to punish an innocent man,” Proverbs 17:26. Sure, it takes time. That’s all right with God. In fact, He’s pleased when you do what you can to love one another. If your child understands why he is being corrected there won’t be confusion and much less anger about the issue. It is vital that a child feel valued and loved, even at times of correction. To be upheld, treasured, and invested in – that is how Jesus wants us to understand His thoughts toward us as He chastises us. That is how our children should consider our actions as well. That is what our actions should say.

Rejection through silence and separation should not be part of a remedy (the “cold-shoulder” treatment). Your hope is to draw the child close, not to push him away. To send a child, with this attitude of rejection, to his/her bedroom for an extended amount of time to ‘think about it’ can be an invitation for sexual sin. You may have heard the saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” Even while there may be times you or your child need a few minutes to ‘cool down’ first, be prompt, though not hasty, to remedy the situation or attitude.

“The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother,” Proverbs 29:15. In God’s Word He counsels us to give several swats to the bum (the rod) and to give correction by speech (rebuke) in order to raise up a child in wisdom. The heart motive of the parent to love and win the child’s heart is what makes this correction what it is intended to be. He has also given mankind good minds and creativity because a spanking is not always called for.

But He would have a parent to be effective in training up her children, not just a clanging cymbal. Badgering with words is not love, and it can only bring heaviness to all those involved. It is a mistake to think that a mere reminder will change the will of a child. God knows this, and so He tells us over and again in the book of Proverbs to be diligent, and that He endorses a spanking to bring about a heart of obedient love. He does not approve or condone harsh treatment, physical or verbal abuse, or the flaunting of parental authority, but He desires for parents to love their offspring and Him enough to do their utmost to raise up their children! We must go to Him for the insight to do this His way! Ask the Lord for ideas! He is glad to give you what you need through a variety of ways, but most of all, He will speak through His Word. He speaks clearly about discipline in the book of Proverbs, and He tells us to not neglect the rod in dealing with rebellion.

There may be times of outright rebellion, when privileges can be revoked from your teenaged child while you seek the Lord (along with your husband, if he so desires). Ask God to soften your child’s heart, and for wisdom from Him in dealing with the situation. There are not cookie cutter answers, but there is a way that seems right to a man that leads to death, and that way is rebellion. You seek the Lord, and He will answer you and give you the strength to see your child through the difficulty until times of refreshing come from the Lord!

What about creativity in discipline? There are times when we face frustration, though we are not sure that our child is rebelling. Maybe children who are old enough to pick up their rooms easily leave their areas a disaster. They may not have strong organization skills and tend to feel overwhelmed. A way to help your able child who has no desire to keep things tidy may be through their allowance. Instead of cleaning up the room for the child, Mother may put the items in a basket where they may be purchased out with some of the child’s allowance money. This can be done with a positive attitude on both of their parts as you look at the situation as an opportunity for your child to gain a view of Jesus in this correction in his or her life, and the child learns that he is not condemned for being disorganized or even for laziness, but will not be allowed to continue in it because of love. Encouraging words of correction go a long way.

Another idea may be to have an “ice cream jar.” It can be a tool even for teenagers when reminding them of good manners. If your teenager chews with his mouth open, or habitually forgets to sit with good posture, or doesn’t rise at the appointed time in the morning, you may want them to put (i.e.) fifty cents (with an additional fifty cents for each following occurrence) in the ice cream jar, not out of spite, but as a helpful reminder to do these things on their own. Some evening when there is enough money for each person in the family to have an ice cream cone, you can enjoy a treat together, and remember to thank them! It is a picture of good things coming from the training they receive. Money can’t buy good manners, but it can be used to help us remember to love others in common ways. (Nic's Note: Lisa Welchel has a great book out about Creative Discipline that you can pick up at any Christian Bookstore or order online)

And so discipline is not only correction for negative behavior, but is also positive, training up a child in the way he should go. To disciple someone is to take them along with you in life, passing along the things you value, teaching your child the tasks you want them to help you with in the home, communicating life to him/her. It requires spending time together doing ordinary things; washing dishes, getting the mail, picking up, folding laundry, preparing and eating meals, going to the market, as well as times of rest; making popcorn and watching a movie, taking a drive, walking together, playing a board game or stopping at a friend’s or Grandparent’s house. All the way along from infant days through teenage years, children need time together with their parents. There is a saying: “More is caught than taught.”

Let’s look at the dictionary again: “Discipline: education; instruction; cultivation and improvement, comprehending instruction in arts, sciences, correct sentiments, morals and manners, and due subordination to authority,” (Webster’s 1828).

Have you been disobedient to the Lord in this area of life? Are there disciplines that you need to cultivate in your own life before you can pass them on? You can’t give something to your children that you don’t have. This is not about performing to a certain level and teaching them to do this, too. No, it is crying out to God for forgiveness and trusting in what He accomplished on the cross on your behalf. It is then trusting Him to work in you what you cannot do! You cannot obey His law of love! So you tell Him so, and ask Him to do it in and through you, and then you do whatever He tells you, step by step. But make no mistake, it will be His power to accomplish this change, not yours. You can rest, trusting Him, and if He nudges you to speak kindly when you do not feel like it, or to count someone else better than yourself when you want to be about your own interests, or to take your child’s hand and help him pick up the toys, you can do that, and He will be working love in your heart as you obey Him.

You have a measure of faith given to you by God Himself. You can place that faith in whatever or whomever you choose. Genuine faith in the Living God cries out to Him instead of trying to do better (promoting self) or buying the next secular book on raising children (promoting others).

Do you want to hear from God? Read His Word! Start at the beginning of any of the 66 books of the Bible (ask Him where) and read each day until you finish that book and can begin another. When you’ve read the whole Bible, start again!

Pray as you read. Ask God questions or thank Him as you read. Write things down. Study to know Him. Morning, evening, whatever works best for you. Just be sure to meet with Him – do it. He will meet you and bless you in it!

“Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death,” (Proverbs 19:18).

“He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly,” (Proverbs 13:24).

“He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray,” (Proverbs 10:17).

Will you pray together with me?

Dear Father, Thank You for the way you love me, tenderly and with loving interest and concern, but with great fervor to see that I am kept safe from my own destructive tendencies. Help me to love my children this way. Cause me to hunger for Your precious Word! Keep me close to You so I will stay in Your Word and prayer each day. You are my life! In Jesus’ name, A-men.

Intro to Biblical Motherhood

2010-06-08T10:26:00.004-05:00

So, in one of my online groups, I have signed up to do an 8 week course called Biblical Motherhood – BTW, it is not a published course at this time but might be in the future. I was blessed enough to receive a copy of the book and it is so very amazing that I am going to be posting the study so that every one of my wonderful mommy blog friends can follow along.

This study is for mothers and grandmothers, biological, adopted, foster, etc. Really, for anyone who has influence in the lives of children.

It actually started last week, however, I KNOW this will be beneficial for everyone. The more I think about it, the more I'm considering approaching my church to see about teaching this there or starting a "small group" with it.

Today I will post the topics/introduction and Week One, Day One and Week Two, Day Two so that we can play "catch up". Please feel free to discuss what you have received from this study in each of the comment sections for the individual posts.

Also, on the weekend following the 5 days of lessons you are welcome to post about what you learned or what God has brought to you during the previous week's lesson.

B/C this comes from a book, I'll keep the headings, but not the page numbers as these will be blog posts.

I hope several of you will join me on this journey and see what Biblical Motherhood is all about!

BTW, if you participate, please consider grabbing the button and putting it on your sidebar and include your name in the Mr. Linky below.

Biblical Motherhood:
Loving Her Family, Teaching Her Children

Table of Contents
Introduction
Preface
Verses to Memorize

Week One
Honor and Discipline
The God of Honor
Salvation is the Lord’s
Anger or Love
Time With Purpose

Week Two
Mother, the Helper
Criticism vs. Hope
The Inheritance
Yoked Together (Part I)
Yoked Together (Part II)

Week Three
Mother, the Student
“Who Are You, Lord?”
Authentic or Counterfeit?
Open Heart, Open Eyes
Links of Approval

Week Four
Mother, the Restful
Have I Missed God’s Plan?
Who Gains?
Our Guarantee
Effective Rest (Proverbs 31)

Week Five
Mother, the Teacher
Fleshy Fear/Godly Fear
The Sea
Seeking Precious Gold
My Profession

Week Six
Mother, the Visionary
The Name, the Word, the Life
Mother and the Law
Our Likeness: the World or Jesus?
Evidence of Faith

Week Seven
Mother, the Homemaker
Traditions of a Vessel Unto Honor
Gullible No Longer!
The Rebel and the Road
Building Your House

Week Eight
Mother, the Called
The Wall
Called to Occupy
Practical Living
Being Certain

List of Resources
***
Introduction

Dear Mother,

This Bible study is written for you. It is your journey as much as it is mine. Jesus goes before us, He goes with us, and will never leave nor forsake us.

How can we take courage in this great privilege of raising our children? It is much too great a responsibility to see through in our own strength. We need God – the God who hears our prayers, who knows how we feel before we do, and who is never surprised at us and will never give up on us, who comes alongside us to hold us up and empower us to love and to draw near to Him, and in so doing, draw near to those He loves. We need the God who will forgive our sins and cleanse our conscience. It isn’t His love that will forgive and cleanse us. It is His blood, which He shed upon the cross.

It is in this power that I write to you. It is in this God I trust. He rose from the dead, and will enable us to live that kind of life, free from the wrappings of the world that so easily entangle us. Inside of us, after we have received His sacrifice on our behalf, we can live the life that He always intended for us to have, full of love, forgiveness, joy, peace: peace with God Himself.

After all the effort we have poured out, none of it matters unless it is grounded in His reality. How can what we do last past this life? How can we be healed, and raise up our children to be connected with the Healer Himself, to live lives of purpose, wisdom, and love?

It is in this hope that this study is in your hands.

Drink deeply and be satisfied!

Unless otherwise stated, all quotes are taken from the New King James and New International versions of the Bible. Italics have at times been added for emphasis.

-MOTHERHOOD
***
What is my work to be as a mother? What should my days be like? Is there a certain way to dress? How should I think of my children? How should I talk to them, and teach them what they need to know? How do I know what they need? What does God think of motherhood? Does He say much about mothering in the Bible? How much of motherhood is actually teaching? How can I know God in order to ask Him? Will He really talk to me?

As a mother you may have many questions, and you will find that many people have differing opinions. But God doesn’t change, and He has much to say to us in His Word about our lives – specific things that change the way we see Him and ourselves; things that give us hope! Because He made us, He knows how we best operate overall as humans, and also as individuals. He knows your makeup – your special talents, interests, abilities, thoughts. He made you! He made you who you are, and He loves you so much.

Whether you are a student wanting a Godly understanding of education, a mother with the longing to love her family well, a Grandmother whose desire is to be a Godly influence on her loved ones’ lives, or are wondering what Jesus is like, I pray that this study will be enlightening to you, and will encourage you on your journey. Remember that at whatever age you or your children are, now is the time to look to the Lord for His counsel! If you feel you have failed, take heart! The Maker of heaven and earth is the God who delights to “restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,” Joel 2:25.

You may hear a lot of information, but believing it is another matter. Pray as you study. Ask God to help you to understand what He would say to you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a Christian for many years or whether you don’t yet know God. If you will come truly seeking Him, He will answer you. He is pleased when you come to Him for help. He is the God who sees you, and meets you right where you are.

Verses to Memorize
Your study will be fulfilled as you choose to commit these verses to your memory! Whether you tape your verse by the kitchen sink, rewrite it each day, or repeat it aloud alone or with your children, you will be greatly encouraged as you memorize these words from Jesus!

Week One:
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Week Two:
Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Week Three:
Matthew 11:29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Week Four:
Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Week Five:
1 John 4:16, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”

Week Six:
Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Week Seven:
Colossians 3:23, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Week Eight:
1 John 4:4, ”He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”