Walking Therein

Cracked

7:17 PM, Monday, February 4, 2008 .. Posted in Wisdom from the WORD .. 6 comments .. Link

There is now a lovely crack in our laptop screen. It is about a two-and-a-half inch set of cracks in the top right corner. It happened a couple of days ago, and frankly, right now, I am working around it. It is hardly noticeable. It really bothered me the first 24 hours, and I kept looking at it, shaking my head, saying, I can't believe she did that. Wondering what I was going to tell Matt. Thankful we bought insurance.

Now, I am making accommodations, like making the windows smaller so that the crack doesn't interfere with re-sizing the windows or closing them. I can still see the clock and date, so that is ok. It is not affecting anything else on the display as long as I keep it out of that little area.

A crack in my laptop screen. 'How did that happen?' you might wonder. It happened because of carelessness. It was unintentional, but it was not being handled in a careful way, being protected, and it was dropped. And the 'fluid' around the cracks is black and has seeped into part of the screen.

As I sit here working around it, I am kind of appalled that I have already gotten a little used to it. Yesterday, I was lamenting how I couldn't believe it had been dropped and that is was all black in that area of the screen. I was worried, because I didn't know if it was going to spread and cover the entire screen, so I hurried and downloaded all of our files onto a flash drive. Now, I am less concerned. But, I know that I *am* concerned, so what is that about?

It's been over 24 hours, and I know it needs to be fixed, but I *need* to work on the laptop too. And that got me thinking, Do we notice the cracks in our lives? Do we ignore them? Do we work around them? Do they become something we get comfortable with, maybe even make excuses for?

What cracks are in your life today?

A crack in the foundation of a house will bring it down. It might not be right away, but it will erode and bring the house down. If we allow cracks in our lives, whether it be our personalities, our schedules, our hearts, our relationships... any number of things we can allow to crack, we are asking for the destruction of that foundation. Even if it takes awhile to fall down, the erosion will be visible in any structure that has a crack in its foundation.

There are many things that can cause a crack. Pressure will cause a crack. Negligent actions will cause a crack. Lack of proper care and attention will cause a crack.

Something we need to remember is that the cracks in our lives are not as hidden as we may think they are. If you are a young adult, then your parents more than likely see your sin. Your brothers and sisters see your sin. Your best friends see your sin. You may think you have them fooled, but parents who are close to their children already know. They are watching you to love and help you in your walk. Your friends can see. It doesn't matter what you say or what you don't say. A real friend will say, "Hey, there's a crack there." Kinda' like a real friend will tell you when you have food in your teeth. If they don't tell you, don't think you are pulling one over on them. Maybe they are too busy thinking you are as great as you think you are. Or worse yet, maybe they just don't care.

1 John 3:17-19

17But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

When we are talking about our very souls, the cracks are caused by sin. The only cure for our sin is repentance and forgiveness. That is a simple answer. When we are talking about cracks in those other areas, we are still talking about sin. I mean, let's call it what it is. It is not a character flaw or "I am who I am" or a bad habit. It is uncontrolled sin in my life. That seems so complicated when we think about all of the bad habits and sinful tendencies we have. We want to take our bad habit and analyze it and pray that it goes away and try to correct it. Really, we need to admit our sin and just repent and turn from it.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I have been looking at those cracks in the screen a little closer today. They have not spread, but the 'inky' look is changing. I can't use my toolbar on the side of the screen. I still have to make sure nothing is opened on it, so I can see the whole window. That sure is a whole lot of working around something that can just be taken in and fixed. But, not near as much working around as I do when I dance around my own sin, instead of repenting and just giving it to the Lord.

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

blessings!

Those HOMESCHOOL Kids!

2:42 AM, Monday, June 4, 2007 .. Posted in Wisdom from the WORD .. 3 comments .. Link

Here is something some of our very own hsb young adults are doing. Take a LOOK:

May. 31, 2007
NJAO

____________________________________________________

Well, I’ve got some good news. My site NotJustanOpinion.com is up and running! Besides myself, there are five other highly qualified contributors: Paul Suarez, Jocelyn Dixon, Amanda Dixon, Timothy Estabrooks, and Amanda Read. I’ve coauthored the first entry with Miss Jocelyn and we’ve posted it as well! Here are some excerpts from “Keepers of the Home or Defenders of the Workplace”

From the Intro

“Should women be the keepers of the home? This subject is widely pondered, debated, and disputed. We’re going to give a few scripture references, and then a commentary after each one. This should clarify why women being keepers of the home is Not Just an Opinion.”

From Miss Jocelyn’s Section

“Satan knows that God intended the woman to be at home, but over the centuries Satan has watered it down so much that we cannot tell if it’s water or wine.”

From My Section

“Solomon, one of the wisest men that ever lived said that one of the many character flaws of the adulteress is that she doesn’t stay at home. Doesn’t that make you wonder if women should be keepers of the home?”

What Others Have Said About This Article

“As a keeper of my home, I SO appreciate this post! Over the last few months, God has been encouraging me and reminding me of the “holiness” of my calling. Sometimes in the business of laundry, cleaning, schooling, etc., that purpose gets a little lost, know what I mean? So thanks for the Biblically sound reminder…”

Read the Post and Comments Here

I love these kids. They are all pretty wonderful!!!!

Be Blessed!!
Jacque

Ruth - A Book About Family

6:15 PM, Sunday, April 1, 2007 .. Posted in Wisdom from the WORD .. 0 comments .. Link

There was a question on a yahoo group I am a part of, and as I answered it, I realized how important some of these aspects of the Book of Ruth are...

I had just read over a synopsis of the Book of Ruth that morning. It is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Oh, to be as gentle, as loving and as kind as Ruth...

Ruth, being a Moabitess, was not raised to follow the customs of the Israelites. Yet, when she married into a family of Israelites, she embraced them as her family. We often do not realize - or forget - that she married into a different family than her own and embraced their God, their ideals, their way of life. She never looked back. She was faithful.

She valued God and served Him in the land of her ancestors who did not. She embraced Him and His Word and loved the family - the mother-in-law - that God had given her, even when her husband died. She valued her family and their customs and culture when she was released from her marital 'obligation' and told by her mother-in-law that she should find someone else to marry. She could have chosen to follow her sister-in-law and removed herself from the presence of her bitter mother-in-law, but rather, she chose to love her as a friend and daughter, as family.

She again proved that she valued God's placement of her into this family by traveling to a land she did not know. She then heeded Naomi's advice to glean in Boaz's fields, a man she did not know, because he was a part of her family. She respected him and Naomi in all she did, honoring God. God rewarded her, as did Boaz, for her faithfulness and love for her God and her family.

Perhaps the biggest explanation and description in the Book of Ruth of valuing family is the fact that this is a mirroring of Jesus being our Kinsman-Redeemer. Boaz did not have the familial right to just marry Ruth. In the line of family, she "belonged to" another relative. Boaz had to go to this man and purchase - or ransom - her from this other male relative in line ahead of him.
This is what Jesus did for us. He paid for those of us who are not in His family and ransomed us from the true "owner" of our lives. He sacrificed so that we could be grafted into His family.

Blessings!

-Jacque

Wisdom Cries Out- How Will You Answer Her Calls?

6:05 PM, Wednesday, January 10, 2007 .. Posted in Wisdom from the WORD .. 2 comments .. Link

Proverbs 1
LADY WISDOM:
    20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
    21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

CALLING:
    22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?
    and the scorners delight in their scorning,
    and fools hate knowledge?

THE PROMISE:
    23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

IF YOU REFUSE:
    24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
    25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
    26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
    27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
    28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
    29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
    30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
    31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
    32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

THOSE WHO HEAR HER CALL:
    33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

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Walking Therein

Cracked

Those HOMESCHOOL Kids!

Ruth - A Book About Family

Wisdom Cries Out- How Will You Answer Her Calls?

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