The thing is, the world has always been a mess. The temptation is to look at the headlines and think things are so much worse today, but the kingdoms of this world have always been opposed to the kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ. At times that opposition has been overt, and at times it has been covert, but it has always been. It is just more apparent that it is so, these days, than we are used to seeing.
But the same God who was our Father yesterday is our Father today, and will be tomorrow. He is on His throne, as He has always been. He is bringing His plans and His purposes to pass, and no madman or devil can alter that fact, no matter how hard they try. No madman or devil can snatch us out of the Father's hand, either. We are safe, no matter our circumstances.
The best thing we can do in times like these, is to press in to Him. To lay aside every weight and sin that so easily besets us, to purify ourselves, and follow hard after Him. To learn His Word, His ways, His truth, and apply it in our lives. To spend time worshiping and praising the greatness of our God, every day, not just once or twice a week in church. For He is good, and His mercy endures forever!
For only He is able to deliver our foot from the snare of the fowler, and to keep our steps from slipping. So let us trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding. In ALL our ways, let us acknowledge (take knowledge) of Him, and He shall direct our paths. Even in these times also.
One thing I have noticed since I have joined the ranks of Christians who obey the laws of God: it seems we are more tempted above others to develop a performance- based mentality, an I'm OK You're OK checklist in our minds. If we have successfully kept the Ten Commandments today, then relief! I'm OK! But if not, then disaster - I am not OK, and we are miserable until some other good work seems in our minds to reestablish ourselves in God's good graces.
That is Catholicism, pure and simple. And Phariseeism. We don't give up grace by faith just because we are now resting on the Sabbath. We have just added to grace, obedience. I need to watch out for that huge pothole in the road map of my mind. My pastor in Colorado just preached a set of messages on the Renewed Mind (part two and part three). God used them to remind me, that my performance did not cause God to accept me, nor can my lack thereof cause Him to reject me. Why do we try so hard to get God's approval by what we do or do not? Just rest in His love, which cannot be turned away, and love Him back. He is good and His mercy endures forever!
Someone we know and love, who has just experienced a devastating loss, asked me recently, "How will God help me go on?" We have been no strangers to tragedy and loss, and it is a fair question. I don't think there is one pat answer. The only way to survive the hurt is to hold on tightly to God and take it one day at a time. How to hold on tightly to God? I play a lot of encouraging music (mostly Dennis Jernigan) which remind me how great God is at preserving us in the middle of the storms of life, or which remind me of God's faithfulness, or of His never- ending love. You can always tell when our family is in the middle of a deep trial, because the Dennis Jernigan music is on from dawn to dusk. :) I look up all the Scripture I can find about God binding up the broken- hearted, and read them all and meditate on them all every day. My sister, a few years ago, gave me The Psalms of David, and I get that out and read a new one every day. The Psalms are so much more than praise songs to God; the vast majority of them are praise songs to God in the midst of the trials and sorrows of life.
But the only thing that can really heal the hurt, is to stay beneath the shadow of His wings, close to His heart, for only His presence is going to be the balm of Gilead to an aching heart. Only His presence can provide the love, peace, and assurance we all need to get through this day and face another. And when everything gets overwhelming, and you just can't seem to pray, read, or have faith anymore, I found that God held on tightly to me. He never let me go, and He never left me or forsook me. And one day, the day came, when I could be happy again. :)
There must be one in every church or fellowship - they "A" type personality (if they use those terms anymore) who is very concerned that everything be done in the correct way. In biblical discussions, this desire tends to manifest by needing to have the last word on every topic. I think this must be because the desire for correctness translates to making sure all diverging opinions are silenced and only the "correct" belief or interpretation remains standing, which, of course, is theirs.
I was thinking about this lately - have you ever noticed that God, in His word, while He is definite about pivotal doctrine, remains silent or ambiguous on other matters of belief? How the end times will play out is one excellent example. I am sharing my own opinion about that in this blog, but it is just that - opinion. I may have biblical reasons for believing the way I do, but I also recognize that my opinion may change as I mature in my understanding, or as God reveals truth to His people the closer we get.
But the A types rarely see any point as ambiguous - they have a decided belief, and it is the right one, by golly! I tend to think that God was ambiguous on certain issues intentionally. Perhaps He wanted to give each generation an opportunity to love each other in spite of differences, or to patiently (not arrogantly) teach others in love where there are differences. Perhaps it is so no one man can claim to have it all figured out, and so become a type of Messiah figure to people. Perhaps it is to keep us humble with each other.
I have been waking with the Lord for 30 years now. The one thing that amazes me, is that the more I learn, the less I seem to know, LOL. When I first became a Christian, the funny thing is, the correctness of my doctrine was not the first thing that the Lord began working with in me, but things like, honor, love toward others, and patience. Things like that are what Jesus called the "weightier matters of Torah."
Now that I am learning Torah again, I am running into its incredible detail on certain matters, and non- detail on other matters, and those who are so zealous that everyone have the correct details that they have forgotten to honor, love, patiently teach, and not elevate their own opinions to the place of Scripture. May we all have the attitude of humility of mind, regarding each other as more important than ourselves!
... remember who is in charge, who can help you make lemonade!
We got some bad news today. It happens to all of us at one point or another. My immediate response was to get discouraged. But after I talked to my sister, she ever so gently reminded me that the Lord is still on His throne, LOL. How could I have forgotten that? I pray every morning, "Help me to remember, Lord, that You are in heaven and on Your throne, and nothing is going to happen to me today that will take You by surprise." Well, the Lord did help me to remember that. He used my sister to remind me, LOL.
Then I remembered something my pastor used to say whenever he got bad news. "It is going to be interesting, Lord, to see how You are going to work this out for Your glory!" So true. God's will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, and the end of all things will be that God will be glorified. So, breathe deep, and keep bringing everything before His throne, and find out what He wants me to do every day, and do that. It will all be okay. :)
If I were to pinpoint the number one mistake we wives can sometimes make with our husbands, it would have to be a misunderstanding of our calling. The Lord provided us for our husbands to be a helper for them, but He did not give us any authority over them; rather, because Eve was deceived and ate the fruit, and enticed Adam to sin also, our good Father gave our husbands to be in authority over us.
So how this misunderstanding of our calling translates most often, is we feel compelled to correct our husbands' faults. To point them out to them, to in whatever way make sure they do not succumb to them. Correction is, however, a responsibility of authority. It is a parental responsibility, which is why the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts of sin and righteousness. But we have no role of authority over our husbands, so when we feel compelled to correct them, we have overstepped our bounds and have taken on the role of God in their lives. It is no wonder most husbands resent their wives' correction.
I find it interesting that according to the Shalom in the Home TV show rabbi (I haven't seen the show myself) the number one reason men do not talk to their wives is that they feel like failures. In other words, they already are well aware of their faults. I am sure the adversary beats them over the head with them regularly.
So if the Lord has called me to be a helper to my husband, then I have resolved in my heart that I can not help by siding with the adversary, who is the accuser of the brethren. I think it is very difficult to correct our husbands without coming across as accusatory. At least, I have not mastered it in 25 years of marriage, I will admit that. But the Lord is the uplifter of our head. His ministry to us is edification. Do a study on the Greek word, "Father," which Jesus uses over and over again in the Gospels. The word is from a root that means, "nourisher, protector, upholder." I can help my husband by encouraging him, edifying him, lifting up his head, not bringing it down.
We sometimes forget how much they need us as cheerleaders, not coaches. We can safely leave the coaching in the Lord's capable hands.
I started praying the Lords Prayer for my morning prayer several years ago. I believe it has really revolutionized my relationship with God and everyone else I come into contact with every day. I have been thinking about why that is. It must be because the prayer itself is designed to put the worshiper in a submissive, teachable, and trusting state of heart and mind from the very beginning of the day.
This is the prayer as I am currently praying it:
Our Father, thank You for adopting me into Your household. Thank You that You are my Abba! Thank You that You are not just my nourisher, protector, and upholder, but our nourisher, protector, and upholder. Nourish, protect, and uphold my husband's and mine unity today.
You are in heaven, and You are on your throne! Nothing is going to happen to me today that will take You by surprise. May I remember to call upon You for instruction and guidance if challenges arise for me today.
Your name is holy! And I am called by Your holy name. May I walk today in a manner worthy of the name by which I am called.
May Your kingdom come, in my heart, in my life, and in my household, this day. May I and all my household truly treat You as King, where Your word is our command.
May Your will be done this day, in my heart, in my life, and in my household. Thank you for revealing Your will to us. May I obey Your will by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling me today. May I worship YHVH alone, may I not bow down to any idols! May I consider only Your word as true, and may I not regard the word of man or adversary that contradicts Your word. May I fear YHVH alone, and no man at all. May I not profane the holy name of YHVH by conduct unbecoming to the daughter of YHVH. May I regard as holy the Sabbath day and all Your appointed times. May I honor the memory of my father and mother, and all the delegated authority that You have placed over me for my blessing. May I especially honor and respect my husband with which You have gifted me. May I not murder or hate from my heart this day; may I not commit adultery or disloyalty to my husband, in thought, word, or deed, or lust from my heart this day. May I not steal, or bear false witness. May I not covet anything that You have not seen fit to provide for me, but may I be content, not complaining, in everything, for I am grateful for the bountiful provision of my good Abba.
This is my plan for my day today ... (discuss) ... may I submit to Your will if You see fit to change the shape of my day.
Give us this day our daily bread ... (present day's needs to the Lord) ... Thank You for providing us with food, clothing, and shelter, and everything pertaining to life and godliness, and with that may we be content.
Forgive me my sins ... (confess and repent) ... as I forgive those who have sinned against me (confess and forgive). I need Your help to forgive as You would have me forgive this day!
Lead me not into temptation this day, especially with _______ and _______. Do not test me in my greatest weaknesses today! But if I am tested, please remind me to look to You for the way of escape, that I may be able to endure it. And deliver me and my household from all evil today, whether it is what we bring on to ourselves by disobedience, or that the adversary would seek to sabotage us with. Be our guide in all our day, and our rear guard!
For to You belong the kingdom -- You have the authority -- and to You belong the power -- You have the ability -- to do according to all that I have prayed. And when You do it, You will receive all the glory!
Thank you for all You are doing! In the name of Jesus, Amen.
I am so sorry I have been so sporadic blogging the past two weeks. We have just concluded the busiest two weeks in the history of Nothing New Press; thank you! In fact, Christian Book Distributors just started carrying our books in their catalog! So we are excited around here, and very appreciative of you, who have made the Guerber histories so popular among homeschoolers!
Today is Friday, in our house that means try to finish up work by noon, so that the afternoon can be spent cooking and cleaning for our Sabbath dinner Friday evenings, and our day of rest on Saturday. When I started celebrating Sabbath, it was just me. Then my sweet dh joined me. Then one by one, the kids started coming over for dinner on Friday nights. For the past several weeks, all of the kids and grandkids have been here, and a few times a month it has even been the extended family. We have our dinner, followed by a shared loaf and cup of communion together.
We started doing communion because we read in the Torah that the grain offering (which was a loaf of bread) and a drink offering (which was wine) was to accompany the Lord's sacrifice on all the Sabbaths, New Moons, and feast days. And then we realized that Jesus taught us to acknowledge His sacrifice as often as we drink the wine and break the bread of communion. We put two and two together and came up with four, and we acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus every Sabbath, New Moon, and feast day when we share the loaf and cup together.
So what has been happening, is that the sun goes down usually as we are breaking bread and praying over the cup, and the Lord's presence descends upon everyone gathered around the table. Words cannot describe it! He is so wonderful, and more and more people are coming every week, I think because people are just so hungry for Him in their lives, don't you think so?
When the Lord's presence comes among men, bondages are broken, hearts and bodies are healed, blind eyes are opened, captives are set free. On the last new moon day, when we were breaking bread and passing the cup and the Lord's presence descended, my son, whom some of you know has gone through a very rough time ever since his betrothed was killed in a traffic accident several years ago, was completely healed of a broken heart! He has been a changed man ever since! The Lord did another huge miracle for one of my daughters, that she had been crying out to Him about, just last week! Now this afternoon as I am preparing the Sabbath dinner, I heard of another incredible answer to prayer in the life of a family member who attended last week's Sabbath, who is on their way for this evening's.
All I can say is, thank you, Jesus; You are so faithful to Your word. All His paths are peace, and when we walk in His paths, instead of our own or the world's, then that is what we will begin to experience, and it is true!
"Blessing" and "discipline" aren't normally two words which one would think belong together. After all, discipline is painful (usually), isn't it? But the other day, as I was spending an hour with my daughter and Zane and Grace at a park, the connection between discipline and blessing started to gel.
The park was bounded, and there was a barrier which had to be crossed, which separated the park from the street. Once when my daughter was in the restroom changing Grace, Zane tried to cross the barrier (as most three- year- olds are wont to do at some point), sending white hot fear coursing through my veins as traffic was oncoming. I immediately shouted, "Zane! Come here!" and he did, averting eminent disaster.
That boundary which said "Do not cross," was a blessing in Zane's life to protect him from destruction. And also the training his parents have given him, which conditioned him to yield to the voice of authority when he heard it, was a great blessing which protected him from perhaps even death.
Now for a few years, the Lord has been working on instilling some additional disciplines in my life, mostly having to do with time management, and not getting so engrossed in what I am doing at the moment that I let the day slip away before I realize it. He has been teaching me to allot a certain amount of time for each of my responsibilities, and then, when the boundary of that allotment approaches, to yield to it so that I can go on to the next thing. Boy, that is hard for my personality type, which likes to complete 100% of whatever I am working on at the moment before moving on.
I have had my fair share of days when I have crossed those time boundaries and not yielded. But those boundaries, those disciplines, He gently reminds me, are there to bless me. The peace and order of my days increase when I abide by them, and subsequently the peace and order in my home. I am slowly learning (thank you for being so gentle and patient with me, Lord!) that every boundary the Lord has set for me, and mankind, is a blessing of discipline.
We saw that not knowing what is true and what is a lie, because we neither know or understand the word and power of God, is the first tactic the enemy uses to deceive even the elect if possible. But the deceitfulness of sin is another favorite tool the enemy wields against the Church.
"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13
When we indulge in sin, we harden our hearts. A young and supple tree yields before the wind when it blows across it, but a gnarly old tree does not. A strong wind will not break a young tree, but it very well might a mature one. The difference between them is their degree of hardness.
A soft heart yields to the voice of the Lord, a hard heart does not. So when we sin, we have not yielded to the voice of the Lord God telling us not to turn aside to the right hand, or to the left, and we get a little harder as a result. That is the deceitfulness of sin - thinking that the love we have for God, and the soft toward God and yielded state we are in right now will still be with us after we indulge in whatever sin. The harder our hearts get, the more difficult it is for us to hear His voice. And if our hearts have been long hardened by consistent rebellion against Him, we can one day cross the boundary from a hard heart to a darkened one. A darkened heart is blinded and cannot see the truth.
Sin also deceives us into thinking that we can indulge in it today, and repent tomorrow. You know, today is yesterday's tomorrow, and if we are still indulging in a secret sin today, then we have not repented "tomorrow." Why did we indulge today, and not repent today, when we told ourselves yesterday that we would? Because when we indulge in sin, our hearts get tied into it. The more we do it, the less we will want to repent, and the more we will want to indulge in it tomorrow.
Here is another classic deceit of sin. Let's say some notion of sin pops into our head. If we do not immediately take that notion captive to the obedience of Christ (who is the Living Word), and reject the possibility of it, then a further notion might follow it. "It won't be so bad, it won't hurt anyone as the Scriptures say it will, and besides, how can it hurt someone if they never find out about it?" Boy, is this tactic of the enemy old; notice how Satan uses it on Eve in the Garden:
"The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!" Genesis 3:4
A further deceit is, once we are entrapped in a sin, and we continue in it, it can cause us to think that we are rich and in need of nothing, when in fact we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Only, because of the deception of the sin, we are completely unaware of our true state.
How do we avoid becoming ensnared in one of the deceitfulness of sin? Do not sin! If we have sinned, repent and turn! Obey the voice of the Lord our God, and yield our will and our hearts to Him, and we will not be deceived by sin; then seeing, we can clearly perceive truth from error by the guidance of the Holy Spirit within us.
My recent blogging on the Ten Commandments has served to make me more conscious of obeying the Lord's commands in my daily life, instead of just assuming that I always obeyed them as the Lord intended, LOL. I have grievously become aware, to my surprise, that I break them more times than not. For example, the first two are:
1. Have no other gods before Me.
2. Do not make images or worship idols.
Just last week when my sweet dh and I were paying our bills, nipping and tucking more this year than last, I had kind of a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, as worry tried to gain a foothold in me. So the Lord asked me, "Why the queasiness when your bank balance is low, but not when it is high? I haven't gone anywhere. In what are you trusting, your bank balance or Me?" Yikes. I repent of making my bank balance a god before You, Lord.
The latest that the Lord has been making me aware of, which I was SURE I never did, was coveting. I am just learning now that when I harbor a complaint in my heart, or bring a complaint before the Lord, I have just coveted, by not being satisfied with my state, by wishing for something other than what I have, by longing for more than what the Lord has seen fit to gift me with.
So I was despondant the other morning, as I realized that the more I try to obey the Lord in all things -- because I love Him and desire to please Him; I know that my own righteousness is futile in order to become acceptable in His sight -- I just become more aware of falling short. No wonder Peter says:
"... set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13-16
We cannot set our hope in being obedient children, in being holy in all our conduct no matter how hard we try. We will never arrive without the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will take joy in His grace, therefore, instead of focusing my attention on my own shortcomings. I choose to fix my eyes on Jesus!
In our Tuesday Bible study last week, we were semi- joking about how many admonitions there were in Proverbs about the contentious wife.
Contentious means, "likely to cause contention, exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes; having an aggressive or fighting atittude." And contention means, "the argument, or tension, that results from a contest, struggle, or rivalry," (Webster's). Note that contention shares a root with contentment: "satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation." I think contention and contentment are spiritual opposites -- the contented wife is satisfied, while the contentious wife always has complaints.
The contrast reminded me of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. They arrived at the Promised Land, and sent out the twelve spies, ten of which discouraged them from entering the Land -- really, from having trust in God or obeying Him -- while two encouraged them to enter the Land. The Lord said to Moses after this that Israel had tempted (tested) Him ten times, and had not hearkened to His voice. According to Jewish tradition, the ten times the Lord is speaking of are Ex 14:11, Ex 15:24, Ex 16:3, Ex 16:20, Ex 16:27, Ex 17:2, Ex 32:4, Num 11:1, Num 11:4, and Numbers 14, the incident of the twelve spies. The common denominator to most of these incidents which tempted the Lord, in which Israel did not listen to the Lord's voice, was Israel's complaints. Complaints ... they were not satisfied with their leaders, water, food, Land -- even with their God, in the instance of the golden calf. They coveted, really, what they did not have. Covetousness means "always desiring more; not satisfied; avaricious."
The Lord said of them that their contentions were a rejection of Him. We can see that: Moses was a hand- picked leader for them, deliverance from slavery, manna, sweet water, the Promised Land -- all gifts from the Father's hand. We can despise the children of Israel, but are we so different? When we have complaints about our husband, children, home, or life, aren't we really contending with the Lord, the gift- giver? "This husband of mine, Lord, never does this or never does that ..." the Lord who hears that complaint also hears the cry of the woman whose husband abuses her. "My house is too small ..." the Lord who hears that complaint also hears the prayers of the Chinese Christians in prison, and the Sudanese Christians enslaved by Muslims, who have no house at all.
And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Luke 12:15
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homo[s-x]uals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 6:9-10
Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 1 Tim 6:6-7
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Heb 13:5
A man or woman who is responsible and respectful with their a) car b) things c) money d) business e) studies f) relationship with the Lord - take your pick - will be responsible and respectful with you and your children. A man or woman who is careless with his a) car b) things c) money d) business e) studies f) relationship with the Lord - take your pick - will be careless with you and your children.
Is your potential spouse self- controlled or self- indulgent? Can they control their flesh, as evidenced by wise money management, careful planning rather than impulse purchasing, proper diet, restraint with alcohol, sweets, language, even gossip or murmuring. This is another way of asking: are they selfless or selfish? Selflessness is always preferred. The spouse of a selfish (self- indulgent) man or woman is in for a life of grief.
Does your potential spouse have a soft and teachable heart toward the Lord, or do they bristle at correction? No one has arrived, but the one with a teachable heart, who will respond with humility to the Lord's instruction or correction, is wise already. What they do not know today the Lord can at least teach them or lead them into. But the one who is stiff- necked toward the Lord is like the Israelites coming out of Egypt: they could not enter the Promised Land and perished in the wilderness. And once you bind yourself to them for life, son and daughter, then you will perish in the wilderness with them, if you honor the Lord's word.
Does your potential spouse obey the Lord more often, or disobey, then ask for forgiveness, more often? There is a reason that obedience is better than sacrifice (restitution for sins). A life of obedience is blessed by the Lord and that path is smooth; a life of sacrifice is troubled by consequences for sin and that path is broken and rocky.
Then I have three questions for you, my son and daughter. How do you fare when you apply the above to yourselves? And do you know the Word well enough to recognize agreement with it, or departure from it, in potential mates? Are you, then, marriage material, and what can you do become more so? Concentrate on becoming suitable, rather than finding someone, and the Lord Himself will bring you His choice when He has determined you are mature enough to be entrusted with them.
Besides the birth of grandchildren (today is Zane's birthday!) June is also known for weddings! I have two children yet unmarried, and when considering potential spouses, this is my advice to them:
But since there are many Christians out there who do not fear the Lord and who are not maturing, simply choosing a Christian in this day and age will not guarantee you either a wise or compassionate spouse. Therefore choose someone only after knowing them for some time, so that you can identify what fruits are consistently in their life.
Choose someone who takes the word of the Lord seriously. Someone who does not believe God when He said, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day (Ex 20:11);" may not believe God when He said, "In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself (Eph 5:28);" or "The wife should not separate from her husband (1 Cor 7:10)." If someone says they embrace the New Testament, but not the Old, flee from them; for every doctrine of Christianity is born in and comes from the Old Testament, particularly Genesis.
The way a man treats his mother is often the way he will treat his wife, when the honeymoon is over. The way a woman treats her father is often the way she will treat her husband. Therefore does the one you are considering honor their father and mother? Likewise, how is your potential betrothed's relationship with siblings or colleagues? Have they demonstrated forgiveness and restoration in relationships? This is so important, because how can someone who has trouble forgiving a friend forgive you when you sin?
A few months before my Mom died last year (it will be one year ago next week), I felt my heart close up, like being put in a locked box on a shelf, so that the hurt wouldn't hurt so bad. The problem with your heart being sealed off like that, is it isn't just sealed off from the pain of your mother's death (or whatever pain someone is sealing off their heart from). It gets sealed off from everything and everyone. Even the Lord.
You discover, after a while, that, sure, you don't hurt, you don't cry, but the wellsprings of life are sealed away too. So I knew this was a problem, but I didn't know what to do to fix everything. Other than pray, "Okay, Lord, I made a terrible mistake, and now my heart is sealed away, locked away tight. How can it be unsealed now? I need Your help!" I am so thankful that upon repentance, upon confession and turning from our sins, our Father God is ready and willing to help us, no matter what kind of a mess we have made of things!
We were in church Saturday night, just like every Saturday night, when during the worship, while we were singing how wonderful is King Jesus (nothing new there) I felt, or saw, a key turning in a lock, and all of the sudden emotion poured through, or out of, my heart again. I started crying and couldn't stop (good thing worship lasts a while) but it was the good kind of crying, the kind that cleans out gunk.
Then the message which followed was about preparing your heart to seek His face, and what if your heart isn't there, but you want it to be? How do you fix your heart on Jesus? It was the Scriptural teaching which answered my questions of the Lord, following the work He did in me during the worship. There are thousands of people which attend our church in the course of a weekend. That the Lord would take a weekend and minister to me - a single individual - it amazes me, His love for us.
He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water. Psalm 107:35
It seems that every January the Lord begins to show me a direction or a goal He desires to work in my life for that year. Instead of setting New Year's resolutions, I ask the Lord to help me hear what it is He desires to accomplish in my life, and then submit myself to that by the Lord's grace. Sometimes what the Lord wants to accomplish in my life is not what I would have chosen, or doesn't make sense according to human wisdom, but He knows what He is about.
The Lord is saying to me this year, pay attention to the seed which you daily sow with your words and actions. What am I sowing into my own heart, mind, and body; and what am I sowing into the hearts and minds of my family? If there is a weed of a negative habit or problem area in a relationship, it is because that weed seed was first sown. It is not enough to pull weeds out of my life, or my home and family; I must also not sow weed seeds, LOL. If we want a harvest of righteousness, of blessing, of edification, of the fruit of the Spirit in our homes, then those are the seeds we must first sow. In that way we women build our houses, instead of plucking them down with our own hands by the weed seeds we sow with our words and actions.
This line used to be the line I rushed through to conclude the prayer so I could move on to my day, LOL. But this morning, I realized that everything I had just discussed with the Lord, from “Our Father” on, everything that I had thanked Him for, and laid at His feet for His intervention, was wrapped up in the “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever” conclusion.
The Lord has the authority to effect whatever it is that we have just prayed to Him about that morning, for His is the kingdom -- He is the supreme sovereign over all. And the Lord has the power to effect whatever it is that we have just prayed to Him about that morning, for His is the power. And then when the result of the answered prayer is visible to all, brought about by the Lord’s authority and power, He will receive the glory for it, forever. Amen, indeed.
Samaritan’s Purse
(Franklin Graham) already has in place a network of aid through
established churches in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan; and they
are supporting these churches in their outreach to displaced Muslims,
Jews, and Christians. As we support SP, they are providing food, blankets, and other essentials, as well as teaching in the gospel.
Christian Friends of Israel have established a War Relief Fund to provide assistance to “displaced
famlies living in bomb shelters or make-shift living
quarters, families who have lost their homes due to rocket attacks,
items for traumatized children, those who are wounded in hospitals,
newly arrived immigrants, soldiers serving in harm’s way and emergency
needs among the believing community of faith in Israel.” They have
people on the ground working with the churches in Israel to assess the
needs and distribute the funds.
Open Doors is sponsoring a letter- writing campaign
to encourage the Christian church in Gaza, who is trying to love the
love of Jesus to both Israelis and Palestinians. The Christians in Gaza
are ostracized by Israel (being Palestinian) and fellow Palestinians
(being Christian and not Muslim).
We can continue sponsoring ministries with long- standing outreaches to
both the Jews and the Muslims for the gospel of Jesus Christ; for peace
will only come by the Prince of Peace. This list is not exhaustive; but
is a good place to start:
Visit with Christine Miller awhile and let's share our thoughts on homeschooling, education, and life.
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"The Story of the Romans provides an introductory context for the culture and ideas so foundational to the development of Western thought.�
Anne Weiland :: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
:: read a chapter from this book
:: more books
"For new and veteran homeschool families alike, this extensive new release from the editors of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine serves as a homeschool convention in a book. It details today's most viable education models, helping parents formulate an educational game plan and choose teaching methodologies. There are more than twenty contributors." Including Christine Miller, who wrote a chapter on Classical Education.
christine's reading
I am researching the holy days which were instituted by God as a celebration of the Messiah, instead of celebrating the holy days which were instituted by man to honor nature in place of nature's God.
:: Israel's Feast - Wooten
:: Annals - Ussher
