|
A Life of Balance
Sep. 4, 2006
Grace Based Parenting
So the lovely javamama read this book called "Grace Based Parenting" by Tim Kimmel. And every time she wrote a blurb on it, the Lord convicted me, or inspired me, or encouraged me, so I decided I really needed this book.
This is after deciding I was DONE with parenting books. Although I hadn't read many, the ones I read I "jumped on the bandwagon" so to speak, and ended up frustrated, insecure, angry at my children and me, etc. BECAUSE I put my trust in a book instead of Father God to guide me!! (Duh!) I don't well with the whole "gleaning" concept!! I usually swallow the whole thing, and wonder what I was doing BEFORE I read the oh-most-enlightening book!!
Well, just the first chapter has SO blessed me. I have parented too often in the past, with fear as my motivating factor. What will the non-Christians think of me / my child? What will the Christians think of my parenting / my child? (poor kids! - having to suffer the effects of my pride!) If I don't do it just right will they still love me? Will the boys love each other? What if they are praying to God fake and they don't mean it? Is there evil going on in their hearts I can't see? How do I really know what they are thinking?
Ok that's enough, you get the idea. We children of God, of all people, should not be doing ANYTHING out of fear!! If you were to put Jesus' teachings under topics, the largest list would go to the "Do not fear..." statements (I didn't count... he did I'm assuming). With all the promises we have from Him, from Father God, from His Spirit... with the list of things that we are and have "in Chirst" (see Ephesians!!)... why are we fearful? ok why am I fearful??
SO anyway. great book so far, after the first chapter!! :)
|
Comments
(0) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Aug. 27, 2006
fatih and prayer
Oddly enough, this questioning is not coming from a faith crisis, though I am sure some people deal with this during one.
How does prayer affect... anything, (besides our spirits / emotions)? Does it really change anything? How much does our faith have to do with the outcome? Do we pray to change us? or the world? Or to "make" or "allow" God to do something? Is it just to remind ourselves of His Sovereignty? And nothing else? Has He given us any "power"? (we could pick that last one apart... lets not, you probably know what I mean)
Can we really ask anything in His name? ask, and we will receive? (Matthew 7: 7-8) Are all things possible to those who believe? (Mark 9:23) if we "believe that those things which he saith will come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith"... Really? (Mark 10:23) ... so, "He who believes in Me (Jesus) the works that I do shall he do also... and even greater things" - no way!! (John 14:12) ... whatever I bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven... ? me? (Matthew16:19)
Where does His Sovereignty fit into the previous verses? I am NOT questioning His Sovereignty (that church-ese word, that is so important and beautifully describes much of God)
Those are only a FEW of the many verses peppered through out the New Testament. I want to pray with power, with purpose, with faith, and yet you know what holds me back? "What if I am arrogant? What if I am wrong? What if it doesn't happen like I prayed for? " (not a lot of faith in those questions)
Well, then... so what. I have lost NOTHING... so God, I believe!!! Help my unbelief!! For I want to experience ALL you have for me, not the tiny bit I have allowed so far in my scewerred view of Your Sovereignty... somehow managing to skip and ignore the majority of the Gospels, half of the New Testament, and chaulking up the whole Old Testament to... well, you know the Old Testament!
God, You are SOVEREIGN... and in Your sovereignty You made those statements and promises to us.
|
Comments
(5) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Aug. 25, 2006
His Divine Hour for me
|
Following is this morning's "Divine Hours"... I have had an awful morning, after a sleepless night, and the last few days of an incredibly short temper. Its scares me, quite frankly, and thismorning I could not forgive myself or let it go and was consumed with telling Satan's lies to myself. How sweet to read these scriptures this morning and experience God's forgiveness and peace and HOPE for a changed heart. Anger is always a symptom of something else... and that is what I will be seeking God for...
But I will call upon God,* and the LORD will deliver me. In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament,* and he will hear my voice. He will bring me safely back . . .* God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me. Psalm 55:17ff O LORD, I call to you; my Rock, do not be deaf to my cry;* lest, if you do not hear me, I become like those who go down to the Pit. Psalm 28:1 I put my trust in your mercy;* my heart is joyful because of your saving help. Psalm 13:5 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven,* and whose sin is put away! Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt,* and in whose spirit there is no guile! Psalm 32:12 In the due course John the Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in the desert of Judaea: Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Matthew 3:12 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven,* and whose sin is put away! Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt,* and in whose spirit there is no guile! Psalm 32:12 There Is a Voice of Rebellion Deep in the Heart of the Wicked There is a voice of rebellion deep in the heart of the wicked;* there is no fear of God before his eyes. He flatters himself in his own eyes* that his hateful sin will not be found out. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful,* he has left off acting wisely and doing good. He thinks up wickedness upon his bed and has set himself in no good way;* he does not abhor that which is evil. Psalm 36:14 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven,* and whose sin is put away! Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt,* and in whose spirit there is no guile! Psalm 32:12 O God, come to my assistance! O Lord, make haste to help me! Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name. May your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. The Prayer Appointed for the Week Almighty God, who has given your only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin and also an example of his godly life: Give me grace that I may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit and also daily endeavor myself to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Concluding Prayer of the Church
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
|
Comments
(0) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Aug. 12, 2006
Preparing for the homeschool day?
How do I prepare for my day?
Not well. The best thing I have
started is not Bible reading. Though
that is good, and if something pops out to cling to all day even better. BUT the thing that prepares me is prayer. Not seeking.
Submitting. Literally lifting my
hands up, open palms, letting my day go, hour by hour, minute by minute
giving
each one to God, and asking Him to overflow with His Spirit
The Spirit that dwells in me
that is the
source of all good Fruit! The stuff my
kids need to eat all day.
Love, Joy, Peace,
Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control
The ONE
fruit of the ONE Spirit in its many varied and all encompassing textures and
flavors. Mmmm.
|
Comments
(4) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Aug. 9, 2006
Humbled
LOTS, non-stop, phone calls, have showed it many times, some have taken applications, some have left applications filled out. And yet, we still wait for a tenant for the sparkling clean unit downstairs... sparkling cause of me. I will boast. It was really hard work. If only my house could be so sparkling... one day I hope to get around to cleaning the outside of my cupboards, SCRUB the linoleum, wash all the walls and windows... for now, we'll go for getting the laundry folded, dishes clean and put away, vacuuming and , oh yeah, its past time to do the bathrooms.
It amazes me how much I am struggling with FEAR right now. It seems so, not like me. It is so... HUMBLING. ick. no wait. humbled is GOOD, right?
"Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord (or get humbled... it doesn't matter so much how you get humble, I imagine, just as long as you are! :) )and He will lift You up" ... higher and higher... and higher and higher... and higher and higher...
I thought that meant like... exalted or something. ok. If you have been humbled, in fear, distraught, by sin, whatever... you really couldn't care less about being exalted!! You just want your heart to have peace, and joy, relief... to KNOW you stand on a FIRM ROCK... so high above life's circumstances... so far above earthly fears and fleshly instincts that they don't touch you. Because you are SAFE on God's SOLID ROCK, wrapped in His arms, in the shelter of His wings, distracted by His presence, ABIDING in His love...
Humbled is a good thing.
|
Comments
(1) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Jul. 2, 2006
"Choosing Home" tangent on freedom in Christ
over at Choosing Home, they are discussing the woman's role in the church / and home... in general I think. Molly gave the following example:
The paradox of faith and works being similar to the paradox of submission and equality. Which I agree with. Her first post covers Genesis 2. That makes total sense in a "hard to understand" kind of way. You know, one of those glorious mysteries of God!!
What that means as far as the NT and other stuff goes, is another issue, though related. No matter what your opinion on women in leadership in the church, Genesis 2 is still Genesis 2. And its beautiful. I am looking forward to hearing more of what she is learning in her Scripture studies!!
The curse... why did Jesus die and rise again for us? Forgiveness, yes. to go to heaven, yes. but that is not all!
He died that we would be FREE to live life to the FULL... overflowing with the fullness of Him. We don' t have to wait for heaven to experience that life. Will it be better in heaven?... 100times and more so because we will no longer be living on the earth, Satan's kingdom. We will no longer have to make the choice to submit our flesh to the Spirit, because our old fleshly bodies will be GONE.... BUT we do have the one who dwells in us, and that Holy Spirit, (the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus) - empowers us to live as Jesus... Jesus on earth was not subject to the curse, just as we do not need to be subject to the curse. I THINK! - I haven't really studied "the curses" - though I know what they are. But I think that it would apply just like the rest of life.
This is a bold statement, that I am sure might cause some eyebrow raises. But I believe that we have the Spirit of God, so that we can walk and live JUST LIKE JESUS lived and walked in the Bible. So now, if you go read a gospel, and see how that looks. It is NOT how we live our Christian lives. For that matter go read Acts. If that is a book to show us what the early church is like, and how we should be... our Western church is sadly lacking in some key foundational principles and belief systems!! Our world view does not include a lot of who God is and wants to be in our lives. I think we have so boxed him up, and made our theology and Biblical interpretations fit our parameters.
this post is a bit of everything I suppose... ramblings... I welcome your comments!! That includes my pastor and missionary brother-in-laws / family / sisters... come one. What do you think?
|
Comments
(2) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
May. 3, 2006
Psalm 116
I have the most gargantuan (is that a word?) boil. aagh!! it is so painful, and not seeming to go anywhere very fast, in a very inappropriate place that makes it hard to sit!! I am a little frustrated and concerned about this. After Thaddeus was born and I had been 10 weeks on IV antibiotics, I had a large assortment of infections, manifesting themselves in different ways all over my body. It was all very strange. BUT I thought it was gone and done. APPARENTLY - maybe not - or maybe this is different. Anyway. Here is my version of Psalm 116.
v 1-4
I love the Lord, because He has opened his ears to me... He has proved to me His love and presence in my life when I have needed it, and even when I haven't been desperate! He saved me before I even understood what I was being saved from. In my darkest and most tragic night, He held me until dawn and beyond.
v5-11
Our God is gracious, righteous and yet compassionate - I'll show you!!! In my deepest humility and shame, He preserved me!! He consistently returns my heart of turmoil, stress and doubts to that restful place before Him. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living!!!
v12-19
What on earth could I give to God for all the things showered on me by Him?
Father God, King of Kings, I commit to be Your servant, living as Your child, a daughter of the King. In all things I "drink" to Your glory (cheers). I look forward to my coming home to Your kingdom in heaven, and yet here on earth, with the kingdom of God in me, I will walk the life of freedom you have made possible. When I don't feel like it, I will STILL give You thanks. I will do this in the quietness of my heart and I will do this in the gathering of believers and unbelievers alike, that they also may PRAISE You as Lord!!
|
Comments
(4) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Apr. 13, 2006
parenting
Nope, I'm not going to talk about Pearls or gentle parenting or any other book or philosophy. This year has been a most incredible time of me learning how much I don't value the mom and me as much as I thought I did. How much I did NOT realize just what a huge role I played in my kid's spiritual growth, and social skills, etc. etc. Kind of embarassing to admit really. I assume there are others out there like me who look at their parenting mind and gasp in horror at times.
Parenting books, philosophies of one kind or another... parenting ideas. SO MUCH of my few years of parenting have been spent wondering what the neighbors / friends / church people / family / etc. will think of my kids and my parenting... yeah, mostly my parenting... yup. self centered. It is true. BUT amazingly enough...
GOD ISN"T THROUGH WITH ME!!! self centered, proud, angry, (not the righteous kind), self pitied, manipulative, inconvenienced me... yup, changing me from the inside out. Changing my thought patterns, not just for a moment, but for days, changing my heart to seek Him in raising my boys to be men of God. prodding me, tweaking me, transforming me. Giving me new eyes to see my boys through His eyes!!
|
Comments
(1) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Mar. 24, 2006
Too many improvement categories for one month!!
I am overwhelmed by all the areas of improvement needed, and the plans and schedules needed, and the priorities and prayer lists needed, and the studies and books to be read, and music to be listened to, and memories to make... not to mention all the things that fall under the aforementioned plansand schedules categories!!! oh yeah, and an earlier bed time! and rise time... if I get the previous oen worked out.
is life REALLY this complicated? I mean, come on, do I need to have a schedule for everything? and am I really whining for all the world to see and read, right here on this blog? 
OK, so on the PLUS side of everything, I have had a great three days, not getting everything done and meeting every goal... ok, not most of them. BUT I had A LOT of goals, because I was going to transform into the model homeschool blogger who is organized and spiritual.  Don't roll your eyes, girls, cause I know you all fall into the same trap, sometimes, right?
I started praying scripture prayers for my fabulous husband, who is the BEST, whom I will be married to for 8 years on Tuesday, and then I tweaked them some to pray for my children as well. FOUR days. Consistently, before bed. It is already changing my days. I have a sore throat, haven't gotten to the gym, gotten less done than I usually do in the house, and cooking wise (and I am not Mrs Housework and Mrs Cook either), and it is been wonderful. Precious Jesus is giving me HIS eyes and heart for my family. so though my list of things to do is long, and what is crossed off is short, I am content with what God has gotten done through me this week. Love. Lots of it. Still could be lots more, but even in seeing that, there's no condemnation... just love, and more where that came from. God is GOOD!
|
Comments
(8) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
Mar. 14, 2006
two great lessons from today
FIRST, as I was pondering how wonderful it was to cozy on my bed with my husband,, just resting in the afternoon sun, being sad and lying with someone who loved me no matter how grumpy and down I was... I realized... (here it is) I can do that with God. Hello!!
If I am needing to be wtih someone who will love me no matter what... next time, I will puat a movie on for the kids, or let them play or nap or whatever, curl up in bed, hold my Bible close to my chest and ponder all those truths with in. Let God love on me, encourage me, and rest in His presence. Time with God doesn't have to be productive!
SECOND - I don't remember  . But I was also pondering on my way home from worship rehearsal, and picking up kids from grandparents, that me seeking God for every decision and moment of the day doesn't necessarily nned to incorporate a schedule or a routine. And I am not using that as a cop out  ... really... (since I have in the past ) I know that God would have me work more on decluttering, and routining and scheduling, BUT as each moment goes by, if I AM seeking him and not run by all that, it will be ok to put all things aside to read or play or walk or worship with my piano. Isn't God awesome?? He is SO flexible! unchanging, and yet you never know where He'll have you next!! |
Comments
(2) Post A Comment!
Permanent Link
|
|
|
|
|
