Giant Faith: A Child's Inheritance

"A Prayer for Gospel Parenting"

2011-08-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

It has taken me many years of living as a Christian, and many years of parenting, to start to grasp how very big the grace of the Lord is, how very beautiful that grace when shown to others. This prayer from Pastor Scotty Smith says everything that I want to. Do read the entire post, and join me in that petition.

Oh, the arrogant pride of thinking that by our “good parenting” we can take credit for what you alone can graciously do in the lives of our children. Oh, the arrogant unbelief of assuming that by our “bad parenting” we’ve forever limited what you’ll be able to accomplish in the future.

Oh, the undue pressure our children must feel when we parent more out of fear than faith; more out of rules than relationship; more out of and pride than patience; more out of comparison than covenant; more out of threats than theology. Forgive us. Free us. Focus us.

Father, since our children and grandchildren are your inheritance, teach us how to care for them as humble stewards, not as anxious owners. More than anything else, show us how to parent and grandparent in a way that best reveals the unsearchable riches of Jesus in the gospel. We want the gospel to be beautiful and believable to our children.

Amen.

Literary Power

2011-07-26T17:26:00.003-05:00

It was Charlotte Mason's conviction that the child should work steadily through a complete book. Little snippets of information here and there just don't hang together. Our generation is prone to amuse itself with fragmentary information and resources. We flip on the TV for brief programs, and then we think we know about the subjects they dealt with. A few paragraphs in a magazine, and we think that we've formed an opinion. What is happening often is that we are merely forming a habit of amusing our interest, and then for getting the fragments. This is not education...The child needs books with "literary power."~ Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Beholding is becoming

2011-07-23T00:38:00.000-05:00

The following letter was written by John Piper to a teen in his church. But really, what a word of wisdom for all of us, no matter what our age, because we all need to be reminded that:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
This was one of the greatest secrets I ever discovered:
Beholding is becoming.

There is much in this letter that echoes some of what I want to communicate well to my children-
that God is good,
and His creation is full of awe and wonder,
and that life in His plan is joy.

But read it in Piper's words (from Desiring God, Letter to an Incomplete, Insecure Teenager by John Piper):

Four years ago a teenager in our church wrote to me for advice about life in general, and identity in particular. Here is what I wrote, with a big dose of autobiography for illustration.

Dear ________,

My experience of coming out of an introverted, insecure, guilty, lustful, self-absorbed adolescent life was more like the emergence of a frog from a tadpole than a butterfly from a larva.

Larvae disappear into their cocoons and privately experience some inexplicable transformation with no one watching (it is probably quite messy in there) and then the cocoon comes off and everyone says oooo, ahhh, beautiful. It did not happen like that for me.

Frogs are born teeny-weeny, fish-like, slimy, back-water-dwellers. They are not on display at Sea World. They might be in some ritzy hotel's swimming pool if the place has been abandoned for 20 years and there's only a foot of green water in the deep end.

But little by little, because they are holy frogs by predestination and by spiritual DNA (new birth), they swim around in the green water and start to look more and more like frogs.

First, little feet come out on their side. Weird. At this stage nobody asks them to give a testimony at an Athletes in Action banquet.

Then a couple more legs. Then a humped back. The fish in the pond have already pulled back: "Hmmm," they say, "this does not look like one of us any more." A half-developed frog fits nowhere.

But God is good. He has his plan and it is not to make this metamorphosis easy. Just certain. There are a thousand lessons to be learned in the process. Nothing is wasted. Life is not on hold waiting for the great coming-out. That's what larvae do in the cocoon. But frogs are public all the way though the foolishness of change.

I think the key for me was finding help in the Apostle Paul and C. S. Lewis and my father, all of whom seemed incredibly healthy, precisely because they were so absolutely amazed at everything but themselves.

They showed me that the highest mental health is not liking myself but being joyfully interested in everything but myself. They were the type of people who were so amazed that people had noses—not strange noses, just noses—that walking down any busy street was like a trip to the zoo. O yes, they themselves had noses, but they couldn’t see their own. And why would they want to? Look at all these noses they are free to look at! Amazing.

The capacity of these men for amazement was huge. I marveled and I prayed that I would stop wasting so much time and so much emotional energy thinking about myself. Yuk, I thought. What am I doing? Why should I care what people think about me. I am loved by God Almighty and he is making a bona fide high-hopping frog out of me.

The most important text on my emergent frogishness became 2 Corinthians 3:18 —

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

This was one of the greatest secrets I ever discovered: Beholding is becoming.

Introspection must give way to amazement at glory. When it does, becoming happens. If there is any key to maturity it is that. Behold your God in Jesus Christ. Then you will make progress from tadpole to frog. That was a great discovery.

Granted, (so I thought) I will never be able to speak in front of a group, since I am so nervous. And I may never be married, because I have too many pimples. Wheaton girls scare the bejeebies out of me. But God has me in his hand (Philippians 3:12) and he has a plan and it is good and there is a world, seen and unseen, out there to be known and to be amazed at—why would I ruin my life by thinking about myself so much?

Thank God for Paul and Lewis and my dad! It’s all so obvious now. Self is simply too small to satisfy the exploding longings of my heart. I wanted to taste and see something great and wonderful and beautiful and eternal.

It started with seeing nature and ended with seeing God. It started in literature, and ended in Romans and Psalms. It started with walks through the grass and woods and lagoons, and ended in walks through the high plains of theology. Not that nature and literature and grass and woods and lagoons disappeared, but they became more obviously copies and pointers.

The heavens are telling the glory of God. When you move from heavens to the glory of God, the heavens don’t cease to be glorious. But they are un-deified, when you discover what they are saying. They are pointing. “You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy” (Psalm 65:8).

What are the sunrise and sunset shouting about so happily? Their Maker! They are beckoning us to join them. But if I am grunting about the zit on my nose, I won’t even look out the window.

So my advice is: be patient with the way God has planned for you to become a very happy, belly-bumping frog. Don’t settle for being a tadpole or a weird half-frog. But don’t be surprised at the weirdness and slowness of the process either.

How did I become a preacher? How did I get married? God only knows. Incredible. So too will your emergence into what you will be at 34 be incredible. Just stay the course and look. Look, look. There is so much to see. The Bible is inexhaustible. Mainly look there. The other book of God, the unauthoritative one—nature—is also inexhaustible. Look. Look. Look. Beholding the glory of the Lord we are being changed.

I love you and believe God has great froggy things for you. Don’t worry about being only a high-hopping Christlike frog. Your joy comes from what you see.

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

There is another metamorphosis awaiting. It just gets better and better. God is infinite. So there will always be more of his glory for a finite mind to see. There will be no boredom in eternity.

Affectionately,

Pastor John

(art credit: Girl Whose Hair is Blown by the Wind by Hiromi Taguchi at AllPoster.com)

Tell ye your children

2011-07-21T23:49:00.004-05:00

Charles Spurgeon's evening devotion for July 11th is a wonderful reminder to us of the awesome responsibility and privilege we have as parents. I pray that you will be encouraged by its bold exhortation! Press on!

National Portrait Gallery, London

"Motherhood is a Calling"

2011-07-15T17:19:00.000-05:00

The piece starts with "Your hands are full!"
How many times have I heard that?
Five almost-teenagers, and this is still a very good read...

Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.
- Rachel Jankovic, "Motherhood is a Calling," at Desiring God, July 14, 2011

(art credit: Good Housekeeping cover by Jessie Willcox Smith, September 1926)

31 days of prayer for children

2011-07-01T15:36:00.000-05:00

This link will take you to a guide for praying through 31 days of Scripture for our children.

31 days of prayer for children

I printed it out and trimmed it a bit and put it with my Bible and my journal.

(thank you to Ann Voskamp and A Holy Experience. As she writes, "this is the greatest gift to give to our children, the gift of our knees...")

(art credit: A Child's Prayer by anntalitha at etsy.com)

Full Moon Rising

2011-07-01T08:57:00.004-05:00

"It's dawning, my full moon rising: I was lost but know I am found again, Jesus, and I know what I want: to see deeply, to thank deeply, to feel joy deeply. How my eyes see, perspective, is my key to enter into His gates. I can only do so with thanksgiving. If my inner eye has God seeping up through all things, then can't I give thanks for anything? And if I can give thanks for the good things, the hard things, the absolute everything, I can enter the gates to glory. Living in His presence is fullness of joy -- and seeing shows the way in.

The art of deep seeing makes gratitude possible. And it is the art of gratitude that makes joy possible. Isn't joy the art of God?

It's true! What that ancient man Irenaeus, very disciple of the apostle John, wrote: 'The glory of God is the human being fully alive and the life of the human consists in beholding God.' ...And I am fully alive beholding GOD!" ~ Ann Voskamp, one thousand gifts, pg 118

(photo taken: May 20, 2011, Choke Canyon, TX)

waiting

2011-06-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

Learning to wait is a grace for a woman who fears God. Waiting with a gentle spirit is a miracle–a beauty, an acquired habit that comes with practice and experience. Choosing to take today in its stride–choosing to see the glory of the moment in the midst of frantic children, choosing to look for beauty and the fingerprints of God in the midst of the messes requires a heart decision–Psalm 27 says, “Let your heart take courage–let it–make it, choose to let your heart fill up its boots to the power of God’s abiding grace. Choosing to believe that my prayers have not hit the roof of my home and gone no further, but that God indeed is present.

from "The Never Ending Issues of Life- how to endure gracefully" by Sally Clarkson's blog I Take Joy, 27 June 2011

(art credit: Waiting for the Boats by Philippe Lodowyck Jacob Frederik Sadee, 1881)

The Secret of Fufillment

2011-06-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

Wisdom from Carolyn Mahaney and the GirlTalk blog, from The Secret of Fulfillment

"Recently, at the end of a conference session where CJ and I fielded questions, a woman approached me with a query of her own: “So what do you do on the side?” she inquired.

“On the side?” I echoed, not fully comprehending her question.

“What do you do for personal fulfillment?” she sought to clarify. “You see I’m happy my husband has his ministry because that provides him with personal fulfillment. But I pursue my own hobbies because they provide personal fulfillment for me. So,” she repeated again, “What do you do?”

I was unprepared for her question. And I’m sure my answer was insufficient. (How often I have an eloquent answer after the conversation is over!) If I had it to do over again, I’d tell her about Dorothy.

Dorothy was a woman who knew the secret of true “personal fulfillment.” A single mom whose husband left her with a son to raise, Dorothy didn’t spend time worrying about herself. Instead, she was always serving and caring for others. I knew her because she was my Sunday School teacher. And Dorothy was one of the most joyful women I knew.

At my bridal shower everyone wrote down a piece of advice on a slip of paper. I only remember one, and it was Dorothy’s. Her secret to a fulfilled life? “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

Our culture is constantly telling us to find our life; that we’re the center of our world, and as such, we need to take care of “me” first.

But when I’m the center of my world, my world becomes very small—because I’m the only person in it. When I try to find fulfillment in anything besides loving Christ and serving Him, I will only end up more frustrated and completely unfulfilled.

Now, don’t misunderstand. I think we as women should express our creativity, and even more importantly get sufficient rest. But the purpose of creativity should be to glorify God with our gifts, not to find “personal fulfillment,” and the goal of rest should be to strengthen us for service.

If we want “personal fulfillment" as women, we must not follow our culture’s prescription. Rather, we must lose our life for Christ's sake. Then, amazingly, we'll find that our world expands. We'll know the thrill of seeing the fruit of our sacrificial service in the lives of those around us. So for true "personal fulfillment," let’s follow Dorothy’s example as she followed Christ."

(art credit: Mothers by Kathleen Green)

different

2011-06-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

"Being a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but being a Christian makes me a different kind of woman,”

Elisabeth Eliott

but how?
different in what way?
I immediately think to Romans 12:2-

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect...

(art credit: Female Head (La Scapigliata) by Leonardo DaVinci, c. 1508)

Over and over again

2011-05-29T08:25:00.000-05:00

"Good manners have been elevated to the level of Christian righteousness.

”Moralistic parenting occurs because most of us have a wrong view of the Bible. The story of the Bible isn’t a story about making good little boys and girls better. As Sally Lloyd-Jones writes in The Jesus Storybook Bible:

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne—everything—to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life.

This is the story that our children need to hear and, like us, they need to hear it over and over again."

from "The Danger of Moralistic Parenting," by Elyse Fitzpatrick, on The Resurgence blog

Kids behaving well is good, and it is very convenient, but it is not enough and it is not the end.
Do I show my kids the same Grace that the Lord has shown me?
How do I find that right balance of justice and mercy?
That is some of what I struggle with.
And that is why I go back to that Story of rescue, the Story that is True, over and over again.

(illustration by Jago, from The Jesus Storybook Bible)

A Mother's Calling

2011-05-08T20:36:00.002-05:00

"Mothers who understand that God desires "godly offspring" (Mal. 2:15) realize what an important part they play in fulfilling God's desire. It takes diligence, hard work, and faith to raise godly offspring for God, but it is a soul-satisfying work." ~ Nancy Wilson

"God had things He wanted me to learn that I could only learn as a mom at home. He still does. I have come to believe that staying at home is as crucial to my personal and spiritual development as it is to that of my children." ~Allie Pleiter

(artwork: Philippines Mother and Child, Vicente Silva Manansala)

if I don't draw close...

2011-03-18T22:03:00.000-05:00

But I go to church, often only because I am dragging them with me, and often because if I don’t draw close to the liturgy and the Cross and the blessing, I may well go stark-raving mad.
- Tony Woodlief, "Confession of a child-dragging churchgoer," WORLDmag.com, March 18, 2011

Reading this piece by Woodlief, I remember all too well those years of dragging little ones to church.
Little ones who didn't want to sit still.
Little ones who couldn't whisper.
Little ones who may or may not have been thunked on the noggin when they fussed with one another.

There were the years of being THAT close to getting out the door when a distinct odor halted the entire operation until a diaper was changed.
There were the years of trying to take toddlers into the nursery, only to have them scream long enough that I would be called back, usually just in time for the sermon.
There were the years of "I have to go to the bathroom." "Wait." "I have to go to the bathroom." "Wait." "I have to go to the bathroom. NOW!"

Now, they know how to sit still and they get themselves dressed and fed and they don't need snacks or quiet toys for the service.
And even so, some Sundays I get that same pull to stay home, only now it's because "I don't want to go..." and "why do I have to go?" and "I'll go but you can't make me go to Sunday school..."
Dragging big ones to church can be equally as hard, in a completely different sort of way.

But I go to church, often only because I am dragging them with me, and often because if I don’t draw close to the liturgy and the Cross and the blessing, I may well go stark-raving mad.

I slip into the pew and bow my head and utter the same prayer as I have for all these years.
Please Lord, meet me here this morning.
Please Lord, show me your Glory.
Please Lord, show me your Grace.

And He does.
He speaks through the Word and the song and the prayer.
He shows Himself in people and community and fellowship.

We never leave the same as when we arrived.
Thankfully.

Earnest, Secret, Believing

2011-02-18T22:07:00.002-06:00

Earnest, secret, believing prayer should never cease to be daily presented for our offspring...That parent has neglected a very important branch of his duty, who has suffered one single day to pass by without bearing his children upon his heart before God in private prayer. -- John Angell James

As I read this, I reflected on the amount of time I really do spend in prayer for my children. While I spend much time in prayer for them, I also recognize that there needs to be particular times of "going to battle" for them on my knees before the Throne. May our Lord give us wisdom as we intercede on their behalf!

The Lord IS my shepherd

2011-02-08T06:13:00.000-06:00

The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23:1

"Not was, not may be, nor will be. "The Lord is my shepherd."
He is on Sunday, on Monday, an through every day of the week. He is in January, in December, and every month of the year. He is when I'm at home and in China. He is during peace or war, and in times of abundance or poverty."
- J. Hudson Taylor

Just a Few Qs...

2011-01-24T11:37:00.006-06:00

I stumbled across this blog, Pyromaniacs, today. I wanted to share this article with you entitled,
"Are you sure you want a husband who...?". It is thought provoking and challenging.

What do you think?

Our marriages has a profound effect on our children. Let's consider how we view the calling to be wives.

Inspiration from Titus 2

2011-01-19T21:48:00.005-06:00

Family Focus, Part A
Family Focus, Part B
The Biblical Role of a Woman, Part A
The Biblical Role of a Woman, Part B
by Alistair Begg, senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland OH.

Click on the titles above to hear wisdom and inspiration from Titus 2 on marriage and raising a family.

Share your thoughts!

"The Joyful Impossibility"

2011-01-18T21:35:00.000-06:00

I faced the fact that in order to be a tool of grace, I desperately needed grace myself. In a moment of confessing and forsaking my delusions of autonomy and self-sufficiency, I faced my weakness of character, wisdom, and strength. I admitted to God and myself that I didn’t have inside of me what it takes to do the task I was called on to do. I did not have the endless patience, faithful perseverance, constant love, and ever-ready grace that were needed to be the instrument in the lives of my children that God had appointed me to be. And in that admission, I realized that I was much more like my children than unlike them. Like them, I am naturally independent and self-sufficent. Like them, I don’t always love authority and esteem wisdom. Like them, I often want to write my own rules and pursue my own plan. Like them, I want life to be predictable, comfortable, and easy. Like them, I would again and again make life all about me.

It hit me that If I were ever to be the tool of transforming grace in the lives of my children, I needed to be daily rescued, not from them, but from me! That’s why Jesus came, so that I would have every resource that I need to be what he has chosen me to be and do what he has called me to do. In his life, death, and resurrection I had already been given all that I needed to be his tool of rescuing, forgiving, and transforming grace.

- from Paul Tripp, "Parenting: The Joyful Impossibility,"

I can't even possibily begin to count the times that I have felt that my ability to parent well, yea- even to love well, was completely beyond the possibility of success. Actually, I'd probably have more success counting the times I knew moments of competency! Doubts began in the very beginning- they are allowing us to take this beautiful creation home? Sickness. Discipline. Growing independence. They continued even, especially, today- are we allowing our children experiences they will hate us for, or even worse- suffer for, in the years to come? There are moments, days, seasons, in our home, in our family, that are painful, discordant, anguished. Desperate cries for rescue. And yet, there remains the light of hope, and of promise.

... in order to be a tool of grace, I desperately need grace myself.

That is the truth that I cannot allow myself to forget, for their sake, for His...

(art credit: Grace by paintingtruth at etsy.com)

Stoked and Rekindled

2011-01-17T19:23:00.005-06:00

After almost a year hiatus from Giant Faith, the passion to spur each other on to fulfill the magnificent calling that our Mighty Creator God has given us has been stoked and rekindled.

Seasons change. Our stories continue. Our stories are being unfolded. The symphony is being played just as the Great Composer has written it.

Let's continue to press on in this wonderful journey He has set before us to train up our children in the way they should go... for His glory and their good!

I pray that the following video will inspire you to soak up life and treasure every bit of it.

Figuring Life Out - One Thousand Gifts

2011-01-17T19:22:00.000-06:00

in our heart, in our mouth

2010-01-31T22:09:00.000-06:00

"And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery."

Exodus 13:14

In his commentary on this passage, Matthew Henry writes, "Also care must be taken to teach children the knowledge of God. Here is an old law for catechising. It is of great use to acquaint children betimes with the histories of the Bible. And those who have God's law in their heart should have it in their mouth, and often speak of it, to affect themselves, and to teach others."

Those who have God's law in their heart should have it in their mouth...

I thought about that last week, as I read out loud to my family in the evening. We read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, a suspenseful story that, every night, left my entire family wanting one more chapter. In the book, there were several particularly menacing, even evil, characters, women the likes of Cruella deVil or Mrs. Hannigan from Annie. But in this book, we were all especially indignant when the diabolical mistress of the orphanage read Scripture out loud to the girls, while at the same time overseeing their hard, and punitive, labor in the orphanage. This woman had God's law in her mouth, but not in her heart.

My kids recognized right away that although she spoke the Word, this woman was not a doer of the Word. It was so blatantly obvious in this case, but even so, it's tough to deceive these kids. She had absolutely no credibility in my family's eyes.

And so, my prayer is that I have both, that I have His law set deep in my heart AND that it would be quick on my tongue. My prayer is that my children know my sincerity before Him, that they recognize my dependence on our Lord, and that my witness of Him, how the Lord indeed brought me out of bondage and out of slavery, would be true.

(art credit to kmberggren at etsy)

Dream job

2010-01-12T17:38:00.001-06:00

So my "dream job" title is: "wife, mother, homemaker, prayer warrior, choir director, praise singer, child of the Most High God." I cannot say that I have had significant impact on the lives of a great number of people. However, I can say that God has blessed me immeasurably in my children who are all honest, hard working, resourceful, creative, intelligent and God fearing. I believe I am truly loved and appreciated by my family and friends, God's people who are my co-laborers.
from "I yuv you, dwamma," BaylyBlog, 11January2010

Do read the entire piece.
That bit quote is from a larger piece that was on the Bayly brothers blog earlier this week. It gave me start, because it was almost as though I was reading my own story. (well, except that part about "praise singer." I am, but strictly in the corporate setting!)

Through the wonder of Facebook, I've recently come in contact with many old friends, many from high school and college, many that I have not seen or spoken to "in real life" for many, many years. It is fun to "see" people, to briefly renew old relationships, to see what folks are doing, to see how their kids resemble them, and such and such.

I wasn't especially "popular" in high school, although I was pretty well known, I suppose. I was active in a zillion clubs and activities. Later I realized that was mostly to escape being at home in some very tumultous years. I had several really good friends and many acquaintances. I did many things I regretted, both immediately and even now, things for which the statute of limitations might not ever be reached (except between me and my God and my husband). I was foolish. (oh, and I still am, in so many ways!) Despite all that, somehow I was voted "Most Likely to Succeed."

So, sometimes I wonder what those folks think when they see my Facebook profile, and read about someone who describes herself as a "sojourner, grateful for grace." I am. And I am. I'm not worried about what they think; I just wonder. And just as the writer speaks, I don't want to critique the paths that others have been led down. I have enough problems trying to walk in obedience on the path the Lord is directing me! It is, perhaps, a different path than others expected. Truth be known, it's a different path than I expected! But it is a path that I'm abundantly grateful to be on.

This little piece reminds me that there are others that wonder too. But, mostly, it reminds me of the wonder of grace. And of the wonder of being "confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6)

art credit: Jetaime, Mae and Bebe series, KatHannah at Etsy.com)

A Ministry to Christ

2010-01-11T14:31:00.002-06:00

1. View your ministry to your family as a ministry to Christ.

When you serve your family, you are serving Christ. As you cook for your family, you cook for Jesus. As you clean up a child's mess, you do it first for Jesus. As you care for the needs of your child's father you do it for Jesus. We do it all for HIM.

2. God's inexhaustible reservoir of love is the resource for your ministry of motherhood.

It is God's love that gives you the grace that is sufficient to every challenge of mothering. You need God's love and grace to live sacrificially for your children and point them to Jesus.

3. You must rely on God's wisdom and understanding for the ministry of training your children.

Rest in Christ your teacher for the wisdom you need to guide and direct your children.

4. You must carry out your ministry in the authority of Christ.

By definition, a minister is someone who gives aid or service. The ministry of motherhood is a ministry of service you carry out for Christ as you serve your children. Your authority goes beyond giving birth and physically protecting them. You have the authority under God to raise your children to be servants of God.

5. Your ministry is to be a servant, not a slave.

There is a big difference. To serve is to render aid or help. Jesus said, "Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant" (Mark 10:43). If you want to be a great mother, render service to your children by training them in the way they should go.

A servant makes sacrifices, offering something precious to God. We make sacrifices, suffer personal losses, and give up things that are valuable to us on behalf of the children we serve. Our sacrifice is patterned after the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, who served our deepest needs by giving His life. As mothers we learn to lay down our lives for our kids on a daily basis, not because our children are in charge, but because we have a vision and a goal of helping them understand the importance of serving Christ.
~Donna Otto, The Stay-at Home Mom

The Bath...Inside and Out

2010-01-10T17:48:00.006-06:00

The Bath

by Mary Cassatt

As I was admiring this familiar painting by Mary Cassatt, it brought me tender thoughts of getting to bathe my own children when they were little. Now, I have only one of four who needs assistance in the batheing process and I have come to realize that this is such a intentional exercise of care for my child. My efforts are focused on the outward cleansing of my child's appearance. I am even careful to scrub behind the ears...places not so noticeable by casual interaction. All this is important for her well-being, to be sure, but it brings to mind an even more important cleansing my child needs, that I need--the cleansing of the heart, an inward cleansing!

As I have matured as a follower of Christ, I have come to understand, by His grace, that I am not able to cleanse my own heart, let alone, my children's. Only through the work of His Spirit in our lives are we able to experience true cleansing.

I want to share this encouraging excerpt from Tedd and Margy Tripp's book, Instructing a Child's Heart...

"Our children's needs are the same as our own needs. We need cleansing, forgiveness, deep internal transformation and the power to change. These transforming changes are described in Ezekiel 36:25-27. This is an Old Testament seed text for the gospel. When it is compared to Christ's dialogue with Nicodemus (Jn.3:1-21), one might even conclude this was Jesus' outline when he spoke with this secret follower.

'I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean' (Ezek. 36:25). Ezekiel begins with our impurity and need for cleansing. We are all sinners; even our best deeds are filthy rags before God.

Ezekiel elaborates on this need for cleansing by identifying two broad areas of life that scream out for cleansing. 'I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols' (Ezek. 36:25).

Our children's thoughts, motives, and actions are impure and show how profoundly they, like us, need cleansing. Impure thoughts are not limited to sexual sin. Any thoughts that are not consumed with loving God with heart, soul, mind and strength are impure thoughts. The only hope for our children and us is the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Our children, like you and me, have enthroned idols in the place of God. We have made the great exchange Romans 1:25 describes. We have worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator. Every particular sin, every point at which I choose to disobey the law of God is due to this great exchange. I am worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator. All sin problems are worship problems. They have their roots in idolatry.

The worship of idols in our children's hearts cries out with the need for cleansing.

We and our children also need forgiveness. We cannot change our history. Even if we would never sin again, we still need forgiveness. Our sins are great enough to consign us to eternal damnation. We cannot work our sins off. Though we cannot earn forgiveness, we can receive it as God's free gift of grace. The promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31 promises the forgiveness sinners so desperately need. 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jer. 31:34).

In order to underscore the importance of Christ's perfect life and death on the cross, I used to emphasize for my children that love is not the basis of forgiveness. Instead, forgiveness is based on payment. God's love moved him to send his Son. The Son loved us and gave his life as a ransom. Christ paid the penalty for sins and forgiveness is offered on the basis of payment.

Since the problem with us is greater than just the things we do, we have a profound need for deep internal change. Ezekiel speaks too this need. 'I will give you a new heart' (Ezek. 36:26.) The promise of this passage is that grace brings radical internal change. I will remove for you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

We and our children need change that is that radical and thorough. When a child has gained renewed interest in a toy simply because a sibling would like it, that child is exhibiting a stony heart. That hardness of heart will not be melted through anything other than grace. Manipulation of behavior through rewards and punishments will never touch the stony heart. In fact, if you think about it, most behavioristic manipulation makes its appeal to the stoniness of your child's heart. Behaviorism appeals to his compulsive self-love, his pride and his love of pleasure to produce externally appropriate behaviors.

Only grace can change the heart. What an encouragement! The very thing that we need is the very focal point of God's work. God gives us a new heart--a heart of flesh!"

What a joy! HE provides real cleansing, on the inside...even behind the ears, so-to-speak--places which cannot be seen by casual interaction.

With hope in the faithful work of the Spirit in the hearts of myself and my children, I press on in His grace and pray...

Mighty Father, in Your great mercy and grace, on behalf of my children, take their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh. I pray that You will put Your law on their minds, and write it on their hearts; I pray that You will be their God and they will be Your people. I pray that You will forgive their iniquity, and their sin, may You remember no more (Ezekiel 36:26; Jeremiah 31: 33-34). In Jesus' name, Amen.

No Nobler Career

2009-12-27T17:05:00.005-06:00

Mother and Child (with Red Apple) by Nguyen Thanh Binh

"There is no nobler career than that of motherhood at its best. There are no possibilities greater, and in no other sphere does failure bring more serious penalties. With what diligence then should she prepare herself for such a task. If the mechanic who is to work with "things" must study at technical school, if the doctor into whose skilled hands will be entrusted human lives, must go to medical school... how much more should the mother who is fashioning the souls of the men and women of tomorrow, learn at the highest of all schools and from the Master-Sculptor Himself, God. To attempt this task, unprepared and untrained is tragic, and its results affect generations to come. On the other hand there is no higher height to which humanity can attain than that occupied by a converted, heaven-inspired, praying mother." ~~ Anonymous, quoted from The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot, page 95

"... let in the light of heaven."

2009-12-03T18:09:00.000-06:00

I think that I have commended Timberdoodle in the past. Timberdoodle is a solid, family-owned, business that I adore. When we lived in Washington, I would drive to their place to pick up my order. I probably didn't save any money, with gas and a latte for the road, but it was a peaceful drive through the woods, and they were always so kind to me and the kids when I picked up the box, and that was priceless.

Anyway, in their December email, the letter to customers is just what I've been pondering, and struggling with, in the last few days. It distills some of our culture challenges on how to celebrate Christmas in the midst of a very commercial world. It challenges me, and might inspire another post in the process.

(I was going to post just part and link the rest, but I don't think there's a link, so I'll post the entire note. Blessings!)

Dear Friends,

This year we are taking a slight departure from our annual bashing of secular Christmas, to urge you to take inventory on the condition of your children's hearts.

What if you discovered, quite by accident, that your married daughter was flirting with the UPS man? Would you not beg her to remember the vows she made before God and man? And wouldn't you feel sick if she laughed and continued to engage in such destructive behavior?

Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians implored "...I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ." If your children are to spend eternity with Christ, as a godly parent, don't you see a need to train your children to treasure Him above everything else?

For all the warmth and joy that the Christmas season can bring, it can also become a cesspool of impulsive passions. Or it can be a season of opportunities, uniquely designed to sanctify your family. The caroling missed because of the flu, the must-have toy not purchased because of a scaled back budget, the annual Christmas pie tossed because the cat sampled it, are all occasions to take a peek into where your child's affections are. For all the hoopla surrounding Christmas, there is disturbingly little emphasis placed on pleasing the One whose birth we are celebrating, and wholly too much importance placed on making ourselves happy.

Samuel Rutherford, a Scottish Presbyterian theologian (1600-1661), wrote "... if you see a man shut up in a closed room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wish to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all his lamps; and then throw open the shutters to let in the light of heaven."

This Christmas, may we all remember to whom we are betrothed and set our affections fully on Him,

Enjoying Timberdoodle products in a whole new way,
Dan, Deb, Joy, Hope, Grace, Abel, and Pearl

(photo credit to tollen at Flickr)

A Beautiful Inheritance

2009-12-01T07:37:00.000-06:00

this post, taken from Andree Seu's series on the Book of Joshua, challenges me- am I satisfied in God alone?
In the work of parenting, of wife-ing, of serving His people, am I satisfied in God alone? His inheritance is beautiful.
Do read the entire piece.

Or have you even gotten to the point where the choice of God is not a sacrifice? Have you gotten to the place where you have stepped into obedience enough times, and chosen the way of faith often enough, that you have learned a very cool secret—that the joy is immediate and the deepening intimacy with God is something you wouldn’t trade for all the olive oil in Asher?

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (Psalm 16:5-6).

(art credit: Madagascar Olive Leaves, Elizabeth Thompson, 2008)

Amen

2009-10-28T22:15:00.002-05:00

from Femina, Nancy Wilson's blog-

"Paul must have been thinking of the duties of mothers when he wrote these verses:

“….warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14

Holy Triumph

2009-10-17T15:08:00.003-05:00

Introduction from
The Godly Man's Picture
by Thomas Watson

CHRISTIAN READER,

The soul being so precious, and salvation so glorious, it is the highest point of prudence to make preparations for another world. It is beyond all dispute that there is an inheritance in light, and it is most strenuously asserted in Holy Scripture that there must be a fitness and suitability for it (Col. 1:12). If anyone asks, 'Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?', the answer is, 'He that has clean hands, and a pure heart' (Psalm 24.4). To describe such a person is the work of this ensuing treatise. Here you have the godly man's portrait, and see him portrayed in his full lineaments. What a rare thing godliness is! It is not airy and puffed up, but solid, and such as will take up the heart and spirits. Godliness consists in an exact harmony between holy principles and practices. Oh, that all into whose hands this book shall providentially come, may be so enamoured with piety as to embrace it heartily. So sublime is godliness that it cannot be delineated in its perfect radiance and lustre, though an angel should take the pencil. Godliness is our wisdom. 'The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom' (Job 28.28). Policy without piety is profound madness. Godliness is a spiritual queen, and whoever marries her is sure of a large dowry with her. Godliness has the promise of the present life and of that which is to come (1 Tim. 4.8). Godliness gives assurance, yes, holy triumph in God, and how sweet that is (Isa 32.17). It was Latimer who said, 'When sometimes I sit alone, and have a settled assurance of the state of my soul, and know that God is my God, I can laugh at all troubles, and nothing can daunt me.' Godliness puts a man in heaven before his time. Christian, aspire after piety; it is a lawful ambition. Look at the saints' characteristics here, and never leave off till you have got them stamped upon your own soul. This is the grand business that should swallow up you time and thoughts. Other speculations and quaint notions are nothing to the soul. They are like wafers which have fine works printed upon them, and are curiously damasked to the eye, but are thin, and yield little nourishment. But I will not keep you longer in the porch. Should I have enlarged upon any one characteristic of the godly man, I have contracted my sails, and given you only a brief summary of things. If this piece, (however undigested) conduces to the good of souls, I shall have my desire. That the God of grace will effectually accomplish this shall be the prayer of him who is...
Yours in all Christian affection,
THOMAS WATSON

Old Ways. Ancient Paths.

2009-09-23T10:30:00.010-05:00

From time to time since 1963, a rebel organization had tried to overthrow the Indonesian government. In 1976 this rebel movement surfaced again, attracting some of the young people- even children of church leaders. The youth went back to long, matted hair and to painting their faces and bodies for war. They started to make bows and arrows and spears. "We're going back to the old ways," they announced.

"How could you possibly want to go back to fear of spirits and the miseries of no food, of pain and cold, and of war and death?" their parents asked them.

Most who joined the rebel forces were nominal Christians, young people who had come up in the church and perhaps were even baptized but had not been born again. They thought the rebel movement offered excitment...
(from Torches of Joy, John Dekker with Lois Neely, YWAM Publishing, 1985)

We've been reading of the missionary adventures of John and Helen Dekker, and their work among the Dani tribes people in the Toli Valley of Irian Jaya (formerly Netherlands New Guinea). The Lord did amazing work through the Dekkers and other missionaries, including native converts who became missionaries, in that land. And yet, we read that indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. At some point, even the children of converts, first-hand witnesses to such obvious extremes between light and darkness, were tempted to turn back to the "old ways."

The passage caught my attention, and I lingered over it. And I continue to think about it.

Then in devotions this morning, I read a reminder of what we are to teach our children. We need to teach our kids that the Word of God is all Truth, and is infinitely more satisfying than anything the world offers. We need to help our children develop eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to understand (Matthew 13:10-17).

And, we have to persevere in prayer, in the words of Jeremiah 6:16, for our children to "see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it...," literally from the Strong's Concordance description, "the true piety and uncorrupted morals that are ascribed to the men of old."

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death," Proverbs 16:25 tells us. I pray for the wisdom to seek out the ancient ways, not just the old ways.

(photo credit to richj_gsy at Flickr)

Draw Your Sword

2009-09-11T08:22:00.003-05:00

"DRAW YOUR SWORD" ~ Westley, the farmboy, Princess Bride

We have the opportunity to raise up warriors for His Kingdom. We have the privilege to equip them to fight the Good Fight. The battle is real. Prayer on their behalf is a powerful weapon. We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world...against wicked spirits in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12 NLT). God's word (our sword) prayed back to HIM promises to not come back void.

So, for the sake of my children, I pray this...

"Father, I pray that (children's names) would put on the whole armor of God, that they may be able to stand in this battle. I pray that their waist would be girded with truth, having but on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod their feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which they will be able to quench all the fiery darts if the wicked one. I pray that they would take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance...(Ephesians 6:11-18)."

Not Constrained by Conscience

2009-08-16T19:17:00.004-05:00

"To have people who are well informed but not constrained by conscience is, conceivably, the most dangerous outcome of education possible. Indeed, it could be argued that ignorance is better than unguided intelligence, for the most dangerous people are those who have knowledge without a moral framework."~~Ernest Boyer from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

To prefer righteousness

2009-07-29T08:37:00.008-05:00

"With all eternity hanging in the balance, we fight the fight of faith. Our chief enemy is the Lie that says sin will make our future happier. Our chief weapon is the Truth that says God will make our future happier. And faith is the victory that overcomes the lie, because faith is satisfied with God. The challenge before us then is not merely to do what God says because He is God, but to desire what God says because he is good. The challenge is not merely to pursue righteousness, but to prefer righteousness. The challenge is to get up in the morning and prayerfully meditate on the Scriptures until we experience joy and peace in believing "the precious and very great promises" of God (Rom. 15:13; 2 Peter 1:4). With this joy set before us the commandments of God will not be burdensome (1 John 5:3) and the compensation of sin will appear too brief and too shallow to lure us." - John Piper

Thinking out loud for a few moments...
I've been meditating lately on raising kids that grow into mature believers; kids that grow to love and serve the Lord our God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. It started with this article, and then this one, food for thought, but not with answers that wholly satisfy. And then of course, there are mysteries we struggle with, knowing kids that grow to young adults and struggle in their walk, that perhaps turn away from the Lord though we know their parents sincerely sought to raise them up in the nurture and admonition, "the discipline and instruction" (Eph 6:4), of the Lord. I know that the temptation of the world is strong, even for those of us with feet solidly grounded in His truth. I know that deception comes quickly, cunningly.

So knowing that there is no magic potion for growing up kids,
that there's no one foolproof formula for success,
I am thankful that, indeed, we are given these children with a manual and guide, Scripture itself.

The Piper quote reminds me, yet again, how to pray for my children-
that they would have faith that is fully satisfied with God;
that they would "abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom 15:13);
that they would "escape the corruption that is in the world" (2Peter 1:4);
that His commandments would not be burdensome (1John 5:3), but rather,
that they would delight themselves in the Lord and commit their way to Him (Ps 37:4-5).

And, it reminds me of my own plea, as I confess my own sin and come humbly before the Lord, which, really, is exactly the same-
that I would not provoke my children to anger (Eph. 6:4);
that I would, too, be fully satified with God,
that as a response of joy to the salvation He offers, we would all prefer righteousness.

...think about such things

2009-07-17T08:58:00.005-05:00

One of the first and most enduring lessons on parenting I learned before I had ever birthed a child myself. As members of a bible study that met in the chaplain's home each week, we had a Friday evening front row seat to how he and his wife interacted with, disciplined, and discipled, their children. One evening we joined the conversation in progress. The issue? whether or not to buy the latest in video games. Finally, in response to his son's appeal, "but there's nothing wrong with it," the dad replied, "but what is right with it?"

What is right with it? Because, you know, there are a lot of things that aren't exactly wrong. But then, they aren't exactly right, either. That question, taken from the standard Paul sets in Philippians 4:8-9, has stuck with us ever since, and has been a benchmark as we parent our own kids, even today, nearly 19 years later. This article from Shepherd Press reinforces the same idea, and is worth the reminder.

Unconsciously to Herself

2009-05-15T15:06:00.008-05:00

"She is the first model of character they witness; the first exhibitions of right and wrong in practice are what they see in her. They are the constant observers of the passions, graces, virtues, and faults which are shown in her words, temper, and actions. She is therefore, unconsciously to herself, educating them not only by designed teaching, but by all she does or says in their presence." ~~ Female Piety, John Angell James

Mother and Child by Pablo Picasso

Promises of the Covenant

2009-04-24T16:16:00.004-05:00

It has been a hard parenting week. I'm sure my kids would tell you that it has also been a hard week to be a child. This post from Carolyn Mahaney at Girl Talk is balm to my soul today.

Be encouraged!

When they are too old to spank...

2009-04-22T13:23:00.004-05:00

Sin reared its very ugly head in my kitchen this morning and two children, that shall remain unnamed, were THIS close to a fist fight.

Like a school playground monitor, I separated them and sent each to his or her respective room to calm down. Perhaps that was also to give time for ME to calm down...

I was thankful that each returned, repentent and seeking forgiveness from the other. The punitive effects?
Each had to search Proverbs and write 20 verses on the fool or the hot-tempered man.

Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them, and with their sons forever!
Deuteronomy 5:29

(photo credit to circlesandsquares at etsy.com, though I don't really recommend it as a t-shirt message...)

An Account of What is Past

2009-04-10T11:41:00.009-05:00

In the March 28th issue of World magazine, Janie B. Cheaney has a great piece entitled Boastful Dunces: Post-literate college students reveal a 'resentful incapacity'. She brings attention to the challenge of Thomas Bertonneau, literature professor at SUNY-Oswego, to education modern college students through his Western Heritage course. His goal is to introduce the students to the importance of knowing the "foundations of their civilization."

"In spite of his repeated lecture points and cheat sheets, they confuse historical events...Their test-taking training in high school taught them to take note of dates but not to make sense of how they use them. Though saturated with movies and TV, they lack a basic notion of cause-and-effect and logical consequence basic to stories."

This is taken from the introduction in Streams of Civilizations by Mary Stanton and Albert Hyman, a history textbook published by Christian Liberty Press...

"Every student at some time has asked the question: 'Why is it important to study history? What difference can it make to me what a lot of people did thousands of years ago?'

History is important because it is the story of people, how they came into existence and what they did. People have always faced the same problems of food, shelter, social organization, political structure, and religious expression. By exploring the streams of civilization throughout time, we will have a better understanding of how the world came to be the way it is today. It will also help us to understand better the events that are happening today and the decisions being made that will change the future."

Through reading these great works in literature like Homer's Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, and Dicken's Tale of Two Cities, it is as though we are given windows framing respective chapters in history. Through these windows we can get a clearer picture of what we are looking at and of what we are ultimately a part of even today--HIS Story.

"To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose

under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace...

What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that evey man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is a gift of God.

I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. That which is has already been; and God requires an account of what is past." Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Like a Flint

2009-04-06T23:56:00.002-05:00

God's Help for God's Assignment

a devotion by Elisabeth Elliot

Sometimes a task we have begun takes on seemingly crushing size, and we wonder what ever gave us the notion that we could accomplish it. There is no way out, no way around it, and yet we cannot contemplate actually carrying it through. The rearing of children or the writing of a book are illustrations that come to mind. Let us recall that the task is a divinely appointed one, and divine aid is therefore to be expected. Expect it! Ask for it, wait for it, believe that God gives it. Offer to Him the job itself, along with your fears and misgivings about it. He will not fail or be discouraged. Let his courage encourage you. The day will come when the task will be finished. Trust Him for it.

"For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded, therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed" (Is 50:7 AV).

Q & A

2009-04-01T12:08:00.007-05:00

Friends!

I listened to this while folding a mountain of laundry this morning!

Good, practical and Godly advice from Doug and Nancy Wilson and Tim Bayly.

Advice that, encouragingly, was familiar to me. Advice that parents need to hear, and be reminded of.

So go find a pile of clean clothes that need folding and take a listen. It takes about an hour.

(art credit: The Way Home, a print of an original painting found at Tummy Mountain)

This and that today...

2009-03-23T16:01:00.014-05:00

A few good words from around blogdom today...

From John Piper at Desiring God- An Encouragement and Precaution for Parents

From Carolyn Mahaney at Girl Talk- Pay Attention

And this, our prayer for our children, from Psalm 144:12-

Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants,

And our daughters as corner pillars fasioned as for a palace.

Or, as Matthew Henry comments,

"To see them as plants, not as weeds, not as thorns; to see them as plants growing, not withered and blasted; to see them likely to bring forth fruit unto God in their day; to see them in their youth growing strong in the Spirit."

(photo credit to Phool4xc at Flickr. I just couldn't find a "grown up plants" photo that I liked...)

Compassion

2009-02-28T07:22:00.011-06:00

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness,

He will not always strive with us;

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Psalm 103:8-14

"The Scripture says a great deal of the mercy of God, and we all have experienced it.

The father pities his children that are weak in knowledge, and teaches them;

pities them when they are froward, and bears with them;

pities them when they are sick, and comforts them;

pities them when they are fallen, and helps them to rise;

pities them when they have offended, and, upon their submission, forgives them;

pities them when wronged, and rights them:

thus the Lord pities those that fear him."

Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Bible

Finish Psalm 103 for more encouragement on, as Henry says, "the constancy of His mercy."

(art credit to hmiracle @Etsy, A Mother Love Magnet)

(forgive the mom art- I know that this passage clearly refers to God the Father, and Henry to a father's love for his children, but since most of the GiantFaith readers are moms... :-) )

Dark sayings of old

2009-02-15T07:03:00.003-06:00

Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should teach them to their children,
That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they many arise and tell them to their children,
That they should put their confidence in God'
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Psalm 78:1-8

Look at those imperaties:
tell
teach
arise
not forget
keep

Those are our marching orders.

Tell of His Greatness

2009-02-02T12:13:00.005-06:00

I will extol Thee, my God, O King;

And I will bless Thy name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless Thee,

And I will praise Thy name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise Thy works to another,

And shall declare Thy mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty,

And on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate.

And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts;

And I will tell of Thy greatness.

They shall eagerly utter the memory of Thine abundant goodness,

And shall shout joyfully of Thy righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful;

Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

The Lord is good to all,

And His mercies are over all His works.

All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O Lord,

And Thy godly ones shall bless Thee.

They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom,

And talk of Thy power;

To make known to the sons of men Thy mighty acts,

And the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom.

Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And Thy dominion endures throughout all generations.

Psalm 145:1-13

(photo credit to JamesWatkins)

& oh the stories!

2009-01-29T05:59:00.003-06:00

Many people have said to me, "What a pity you had such a big family to raise. Think of the novels and the short stories and the poems you never had time to write because of that." And I looked at my children and I said, "These are my poems. These are my short stories."

-Olga Masters

(quote credit to caron & whocares)

(art credit to Dorothy Tennant, At Play)

Compassion and Comfort

2009-01-11T22:24:00.001-06:00

“Children are meant to understand compassion and comfort because they have received compassion and comfort - and this should be in the family setting. A family should be a place where comfort is experienced and understood, so that the people are prepared to give comfort to others.” ~~ Edith Schaeffer

The 5:00 Club

2009-01-08T21:42:00.013-06:00

Set my alarm for the same time everyday.
Get up. Turn off alarm, which is strategically placed on the other side of the room. (I’ve learned this is my most critical moment in getting up early. It is crucial that I never, never, never, hit the snooze button or lie back down to catch a few more winks.)
Head straight to bathroom and then proceed directly to the coffee pot.
Be prepared to feel absolutely miserable for about 10 to 15 minutes. (But the feeling of misery turns into pure gladness as I soon experience the delight of having that alone time and as I reap the benefits all day long. It is totally worth feeling miserable for about 15 minutes.)
Your body responds to a regular wake up time. In other words, it gets easier.

- Nicole Whitacre from GirlTalk on The 5:00 Club

Number one- this post is about waking up early.

Number two- this post is NOT about guilt.

Last year on January 1, my husband and I made a commitment to getting up together early in the morning to spend time in prayer and in the Word.

Wait. Let me clarify. We get up in the same house, at the same time, but we don't pray or study together. In fact, we rarely speak to each other. But we are both awake!

We kept doing it through the year, not perfectly, but consistently. And we're still doing it.

God is faithful. That time has grown to be precious to us.

The ladies at GirlTalk talk about this practice today. Well, not ME, of course, but what they write could be me, except we are the 5:30 Club. It's familiar and it's true, and like they are doing, I commend it to you all too.

It's dang tough in the winter, when it's dark and cold and snuggled under the comforter is such a good place to be. It's easier in the summer, when the birds are awake and the sun wakes up with you and you can even go outside on the porch.

It's not really about the hour. As the GirlTalk ladies say, "The question isn’t, “How early do you get up in the morning?” but rather, “Does your daily schedule reflect your priorities: specifically, seeking God at the outset of the day, romancing your husband, and serving your family?” The purpose of getting up early is to make the most important priorities most important."

Notice- it might not be for everyone.

The GirlTalk girls note, and I do too, that 5 am is not for those with young children that still wake up at midnight and at 3 am.

That's ok.

Youngun's grow, and they learn to sleep.

I promise.

For more on The 5:00 Club, read on at GirlTalk.

(photo credit to a Flickr search for "sunrise omaha" and Flatland Moutaineer.)

Texts to Pray for Our Children

2009-01-04T13:18:00.011-06:00

I have printed out this list, and placed it in the little notebook I use to keep track of how I pray for my kids...

Texts to Pray for Our Children

(art credit: Mother Praying, by Neil Iverson)

paths

2008-12-26T12:32:00.005-06:00

Her father taught his children, never doubting, that there was a single path from antiquity to eternity. Learn the psalms and ponder the ways of the early church. Know what must be known. Ancient fathers taught their ancient children, who taught their ancient children, these very things. Puritan Milton with his pagan muses. It is like a voice heard from another room, singing for the pleasure of the song, and then you know it, too, and through you it moves by accident and necessity down generations. Then, why singing? Why pleasure in it? And why the blessing of the moment when another voice is heard, dreaming to itself? That was her father humming "Old Hundred" while he shaved. It was John Keats in Cheapside, traveling his realms of gold. No need to be a minister. To be a teacher was an excellent thing.

from Home by Marilynne Robinson

(art credit to CMZart)

For Our Children

2008-12-21T16:17:00.002-06:00

Father, hear us, we are praying,
Hear the words our hearts are saying:
We are praying for our children.

Keep them from the powers of evil.
From the secret, hidden peril;
Father, hear us for our children.

From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand, pluck them;
Father, hear us for our children.

From the worldling's hollow gladness,
From the sting of faithless sadness,
Father, Father, keep our children.

Through life's troubled waters steer them;
Through life's bitter battle cheer them;
Father, Father, be Thou near them.

Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging,
Holy Father, for our children.

And wherever they may abide,
Lead them Home at eventide.

by Amy Carmichael, Mountain Breezes

A prayer

2008-12-12T08:21:00.005-06:00

"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it,
we have not ceased to pray for you
and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
to please Him in all respects,
bearing fruit in every good work
and increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all power,
according to His glorious might,
for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience;
joyously giving thanks to the Father,
who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."
Colossians 1:9-12

One of my most favorite prayers to pray for my kids...

Ties of Affection and Companionship

2008-12-09T11:27:00.005-06:00

"Make it a special object of attention and effort to gain an influence over the minds of the children with whom you shall find within your reach. Parents often pay too little attention to this. Their fellowship with children is only the necessary contact of command and obedience. A father who devotes some time daily to involving himself in the pursuits and pleasures of his children: talking with them, playing with them, or reading stories to them, will gain an ascendancy over them which, as they grow up, will be found to be immensely powerful. They are bound together by common feelings, by ties of affection and companionship, which have a most controlling moral influence upon the heart. It is, however, often neglected."~Jacob Abbott, Training Children in Godliness

All else from Him, All else for Him

2008-11-23T06:55:00.003-06:00

We will tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
Psalm 78:4

From Raising Children Who Are Confident in God, a sermon by John Piper:
"All Christian parenting and Christian education begins with God. There is One ultimate, unchanging Reality, namely, God. All else in parenting and education comes from him. All else is for him. He is the first and the last and the center of parenting and education. He is the main thing in how you rear children and teach children and discipline children. It all begins with God and it all is built on God and it all is to be shaped by God. If there is one memory that our children should have of our families and our church it is this; they should remember God. God was first. God was central. There was a passion for the supremacy of God in all things."

I know that truth, and I believe that truth, and I'm doing my darndest to live that truth, and even so, the responsibility of it sucks the breath out of me when I really consider it. All else from Him, all else for Him- first and last and in between. I consider often- I cannot mold my children's heart- that is for Him alone- but please, Lord, allow me to show "a passion for the supremacy of God in all things."

Our foundation

2008-11-20T07:10:00.006-06:00

Faith toward God is the foundation of effective mothering. Success as a mother doesn’t begin with hard work or sound principles or consistent discipline (as necessary as these are). It begins with God: His character, His faithfulness, His promises, His sovereignty. And as our understanding of these truths increases, so will our faith for mothering.

Carolyn Mahaney, girltalk, November 19, 2008

This morning I was reading in Romans, and this passage goes right along,

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we eagerly wait for it. (Romans 8:25)

On the road of parenting, yes, there are markers along the way. But our satisfaction cannot be found in, as Matthew Henry says, "the things of time and sense." It is patience, faith in waiting, that smooths the path and brings purpose to the twists and turns in the journey. It is confidence in Him, that "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6)

Lord, make me to know more of You; more of Your character, more of Your faithfulness, more of Your promises, more of Your sovereignty. Lord, increase my faith.

(art credit: Claude Monet, Poppies, Near Argenteuil, 1873)

New every morning

2008-11-14T20:54:00.010-06:00

In coming to the Lord in prayer, in adoration, I often praise Him for His character, for His names. Those names, so many, so all-encompassing, and yet, I come back again and again to El Shaddai, God Almighty, the all sufficient.

Today I read the following, written by Pastor Phil Johnson, and oh, I nodded in agreement. Yes, I believe wholeheartedly in the promise of Ephesians 3:20, "in Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can ask or think." But, I also know that my mind is small. His sufficiency is abundance in itself. Do I dare pray that I would be an even larger vessel for His grace?

I know of several struggling, struggling with relationships or with circumstance or with change or with physical ailments and disabilities, and I confess, I sometimes think, "now Lord? Is this yet enough?" Yet we can always be sure that HE is enough. His grace is sufficient for me. For them. For you. I hope this is a reminder and an encouragement.

When Elijah arrived, that woman and her little boy were on the verge of starvation. She was gathering a few sticks for fuel for what she was convinced would be the last meal she and her son would have before they died. But God graciously provided for the needs of that widow, her son, and Elijah for many weeks after that—not by giving them an overflow of abundance, but by miraculously providing a new handful of flour and a small portion of oil each day, so that their supplies, while never in surplus, were always sufficient for their daily needs.

That is a perfect picture of how God normally dispenses His grace. He gives us sufficient grace without giving us a surplus of grace. "His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is [His] faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). "He giveth more grace" (James 4:6)—but He dispenses His grace in accord with our present needs—often in handfuls and small measures, and rarely in superabundant portions. But the grace He gives is always sufficient.

Furthermore, sometimes, when God does want to lavish grace upon us in superabundant measure, the prelude to that is a dark and difficult turn of providence. Suffering is the pathway to glory. Hardship is the container into which God pours His grace. The larger the vessel, the greater the measure of grace.

2008-11-11T14:13:00.005-06:00

Thank you to the ladies at Girl Talk for this gem:

"It is faith that enlivens our work with perpetual cheerfulness. It commits every part of it to God, in the hope, that even mistakes shall be overruled for his glory; and thus relieves us from an oppressive anxiety, often attendant upon a deep sense of our responsibility. The shortest way to peace will be found in casting ourselves upon God for daily pardon of deficiencies and supplies of grace, without looking too eagerly for present fruit."

The Christian Ministry, by Charles Bridges

Oh doesn't this speak truth?! In 2 Corinthians 5:7 Paul reminds us that we "walk by faith, not by sight." And that is indeed, so very often, the path of parenting- we don't always see the "present fruit," and yet the call is to persevere, through to that promise of "when they are old..." Daily I have to be back at "casting (myself) upon God," for pardon, for forgiveness, for grace, and yet, this reminds us that "even mistakes shall be overruled for His glory."

I thought that Daylight Forest was a good accompaniment- in the midst of the density of the forest, we see the glimmer of light ahead...

(art credit to Willo Huard, Silverdale, Washington)

Leben

2008-11-09T17:25:00.003-06:00

Leben means "life" in German. It is also the title of a great resource about great people and events associated with the Reformation. In this journal are stories of great heroes of the faith who have gone before us. These stories tell of the great cost men and women of God paid to see His Kingdom established. They are the ones who have faithfully passed the baton to the generations which followed them.

My hope is that as we examine the qualities of those who laid such an incredible foundation of faith for our generation, we will be challenged and motivated to think generationally-- and eternally --about what kind of inheritance we want to leave.

This task can seem daunting, at the same time, it is exciting to be counted among His people, to march for His name, to raise up children for His name's sake. What a PRIVILEGE!

Do check out these journals available online for free... and be inspired. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us AND remember, He who has called us in faithful and also will do it!

Press on!

Enlarge My Heart

2008-10-28T20:07:00.005-05:00

I cling to Your testimonies;

O LORD, do not put me to shame!

I shall run the way of Your commandments,

For You will enlarge my heart.

Psalm 119:31-32

Check out this post from Nancy Wilson over at Femina.

Praying for improved MPG...

(photo credit to Alex Anderson Quilts)

Tea Time

2008-10-28T10:07:00.002-05:00

“It’s not the tea that makes teatime special, it’s the spirit of the tea party. It’s what happens when women or men or children make a place in their life for the rituals of sharing. It’s what happens when we bother with the little extras that feed the soul and nurture the senses and make space for unhurried conversation. And when that happens, it doesn’t really matter what fills the cups or holds the liquid.” ~~Emily Barnes

Enjoy some tea.... :-)

Sabbath Rest

2008-10-26T18:54:00.007-05:00

A Sunday Afternoon, 1888 by Carl Thomsen

The Sabbath is such a blessing. To think that the Lord has set aside a specific day for us to rest--to rest! Yes, we are commanded to rest. There is a purpose for this--His glory and our good! I, for one, am so very grateful for this day. I need it! With managing a home and homeschooling...this can really "use me up". But, to know that I have a day where I am to set my mind on things above instead of the things of this world, that is refreshing not only spiritually, but mentally and physically, as well.

The Sabbath is a day where I get to stop, worship and be renewed for a new week! I get to leave the washing machine alone. I get to have a simple, easy meal. I get to leisurely enjoy life with my family...without feeling guilty because there is so much that needs to be done! God is so loving. He knows we need rest. We are always talking about being overworked and overwhelmed. I encourage you to consider the blessing of rest today--to ponder the balm it is to our souls.

First things first...

2008-10-21T06:54:00.004-05:00

"Question: What is the first rule for teaching a parakeet how to talk?
Answer: You must have a larger vocabulary than the parakeet
__________
Question: What is the first rule for disciplining children?
Answer: You must have more discipline than the child.

... Consider the degree to which you are self-disciplined; it is only to that degree that you can expect to succeed in disciplining you child to correct his anger problem."

ouch.

(from The Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo)

(art credit: Plaid Bird Print, from Moontree Letterpress)

A Life of Prayer

2008-10-14T06:49:00.006-05:00

"This life devoted to God must be accompanied by the deep confidence that our prayer is effective. In His prayer-lessons our Blessed Lord insisted upon nothing so much as faith in God as a Father who most certainly does what we ask. "Ask and ye shall receive"'; to count confidently on an answer is with Him the beginning and the end of His teaching (compare to Matt 7:8 and John 16:24). In proportion as this assurance masters us, and it becomes a settled thing that our prayers do tell and that God does what we ask, we dare not neglect the use of this wonderful power. The soul turns wholly to God, and our life becomes prayer. We see that the Lord needs and takes time, because we and all around us are the creatures of time, under the law of growth. Knowing that not one single prayer of faith can possibly be lost, that there is sometimes a need for the storing up and accumulating of prayer, but recognizing that persevering prayer is irresistible, prayer becomes the quiet, persistent living of our life of desire and faith in the presence of our God."

Andrew Murray, Believers School of Prayer

(art credit: Prayer, by Awakening Youth at Prayer House Art)

The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood

2008-10-12T13:36:00.005-05:00

The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood

by John Piper

@ the 2008 True Woman Conference
in Chicago, IL

My aim in this message is to clarify from God’s word the ultimate meaning of true womanhood, and to motivate you, by God’s grace, to embrace it as your highest calling. What I will say is foundational to the “True Woman Manifesto” which I regard as a faithful, clear, true, and wise document.

The Opposite of a Wimpy Woman
I would like to begin by stating one huge assumption that I bring to this task tonight. I mention it partly because it may give you an emotional sense of what I hope you become because of this conference. And I mention it partly because it explains why I minister the way I do and why this message sounds the way it does.
My assumption is that wimpy theology makes wimpy women. And I don’t like wimpy women. I didn’t marry a wimpy woman. And with Noël, I am trying to raise my daughter Talitha, who turns 13 on Saturday, not to be a wimpy woman.

Marie Durant
The opposite of a wimpy woman is not a brash, pushy, loud, controlling, sassy, uppity, arrogant Amazon. The opposite of a wimpy woman is 14-year-old Marie Durant, a French Christian in the 17th century who was arrested for being a Protestant and told she could be released if she said one phrase: “I abjure.” Instead, wrote on the wall of her cell, “Resist,” and stayed there 38 years until she died, doing just that (Karl Olsson, Passion, [New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1963], 116-117).

Gladys and Esther Staines
The opposite of a wimpy woman is Gladys Staines who in 1999, after serving with her husband Graham in India for three decades learned that he and their two sons, Phillip (10) and Timothy (6), had been set on fire and burned alive by the very people they had served for 34 years, said, “I have only one message for the people of India. I’m not bitter. Neither am I angry. Let us burn hatred and spread the flame of Christ’s love.”
The opposite of a wimpy woman is her 13-year-old daughter Esther (rightly named!) who said, when asked how she felt about her father’s murder, “I praise the Lord that He found my father worthy to die for Him.”

Krista and Vicki
The opposite of a wimpy woman is Krista and Vicki who between them have had over 65 surgeries because of so-called birth defects, Apert Syndrome and Hypertelorism, and who testify today through huge challenges, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well”; and this: “Even though my life has been difficult, I know that God loves me and created me just the way I am. He has taught me to persevere and to trust Him more than anything.”

Joni Eareckson Tada
The opposite of a wimpy woman is Joni Eareckson Tada who has spent the last 41 years in a wheel chair, and prays, “Oh, thank you, thank you for this wheel chair! By tasting hell in this life, I’ve been driven to think seriously about what faces me in the next. This paralysis is my greatest mercy” (Christianity Today, January, 2004, 50).

Suzie
The opposite of a wimpy woman is Suzie who lost her husband four years ago at age 59, found breast cancer three months later, then lost her mom and writes, “Now I see that I have been crying for the wrong kind of help. I now see, that my worst suffering is my sin—my sin of self-centeredness and self-pity. . . . I know that with His grace, his lovingkindess, and his merciful help, my thoughts can be reformed and my life conformed to be more like His Son.”

Wimpy Theology Makes Wimpy Women
Wimpy theology makes wimpy women. That’s my assumption that I bring to this evening. Wimpy theology simply does not give a woman a God that is big enough, strong enough, wise enough, and good enough to handle the realities of life in away that magnifies the infinite worth of Jesus Christ. Wimpy theology is plagued by woman-centeredness and man-centeredness.

Wimpy theology doesn’t have the granite foundation of God’s sovereignty or the solid steel structure of a great God-centered purpose for all things.

The Ultimate Purpose for the Universe
So I turn to my to my main point, the ultimate meaning of true womanhood, and start by stating this great God-centered purpose of all things: God’s ultimate purpose for the universe and for all of history and for your life is to display the glory of Christ in its highest expression, namely, in his dying to make a rebellious people his everlasting and supremely happy bride. To say it another way, God’s ultimate purpose in creating the world and choosing to let it become the sin-wracked world that it is, is so that the greatness of the glory of Christ could be put on display at Calvary where he bought his rebellious bride at the cost of his life.

I base this statement of God’s ultimate purpose on several texts. For example, Revelation 13:8 where John refers to God’s writing names “before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” So in God’s mind Christ was already slain before the creation of the world. This was his plan from the beginning. Why?

Because in being slain “to make a wretch his treasure”—to make a rebel his bride—the glory of his grace would shine most brightly, and that was his ultimate purpose according to Ephesians 1:4-6, “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ . . . to the praise of the glory of his grace.”

The Glory of Christ at the Cross
From the very beginning, God’s design in creating the universe and governing it the way he does has been to put the glory of his grace on display in the death of his Son for the sake of his bride. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her . . . . that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). The ultimate purpose of creation and redemption is to put the glory of Christ on display in purchasing and purifying his bride, the church.

True Womanhood: At the Center of God’s Purpose
Now where does this take us in regard to the ultimate meaning of true womanhood? It does not take us to wimpy theology or wimpy women. It is not wimpy to say that God created the universe and governs all things to magnify his own grace in the death of his Son for the salvation of his bride. That’s not wimpy. And it doesn’t lead to wimpy womanhood.
But it does lead to womanhood. True womanhood. In fact, it leads to the mind-boggling truth that womanhood and manhood—masculinity and femininity—belong at the center of God’s ultimate purpose. Womanhood and manhood were not an afterthought or a peripheral thought in God’s plan. God designed them precisely so that they would serve to display the glory of his Son dying to have his happy, admiring bride.

Created to Display Jesus’ Glory
Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking God created us this way, and then later when Christ came to do his saving work, God looked around and said, “Well, that’s a good analogy, man and woman. I’ll describe my Son’s salvation with that. I’ll say it’s like a husband dying to save his bride.”

It didn’t happen like that. God did not look around and find manhood and womanhood to be a helpful comparison to his Son’s relation to the church. He created us as male and female precisely so that we could display the glory of his Son. Our sexuality is designed for the glory of the Son of God—especially the glory of his dying to have his admiring bride.
In Ephesian 5:31, Paul quotes Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” And then he adds this, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” In other words, from the beginning, manhood and womanhood were designed to display the glory of Christ in his relationship to the church, his bride.

A Distinctive Calling to Display the Glory of Christ
In other words, the ultimate meaning of true womanhood is this: It is a distinctive calling of God to display the glory of his Son in ways that would not be displayed if there were no womanhood. If there were only generic persons and not male and female, the glory of Christ would be diminished in the world. When God described the glorious work of his Son as the sacrifice of a husband for his bride, he was telling us why he made us male and female. He made us this way so that our maleness and femaleness would display more fully the glory of his Son in relation to his blood-bought bride.

This means that if you try to reduce womanhood to physical features and biological functions, and then determine your role in the world merely on the basis of competencies, you don’t just miss the point of womanhood, you diminish the glory of Christ in your own life. True womanhood is indispensable in God’s purpose to display the fullness of the glory of his Son. Your distinctive female personhood is not incidental. It exists because of its God-designed relationship to the central event of history, the death of the Son of God.

So let me say a word about what that looks like if you are married and if you are single.

A Word to the Married
First, a word to the married. Paul says in Ephesians 5:22-24, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

The point here is that marriage is meant to display the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church. And the way it does this is by men being men and women being women in marriage. These are no more interchangeable than Christ is interchangeable with the church. Men take their cues from Christ as the head, and women take their cues from what the church is called to be in her allegiance to Christ. This is described by Paul in terms of headship and submission. Here are my definitions of headship and submission based on this text:

*Headship is the divine calling of a husband to take primary responsibility for Christ-like, servant leadership, protection, and provision in the home.
*Submission is the divine calling of a wife to honor and affirm her husband’s leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts.

The point here is not to go into detail about how this gets worked out from marriage to marriage. The point is that these two, headship and submission, are different. They correspond to true manhood and true womanhood, which are different. And these differences are absolutely essential by God’s design, so that marriage will display, as in a mirror dimly, something of the glory of the sacrificial love of Christ for his bride and the lavish reverence and admiration of the bride for her husband.

I know this leaves a hundred questions unanswered—about unbelieving husbands, and believing husbands who don’t take spiritual leadership, and wives who resist their husbands’ leadership, and those who receive it but don’t affirm it. But if you—you married women—embrace the truth that your womanhood, true womanhood, is uniquely and indispensably created by God to display the glory of his Son in the way you relate to your husband, you will have calling of infinite significance.

But what if you aren’t married?

A Word to Singles
The apostle Paul clearly loved his singleness because of the radical freedom for ministry that it gave him (1 Corinthians 7:32-38). One of the reasons he was free to celebrate his singleness and call others to join him in it, is that, even though marriage is meant to display the glory of Christ, there are truths about Christ and his kingdom that shine more clearly through singleness than through marriage. I’ll give you three examples:

1) A life of Christ-exalting singleness bears witness that the family of God grows not by propagation through sexual intercourse, but by regeneration through faith in Christ. If you never marry, and if you embrace a lifetime of chastity and biological childlessness, and if you receive this from the Lord’s hand as a gift with contentment, and if you gather to yourself the needy and the lonely, and spend yourself for the gospel without self-pity, because Christ has met your need, then he will be mightily glorified in your life, and particularly so because you are a woman.

2) A life of Christ-exalting singleness bears witness that relationships in Christ are more permanent, and more precious, than relationships in families. The single woman who turns away from regretting the absence of her own family, and gives herself to creating God’s family in the church, will find the flowering of her womanhood in ways she never dreamed, and Christ will be uniquely honored because of it.

3) A life of Christ-exalting singleness bears witness that marriage is temporary, and finally gives way to the relationship to which it was pointing all along: Christ and the church—the way a picture is no longer needed when you see face to face. Marriage is a beautiful thing. But it is not the main thing. If it were, Jesus would not have said, “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). Single womanhood, content to walk with Christ, is a great witness that he is a better husband than any man, and in the end, will be the only husband in the universe.

In other words, true womanhood can flourish in marriage and singleness.

True Womanhood for the Glory of Christ
I commend to you this truth: The ultimate purpose of God in history is the display of the glory of his Son in dying for his bride. God has created man as male and female because there are aspects of Christ’s glory which would not be known if they were not reflected in the complementary differences of manhood and womanhood. Therefore, true womanhood is a distinctive calling of God to display the glory of his Son in ways that would not be displayed if there were no womanhood.

Married womanhood has its unique potential for magnifying Christ that single womanhood does not have. Single womanhood has its unique potential for magnifying Christ which married womanhood does not have.

So whether you marry or remain single, do not settle for a wimpy theology. It is beneath you. God is too great. Christ is too glorious. True womanhood is too strategic. Don’t waste it. Your womanhood—your true womanhood—was made for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

A Life Lived for God

2008-10-09T15:49:00.009-05:00

"How many times between the ages of three and ten do children have to answer the only two questions adults can think of to ask them: How old are you? and What are you going to be when you grow up?

The second question may seem innocuous, but is it? In the first place, many children may be distressed at being required to make a choice which is far beyond them. In the second place, it implies that the choice is theirs. This can lead to great confusion later on. The child will grow up physically, but spiritually he will not have begun until he learns that Jesus died not only to save him from sin but in order that he should live not for himself but for Him who died (see 2 Corinthians 5:15 and 1 John 3:16). If a young person has been taught from childhood that he ought to "be something" without at the same time being shown that nothing is better than being God's servant, he may be preoccupied with ambitions and ideals he has gotten solely from the world. If his conception of "where it's at" has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God, he is in for trouble when it comes time to discern the Will of God. He will be setting limits to his obedience, defining the terms of his service. "For My sake" is a concept children can grasp much earlier than we generally suppose. A little boy wrote to me that he was learning to lay down his life for others. To him this meant that sometimes when he would rather play he lay down beside his little sister to help her go to sleep.

Pray that God will show you how to teach your children that life is meant to be lived for God. "You are not the owner of your own body. You have been bought, and at what a price! Therefore bring glory to God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20). Help your child understand that the Lord is his Shepherd, and he is a little lamb. The Shepherd will gladly show him the right pathway if he is willing to follow."

Taken from Elisabeth Elliot's Keep a Quiet Heart, pp. 239-240

Soul-Satisfying Work

2008-10-04T09:48:00.004-05:00

"Mothers who understand that God desires 'godly offspring' (Malachi 2:15) realize what an important part they play in fulfilling God's desires. It takes diligence, hard work, and faith to raise godly offspring for God, but it is a soul-satisfying work. This biblical view of a God-fearing motherhood is laden with images of fruit and abounding in spiritual excellence and honor and blessing. The woman described in Proverbs 31 is a satisfied woman. She can look with pleasure on her years of hard work raising children and managing her household. She reaps a harvest of good things from her hard work of sowing obedience. This is the house reaching the final stages of completion. The mother of young children must have an eye toward the day when her children, by the grace of God, will be adults who rise up in her presence and bless her. It may difficult to maintain this long view in the midst of diapers and discipline and schooling and a hundred other things. But the Christian mother must look to see the house finished. Her obedience is central in passing on to her children a love for the Most High God. He is faithful and He has promised our children to Him." -- Nancy Wilson, Praise Her in the Gates, page 13

Obedience

2008-10-01T07:06:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a hard day with my children. Obedience came hard. We are told in the Commandments, in Deuteronomy 5:16, "Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days might be prolonged, and that it may go well with you..." And, of course, the logical reverse of that would be that if you were not to honor your father and mother, your days might be shortened and it may not go well with you... Such was the case in our house yesterday.

Ironically, or perhaps appropriately, I read on the topic of obedience yesterday morning, before any of those children even opened their eyes for the first time in the day. I read,
"Surrender to His perfect and blessed will, a life of service and obedience, is the beauty and the charm of heaven. Service and obedience were the thoughts that were uppermost in the mind of the Son when He dwelt upon earth. Service and obedience must become with us the chief objects of desire and aim, more so than rest or light, or joy or strength; in them we shall find the path to all the higher blessedness that awaits us." (Andrew Murray, The Believers School of Prayer, p. 134)
Hmmm... that our days might be prolonged and that it might go well with us.
That "the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (James 5:16)

Murray sums it up with
"It is the man who, in obedience to the Christ of God, is proving that he is doing what his Lord wills, for whom the Father will do whatsoever he will: 'Whatsover we ask we receive, because we keep his commandments, and do the things that are pleasing in his sight."

So, today as we begin the day again in my house, my prayer is for obedience, not just for my children to honor their father and mother, to keep the commandments, but that we all do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Nothing less than these...

2008-09-23T06:27:00.008-05:00

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
John 14:13

"If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."
John 14:14

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
John 15:7

"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you."
John 15:16

"In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you."
John 16:23

"Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."
John 16:24

"Prayer not only teaches and strengthens to work; work teaches and strengthens to pray...
As you give yourself entirely to God for His work, you will feel that nothing less than these great promises are what you need and that nothing less is what you may most confidently expect."
Andrew Murray, The Believers School of Prayer, "Power for Praying and Working"

In this, we are reminded that prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, and work, in the name of Jesus Christ, must go together. This is not "name it and claim it." This is not "prosperity gospel," promising us earthly riches and wealth. Rather, this is holding onto the promises that He gives us; that in His name, we may ask and expect "greater works." (John 14:12)

In Haggai 2:4, we read "...take courage,' declares the Lord, 'and work; for I am with you,' says the Lord of Hosts." In his Concise Commentary, Matthew Henry reminds us, "If God be with us, peace is with us." That is what we "may most confidently expect."

Press on, sisters. Pray, and work!

Bring him unto Me...

2008-09-21T17:31:00.002-05:00

Looking at Mark 9:19, Spurgeon shares this...

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus' word, "Bring him unto Me." Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them. They may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents; they may be filled with the Spirit of God, or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one receipt for the curing of all their ills, "Bring him unto Me." O for the more agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are yet babes! Sin is there, let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring should precede those cries which betoken their actual advent into a world of sin. In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens of that dumb and deaf spirit which will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul, but Jesus still commands, "Bring them unto Me." When they are grown up they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God; then when our hearts are breaking we should remember the great Physician's words, "Bring them unto Me." Never must we cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives.

The Lord sometimes suffers His people to be driven into a corner that they may experimentally know how necessary He is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts, drive us to flee to the strong for strength, and this is a great blessing to us. Whatever our morning's need may be, let it like a strong current bear us to the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow, He delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to Him while He waits to meet us.

The tone of my life...

2008-09-17T13:07:00.003-05:00

"Life is a whole. The pious frame of the hour of prayer is judged by God from the total frame of the ordinary daily life of which the hour of prayer is but a small part. Not the feeling I muster up, but the tone of my life during the day, is God's criterion of what I really am and desire. My drawing near to God is one with my relationship with men and earth; failure here will cause failure there."
Andrew Murray, The Believers School of Prayer, "Prayer and Love"

I think about that statement not just in the context of "men and earth," but also with my family. "Not the feeling I muster up," when I'm tired, when I'm not feeling well, when tasks from in and from out are pressing- "the tone of my life during the day."

I settle so easily into prayer, and lean into the peace of sitting before my Father, communicating, me! with the God of the Universe. But do I live as comfortably, with the same peace? Does my family recognize the peace, the joy, of my salvation?

My prayer echoes Mr. Murray's:
Lord Jesus, my blessed teacher, teach me to forgive and to love. Let the power of your blood make the pardon of my sins such a reality, that forgiveness, as shown by you to me, and by me to others, may be the very joy of heaven. Show me whatever in my relationship with fellowmen might hinder my fellowship with God, so that my daily life in my own home and in society may be the school in which strength and confidence are gathered for the prayer of faith. Amen.

Small Annoyances, Small Pains

2008-09-13T18:26:00.003-05:00

Never let us reflect upon small annoyances, and we shall be able to bear great ones sweetly. Never let us think over our small pains, and our great pains will be easily endurable.

~~Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, p. 90

This spurs me on and re-aligns my focus. Oh, to let the small annoyances and small pains go...press on, friends!

Unanticipated

2008-09-10T19:55:00.007-05:00

Unanticipated blessings of being the neighborhood home school family (& a couple happened just today!):

when the kid down the street forgets his science book, he can come to your house for books to help him with his homework

when the neighbors needs an emergency contact for day care or the public schools, we're available

when the public school kid gets sick and his mom's at work, we're available

when UPS needs a signature, we're home (and he knows what we're studying this year...)

when the guy around the block is looking for his lost dog, he can stop and ask us if we've seen him

when the traditional school kids are out of school for one of those teacher work days (man! isn't every day a teacher work day?) and need someone to play with by the end of lunchtime, we just might be available

we entertain sales pitches for wrapping paper, cookie dough, candy bars, seasonal gifts and a host of other things, and might just buy one since we haven't had to sell it

we can pray each morning for a house, and it's family, on the block

we can tell others that there are lots of reasons we home school, but the primary one is so we can teach our kids about the Lord

Double is the blessing when you discover another home school family in your neighborhood. In one military neighborhood we lived in, the other side of our duplex, and two other families home schooled. Fun! An unanticipated blessing.

(art credit: Neighborly by Swallowfield)

The All Comprehensive Gift

2008-09-10T07:04:00.003-05:00

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3

In looking at this passage in Sunday School last week, we were asked, “what is the unity of the Spirit?” We considered those fruit, the gifts of the Spirit, that unite those who believe in the saving work of Christ.

That question was even more clarified for me yesterday as I read a lesson on “The All-Comprehensive Gift,” on the role of the Holy Spirit in prayer. Andrew Murray reminds us to consider the names the Spirit bears:

The Spirit of grace- to “reveal and impart all of the grace in Christ Jesus.”
The Spirit of faith- to “teach us to begin and go on and increase in believing.”
The Spirit of adoption and assurance- ‘who witnesses that we are God’s children, and inspires the confiding and confident ‘Abba, Father!’
The Spirit of truth- to “lead all truth.”
The Spirit of prayer- “through which we speak with the Father in prayer that must be heard.”
The Spirit of judgment- “to search the heart and convince of sin.”
The Spirit of holiness- “manifesting and communicating the presence of the Father’s holy presence within us.”
The Spirit of power- “through whom we are strong to testify boldly and work effectively in the Father’s service.”
The Spirit of glory- “the pledge of our inheritance, the preparation and foretaste of glory to come.”

Imagine! All of that, that entire, all-comprehensive list, available to us that call upon Him! I am struck today of those implications- of what our prayer and study and service, of what our lives, would look like if we walked confidently in those truths! Talk about Giant Faith!

Lord, You are Sovereign, and exceedingly full of compassion and love, in measure beyond what I even understand. Thank you for your perfect plan. Thank you for the gift of the Spirit, that all-comprehensive gift. Forgive me Lord, for those many distractions that keep me from knowing the fullness of your Spirit. Oh how I long to put them aside! Indeed, I pray fervently, continue to teach me how to walk in a manner worthy of that calling you have so graciously extended to me. I pray confidently, knowing that is Your delight, and that it is mine as well. Amen.

(photo credit: The Face of Peace by Pablo Picasso)

Friction

2008-09-08T21:32:00.002-05:00

"The problem of speeding up the movement of a vehicle is that of applying power to overcome friction.' This is a quotation from a book called Quest of Speed. What hinders our spiritual speed? If there be anything in which my will is not in accord with God's will, then there is friction, and that keeps me back. I cannot fly in spirit ('mount up with wings as eagles'), I cannot 'run, and not be weary', I cannot 'walk, and not faint', till my will is content with God's will. As I though over this, I knew that the only way to end the friction is the way shown in that wonderful verse in Isaiah 40.31: 'But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.' 'Wait' means expect, look for, hope. God has something much better for us than the thing we naturally desire. As we wait with all the desire of our mind fixed on Him, the thing we naturally long for becomes less pressing, the friction ceases, and so we are set free to go on. God knows there are few things more difficult to do than to give up our own desires. It is not a thing we do once for all, it comes again and again as Satan tries to make friction between our will and God's. Our dear Lord knew this trial of spirit and He gloriously conquered. He can make it possible for us to do what He Himself did in the Garden of Gethsemane. 'My grace [the grace that was His then] is sufficient for thee.'

It helps often, when we feel things most impossibly difficult, to turn from everything and just look at Him. As we look at Him we love Him. We cannot help loving Him, and where love is, there friction is not."-- Amy Carmichael, Thou Givest...They Gather

As a child...

2008-09-03T06:57:00.005-05:00

We speak often of living in seasons, and I believe that is true. But even in the midst of those measured times, some things endure. As I have been meditating and studying prayer (oh, and yes, praying too!), I am learning, and re-learning, and learning yet more, how crucial prayer is. Prayer MUST endure! This prayer of Andrew Murray echoes mine today, as well:

Teach me that the worship in spirit and truth is not of man but only comes from you; that it is not only a thing of times and seasons, but the outflowing of a life in you. Teach me to draw near to God in prayer with a deep awareness of my ignorance and my having nothing in myself to offer Him, and at the same time of the provision that you, my Saviour, make for the Spirit's breathing in my childlike stammerings. I do bless you that in you I am a child and have a child's liberty of access, that in you I have the spirit of Sonship and of worship in truth. Teach me, above all, blessed Son of the Father, how it is the revelation of the Father that gives confidence in prayer. Let the infinite Fatherliness of God's heart be my joy and strength for a life of prayer and of worship. Amen.

Whatever?

2008-09-01T07:56:00.006-05:00

"Ideas matter. Emotions matter. Dreams and goals and values and ethics matter. And if all these things matter, then fiction -- which deals with all these things, and more besides -- most definitely matters." Gina Dalfonzo, "Fiction Matters," The POINT blog, August 26, 2008

This post has lingered in the back of my mind for a few days. It was written in reference to a series of fiction books now out and popular, especially among teens. The series is about vampires. I know many who are reading them, though right away I should say, I have not.

I really appreciate what Dalfonzo writes- and I think it's something to be mindful of as we guide our children's choices in reading and in literature, goodness- in any media, and as we make our own. A lasting memory I have is listening to a dad respond to his young teen's question of "but Dad, what's wrong with it?" with the reply of "but what is RIGHT with it?"

So then it's back to Philippians 4:8, not the worldly "whatever...," but rather,
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

To Die is Gain

2008-08-30T23:20:00.007-05:00

It is late and it is quiet. Reflection has set in. How has this day been? How have I spent it? For whom have I spent it? What kind of choices--big or small--did I make? Why did I make them? Why do I do what I do?

In the context of my life as a wife and a mother, there are many times when I truly can say that there is a sense of "suffering." Usually this kind of "suffering" comes in the form of "dying-to- self"--the relinquishing of personal time, energy, desires, dreams, etc. (most of which may even be "good")--to fulfill my ministry to my husband and my children. As I hope to build a Godly home, I understand that it is a tremendous resposibility with a great reward. As I invest time and energy, I must wait for His work to be done in their lives. Romans 8:25 is so sweet to me, "But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perserverance." The vision of my husband being all he can be for the Lord and my children loving Christ and serving Him is my hope and my reward!

Even with this understanding of my calling and the vision I have for my family, I struggle with getting so easily entangled by the things of this world. Often, I listen to its voices telling me who I should be, how I should spend my time, where I should expend my energy, what my desires should be, and what I should dream. Its message is loud and clear"cling-to-self."

So, as I reflect on my day, what I see clearly is that I NEED GRACE to once again fix my eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfecter of my faith. I NEED GRACE to not get bogged down by the temporal, but to see the eternal and all its glory. I NEED GRACE to count it all joy when I fall into various trials...the "dying-to-self" moments.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. --Philippians 1:21

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. --John 12:24

Begin

2008-08-26T21:09:00.007-05:00

"Then he said, "Who shall begin the battle?" And he answered, "You."

1 Kings 20:14

"Arise and begin working, and the Lord be with you."

1 Chronicles 22:16

We started school last week. It's the 10th year that late August arrived in our home and we started schooling, at least in a formal reading, writing and 'rithmetic kind of way. Ten years. A decade. That seems like a long time. And yet, a blink of the eye.

I remember that first year like a slow motion film in Technicolor. I was pregnant, and it seemed, about to get more pregnant, if such a thing were possible, when in mid-September we found out it was not one baby but two. I was so tired that fall. I would hold our not-quite-two-year-old by the ankle during naptime as she would squirm and I just needed to keep her on the bed so I could sleep. For. A. Moment. But my almost 5 year old wanted to read and that's what almost 5 year olds in Connecticut did- go to school. So, with the 3 year old little boy and the not-quite-two-year-old little girl, we went to school. At the dining room table and on the couch and laying on the beds and picnicing in the park and picking apples and collecting leaves and even through winter's first snow.

We moved to the Pacific Northwest that winter, and our new house had a schoolroom. Other people might call it the basement, but it was our schoolroom. It rained and rained and rained and we had two new babies join our classroom. And still, we schooled. We schooled at the Little Tykes picnic table in our schoolroom and on the couch while feeding babies and at the shore while waiting for a submarine to float by so we could wave at our dad.

I figured what we began we just might as well keep doing.

And so we did.

And so we have.

Now I know some of you are starting school now. With little ones in arm and little ones under foot. With husbands that are away. With uncertain schedules and visitors coming and going. With family that isn't quite sure what you are doing. With personal doubt and uncertainty.

You want school to look right and things to be in order and plans in place and...

Just begin.
Pray and commit it all to Him, for His glory, with His help, by His grace.

And begin.

Only grace

2008-08-20T07:09:00.003-05:00

In Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp remind us that "sin cannot be remedied by 'getting one's act together.' Only grace can bring radical heart transformation."

"Our children's needs are the same as our needs. We need the heart transplant surgery that is promised in the grace of the new covenant, 'I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols' (Ezek. 36:25). Our impure thoughts and motives show how profoundly we need cleansing.

Verse 26 continues, 'I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.' What does this mean? Grace brings radical internal change. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Both our children and we need change that is radical and thorough. When a child has gained renewed interest in a toy simply because a brother would like it, that child is exhibiting a stony heart. That hardness of heart will not be melted through anything other than grace. Manipulation of behavior through rewards or punishments will never touch the stony heart. Only grace can change the heart. What encouragement! The very thing that we need is the focal point of God's work."

The Tripps go on to remind us that God also has promised the Holy Spirit to empower us (Ezek. 36:27), for though "we know what we ought to do, we cannot do it apart from grace. We have the assurance that God's grace empowers us."

What a comfort- that we know forgiveness and cleansing and change and empowerment as children of God, and as the earthly parents of these children of God!

Qualifying Our Successors

2008-08-19T15:44:00.007-05:00

Our influence upon the young is an exceedingly important part of our witness for Jesus Christ. In fact, God has assigned us a double duty to perform while we remain here. First, to use the world well, while we continue in it; and secondly, to prepare a generation to receive the trust when we shall pass away from the scene. We are not only to occupy well ourselves, but to train up and qualify our successors. -- Jacob Abbott, Training Children in Godliness

Dance of Youth by Pablo Picasso

Arise and tell

2008-08-14T06:33:00.003-05:00

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should teach them to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.
Psalm 78:3-7

Arise and tell.

I didn't come from a family where my father told me, but I seek to be the generation that sings the praises of the Lord to the generation to come. I can so very clearly see and tell of His strength and His wondrous work in my life, in the life of our family. The testimony of Jacob is our family's testimony as well.

But even more than arising and telling my children to put their confidence in God, to not forget His works, to keep His commandments, I desire to show them. The Gospel is meant to be lived out. In Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp write, our children "will believe that Christian faith is the genuine article if we know God- not just know about God."

Arise and tell. And know God.

Running Interference

2008-08-12T17:39:00.004-05:00

(note: this has nothing, well, little, to do with sowing seeds of great faith. It just made me smile, and made me thankful for the opportunity to keep interfering in the education of my kids...)

from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee-

I suppose she chose me because she knew my name; as I read the alphabet a faint line appeared between her eyebrows, and after making me read most of My First Reader and the stock-market quotations from The Mobile Register aloud, she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading.

"Teach me?" I said in surprise. "He hasn't taught me anything, Miss Caroline. Atticus ain't got time to teach me anything," I added, when Miss Caroline smiled and shook her head. "Why, he's so tired at night he just sits in the livingroom and reads."

"If he didn't teach you, who did?" Miss Caroline asked good-naturedly. "Somebody did. You weren't born reading The Mobile Register."

"Jem says I was. He read in a book where I was a Bullfinch instead of a Finch. Jem says my name's really Jean Louise Bullfinch, that I got swapped when I was born and I'm really a ---"

Miss Caroline apparently thought I was lying. "Let's not let our imaginations run away with us, dear," she said. "Now you tell your father not to teach you any more. It's best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I'll take over from here and try to undo the damage ---"

"Ma'am?"

"Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now."

Destinies of Immortal Souls

2008-08-12T15:35:00.003-05:00

Parents! You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls!

What we want to do with our children, is not merely to control them and keep them in order—but to implant true principles deep in their hearts which shall rule their whole lives; to shape their character from within into Christlike beauty, and to make of them noble men and women, strong for battle of life. They are to be trained rather than governed. Growth of character, not merely good behavior—is the object of all home governing and teaching. Therefore the home influence is far more important than the home laws; and the parents' lives are of more significance than their teachings. Whatever may be done in the way of governing, teaching or training—theories are not half as important as the parents' lives. They may teach the most beautiful things—but if the child does not see these things modeled in the life of the parent—he will not consider them important enough to be adopted in his own life.

This quote taken from a sermon by J.R. Miller (1882), Home-Making, has once again challenged me to examine myself. How often I forget that who I am before my children is really what they learn. As Mr. Miller reminds me, I don't want to just teach my children beautiful things, I want to be those things for them. I want to be accutely aware of what I am communicating to them through my character -- is who I am is consistent with what I do and say. I pray that we boldly and willingly examine ourselves so we can be as true to what we teach and train as possible, by the boundless grace of God. May we be able to say, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11.1)".

A Woman's Journey in Ministry

2008-08-11T00:48:00.004-05:00

Spring in Town by Grant Wood

This is a great testimony by Alice Hatch, a Mission to the World consultant. She shares her heart as she discovers what true ministry is. I pray that it will enourage you as much as it has encouraged me.

"I grew up in a family of strong women who served God with their lives, supported their husbands in ministry, and raised their children to love and follow God. In their later years, both my grandmothers were Bible teachers with wide ministries of counseling younger women. My mother and her sisters were all missionaries and made important contributions to their fields of service. My mother's cousin was a single missionary with pioneer service in Africa, and I was fascinated by stories of her work. Being a woman in ministry was something I inherited, and something I grew up with the vision of doing. My call to missionary service came early, and I did not question it.

Thus, it caught me completely off guard, after one year on the field, to find myself struggling with what my role in ministry was to be. Nothing in my life fit my stereotype of what a missionary should experience or be doing. Our son, first child, was born shortly after we arrived in Ecuador, and I was glad to be able to stay home with him. One year later, I was pregnant again and I felt trapped.

Because of my facility in Spanish, thanks to being an MK, I was asked to take over an existing evangelistic Bible study for neighborhood women, all much older than I was. I did it, because that is what missionaries do, but I felt hopelessly inadequate. My home was a modern well-equipped place, not the primitive situation my parents had. It embarrassed me. My husband had an 8 to 5 job building transmitters and antennas and was on call whenever the electricity went out, pressured to get the radio back on the air quickly. He was not preaching the gospel in the way I assumed missionaries did. In my confusion and despair, I cycled into a major depression that immobilized me for several months.

Looking back now I understand what was not clear then.

I defined ministry in much too narrow terms. Preaching, teaching, evangelizing...these were ministry. Cooking, bathing babies, changing diapers, homemaking, even building antennas and transmitters...these were not. I found much more peace in my heart when I wholeheartedly accepted the roles of wife, mother, and homemaker as my unique and God-given ministry for that time in my life. To be there with my children and to love them, answering their questions about life and God; to have a peaceful and loving home where my busy husband could retreat and rest; to serve tasty and nourishing meals to my family and our guests; to use my gifts in hospitality to make our home a center for people to gather -- these became extremely meaningful to me once I understood how important they were. Offering them up to God as my service to Him for His glory transformed them from ordinary activities to ministry for Him and to others.

A few years later we lived in the HCJB Guest House, and I was the hostess in charge of running it for all who needed hospitality. Someone asked me for my definition of missionary work. Almost without thinking, I answered, 'Missionary work is being a servant, and right now I am serving the servants of the King.' That year I experienced hard work and much pressure. However, the privilege of having God's chosen servants sitting around our dining room table, as well as the richness of the interaction in our home, was something we treasured. My children still talk about that year with fond memories, though at the time they were only six and seven.

Another thing I came to understand about being a woman in ministry is that we go through stages in our lives. Someone has called it "Seasons." The season I have been describing did not last for more than a few years. When I was in the middle of it, I thought it would last forever. I thought I would never get through a church service without having to leave because of a wriggling or crying child. Now when I sit alone in church, I would enjoy the wriggles of a little one beside me. I thought I would never have the time or energy to plan a Bible study, so say nothing of the mental capacity to give one. One day my children grew up and went away to school. While I still felt it was a priority for me to be there when they got home, I had time to become involved in more traditional roles of ministry. Being a pastor's wife during that time was a new and challenging experience.

I also learned another important lesson as the years went by. God is extremely creative in the gifts He gives His children. I found my greatest fulfillment in using the gifts He had given me and serving Him with them, rather than putting myself into a mold and following another person's model for ministry. I am not a Bible teacher...a shock to someone who assumed that was what a missionary did! I found I was a listener more than a talker. I was good with people and relationships and often could speak with wisdom to a friend's problems. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes work of organization much more than being up front and forward. I functioned well as a team player, especially with my husband. When I began to value my gifts as the tools God had given me for ministry, I found great fulfillment and challenge.

I was part of a group of six women who for several years met weekly to share our lives and pray for each other. As time went by, we came to know each other's different gifts and to talk of our dreams for ministry. While we were a very diverse group of women, and most of us had young children at home, we encouraged each other's growth in these and other areas. Today we are all ministering with great effectiveness in the very ways we dreamed about and affirmed in one another. We all look back at that affirmation as being a key element in the development of our unique gifts.

One last lesson I understand today in a way I missed years ago is that ministry is not what we do for God, it is who we are. None of our words or our actions speak and minister so clearly as the quality of our characters. I have discovered that the more I have learned to concentrate on my relationship with God rather than on my service to Him, the more effective I have been for Him. There is a paradox here. I have come to realize that it is when I share my weaknesses failures, and even my sinfulness that I minister to others in a more powerful way than when I tell about my victories. It is that long-ago depression which became the foundation for my present counseling ministry. As we share ourselves, growing through our struggles, we also share evidence of the grace of God at work making us whom He desires.

I praise God for the wonderful women in my family who modeled ministry to me. They were women who struggled in many different ways yet saw God at work making them into His image and using them in His service. I have sought throughout my life to work through their examples and find my own place in service. Even in this present season of my life as a woman alone, I am experiencing the good hand of God at work leading and directing me to be His woman in ministry."

Importance

2008-08-09T08:53:00.004-05:00

I found a piece of art!

I stumbled upon this little print in my morning internet wanderings. (thanks for the link, ndy!)

I love what the artist says about this piece:

this is a piece i originally did for my part in a group show called 'old school' at uppercase gallery. i was thinking about all of the visually pleasing things i loved about school - textbooks, maps, flashcards, writing tablets...and also about all of the years i spent sitting at a desk during my school careeer daydreaming - and often doodling. the windows are there to remind the viewer of the many things that lay outside the classroom, yet to be discovered.

I think those same things. There are things I love about school- the crispness of brand new books, the line of a sharp pencil, the waxy smell of new crayons, the delight of staying in the borders when coloring a map. I know my kids love these things, too. But, as much as the things, I want my children to love learning- to be curious and questioning and inquisitive and discerning. And I want them to learn that there is a much, more, to learn outside the classroom, "yet to be discovered." They need to discover Creation- both in nature and in humanity. We need to be purposeful in taking the time to observe, and to participate, all for His glory. And that is importance.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1

Without Clouds

2008-08-08T10:35:00.006-05:00

Cloud Study by John Constable

What careful reader of the Bible can fail to see that Adam, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac,and Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and Samuel--were all men of many sorrows--and that those sorrows chiefly arose out of their own homes!

The plain truth is, that home trials are one of the many means by which God sanctifies and purifies His believing people. These trials are spiritual medicines, which poor fallen human nature absolutely needs.

By them He keeps us humble.

By them He draws us to Himself.

By them He sends us to our Bibles.

By them He teaches us to pray.

By them He shows us our need of Christ.

By them He weans us from the world.

By them He prepares us for "a city which has foundations," in which there will be no disappointments, no tears, and no sin.

The believer looks forward to the final gathering of a perfect family in which there shall be . . . no unsound members,

no defects,

no sin,

no sorrow,

no deaths,

no tears.

Taken from Without Clouds a sermon by JC Ryle.

Cornerstones

2008-08-07T15:41:00.004-05:00

From Nancy Wilson, at Femina, August 7, 2008~

"So my point here is that mothers need to raise their daughters to unashamedly know who they are. This gives them a tremendous sense of security. What a blessing and a relief it is to know everything is not up for grabs. When my youngest was a little squirt, we had gone to the doctor for an ear infection or something. We saw one of the physicians we didn’t normally see, and we commented about some of the little drawings that were hanging in the room. The girl drawings were of little houses with smoke coming out the chimneys and flowers in the front yard; the boy drawings were of ships and airplanes, mostly with things shooting out from them. We had laughed at how easy it was to tell the difference. But the physician bristled a little and said something about how the poor kids had been “programmed” to do what was expected of them. How funny! Of course they had been programmed. By a wise and good God! After we got in the car, my daughter said, “She needs to have some kids.” This was not only funny, but very insightful!

Psalm 144:12 has a lovely metaphor for this: “…that our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace.” A cornerstone is, among other things, a significant part of the structure. It bears much weight and has stature and standing. It is foundational. And this cornerstone is in a palace; it is fine polished marble. Women have much significance in the family, in the church, and in the culture. They have a profound role to play. So mothers, give your daughters a good job description. God certainly has."

Amen & amen.

On Wisdom

2008-08-06T06:41:00.005-05:00

From John Piper's sermon, July 27, 2008-

Listen to these verses from James 3:13-15:
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above.

(Piper comments:)
Wisdom is marked by meekness, and freedom from selfish ambition, and freedom from bitter jealousy, and freedom from boasting. In other words, wisdom rises in relationships of meekness and humility and love and servanthood rather than jealousy and selfishness. Wisdom is not a solitary attainment. It is a community or a corporate or a relational attainment. Loners are not wise. Wisdom is given and found and forged in the fires or committed relationships.

I started reading through Proverbs last week, and so, I meditate daily on this idea of wisdom. I have been thinking, yet again, about how to best impress that wisdom on my children. I find such comfort from words like Proverbs 1:23- "Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you." Thank you, Lord, I don't have to figure this out by myself! Thank you Holy Spirit!

Piper reminds me that although wisdom is strength, it is "marked by meekness." That is what I want to impress on my children, too- the importance of "meekness and humility and love and servanthood rather than jealousy and selfishness." Where better to learn that than in the context of family?

A quick rundown of the list from Proverbs 8:1-11 shows us that wisdom is understanding, prudence, noble things, right things, truth, righteousness, straight forward, instruction, desirable.

Lord, keep ME after Your wisdom, keep it close, "on the tablet of my heart," and show me, through Your wisdom, how to model that meekness and humility daily in every relationship you give me.

Filled with the Fullness of God

2008-08-04T17:07:00.004-05:00

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21)"

This is my prayer for all of us, as we are about our Kingdom building business in our homes! Oh to be filled with all the fullness of God! What an amazing privilege!

"They will sanctify..."

2008-07-31T17:12:00.008-05:00

And that last post is the perfect lead in to the nugget I have for today...

I had a great conversation yesterday with one of those trusted advisors who are some years down the road ahead of me. A saint. (Those ladies are good to know. Seek them out!!) She reminded me of the God's promise to His children, as spoken to Jacob. Think of Jacob, and his children. We know that at times, they were a rebellious and spiteful bunch. (As was Jacob, himself. As are we all!) We know that he spent much time anquished over his children. And yet, in Isaiah 29:22-24, we read:

Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob,

"Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale;
But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel,
And those who err in mind will know the truth,
And those who criticize will accept instruction."

The promise? That our children, too, may be renewed by God's grace. That those who now err and go astray and are wayward (NASB, ESV, NIV), and criticize and murmur and complain (same order) may come to understanding and know the truth, and know the peace that springs from His love and saving work.

So, yes, just as Mr. Ryle exhorts us, we go on, teaching and training and sowing those seeds, ever with the hope that our children, too, will sanctify, keep holy, the name of the Lord.

(now, if only I could find some of that beautiful artwork Mrs. EV is digging up!... :-) )

Go On Training Up Children

2008-07-31T08:33:00.006-05:00

Wheat Field on a Bright Day by Moti Lorber

Galatians 6:9 brings great encouragement, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

JC Ryle spurs me on, as well! This strengthens me to press on in what I do everyday!! I pray that it will do the same for you, dear sisters!

Taken from JC Ryle's Commentary on the Book of John, Chapter 2 verses 13-22:

We see, for another thing, in this passage, how men may remember words of religious truth long after they are spoken, and may one day see a meaning in those who at first they did not see.

We are told that our Lord said to the Jews, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." John informs us distinctly that "He spoke of the temple of His body," that he referred to His own resurrection. Yet the meaning of the sentence was not understood by our Lord's disciples at the time that it was spoken. It was not until "He was risen from the dead," three years after the events here described, that the full significance of the sentence flashed on their hearts. For three years it was a dark and useless saying to them. For three years it lay sleeping in their minds, like a seed in a tomb, and bore no fruit. But at the end of that time the darkness passed away. They saw the application of their Master's words, and as they saw it were confirmed in their faith. "They remembered that He had said this," and as they remembered "they believed."

It is a comfortable and cheering thought, that the same kind of thing that happened to the disciples is often going on at the present day. The sermons that are preached to apparently heedless ears in churches, are not all lost and thrown away. The instruction that is given in schools and pastoral visits, is not all wasted and forgotten. The texts that are taught by parents to children are not all taught in vain. There is often a resurrection of sermons, and texts, and instruction, after an interval of many years. The good seed sometimes springs up after he that sowed it has been long dead and gone. Let preachers go on preaching, and teachers go on teaching, and parents go on training up children in the way they should go. Let them sow the good seed of Bible truth in faith and patience. Their labor is not in vain in the Lord. Their words are remembered far more than they think, and will yet spring up "after many days." (1 Cor. 15:58; Eccles. 11:1.)

Shepherding a Child's Heart

2008-07-29T23:40:00.007-05:00

There are a couple of Shepherding a Child's Heart seminars coming in September. They will be held at two different locations:

September 5-6
Peoria, IL
Bethany Baptist Church
Contact: Daniel Bennett 309.692.1755
Web: bethanycentral.org

September 19-20
Seattle, WA
Mars Hill Church
Contact: Kyle Firstenberg 206.816.3500
Web: http://www.marshillchurch.org/

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Dr. Tedd Tripp has been such a wonderful and real resource for me as I seek to train my children to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, and strength. It is a reminder that "good behavior" is not my goal in training them, it is seeing beyond their behavior and seeing their heart. It is turning that heart toward the Lord so that they see what He requires of them and they desire to obey.

Dr. Tripp has written a book with his wife Margy entitled, Instructing a Child's Heart. It follows in the footsteps of Shepherding a Child's Heart as being a great place to get the foundation of our training right, so that what we build with our children will last...even into eternity!

Here is a taste of Instructing a Child's Heart taken from pages 101-104 ...

The Heart of the Gospel Is the Glory of God

You and your children are invited to the spiritual delicacies that God offers. Drink deeply from his river of delights. Immerse yourselves in this fountain that will never run dry. You have the privilege of saying, "Children, there is an abundant Christ who can quench the thirst of your soul. You were made for him. Don't exchange the truth for a lie. Worship and serve the Creator, not created things."

Delighting in God restores your sense of what is ultimately valuable. Worship of God energizes you to seek joy and satisfaction in him alone. This world is fleeting and unworthy of your heart's devotion. Delight in God awakens the soul; at the same time everything else in life that competes with God for your devotion fades. The heart that is delighting in the glory of God is inoculated against the noisy demands of the world.

Help your children delight in God. You may be thinking, "I wasn't looking for heavy theology; I was looking for practical child rearing advice." Remember this. Your children are not likely to grow into adults who truly know God unless you provide them with a big God who is worthy of worship. Describe God's character, his mighty deeds and the soul-satisfying joys of knowing him, reminding them, "Children, your souls are looking for satisfaction and it is only found in God."

If you want your children to have a reason to sing on Sunday, give them a glorious God. If you want your children to have a reason not to sin on Monday, give them a glorious God. If you want them to think of nobler things than the latest, mind-numbing video fantasy game, give them a glorious God. If you want them to dream grander dreams than illicit sex or more money or more stuff, give them a glorious God. If you want them to have a reason for confidence when life seems to spin out of control, give them a glorious God.

When friends are offering the pleasures of sin for a season, they need a glorious God. Godly fear--that sense of awe and reverence that inspires true worship--requires a glorious God. God is the one before whom they should tremble and worship with reverence and awe. The glory of God will stoke the fires of true worship and godly living.

Where will the human hunger be satisfied? Rest in God alone. Isn't it amazing that Christ sacrificed himself for you and me? Lasting happiness is found in making much of God for eternity. There is a transcendent satisfaction in God which trials and difficulties cannot diminish and which success and pleasure cannot enhance.

We live in perilous times. Modern evangelism has reduced the message and purpose of the gospel. Much of evangelical Christianity is focused on getting people to pray the sinner's prayer so that they can go to heaven. The heart of the gospel is the glory of God. God is so jealous for his own glory that he sent his Son to redeem broken, sinful, unworthy people (Isa. 42:8). The Son prayed that his followers would see his glory (Jn. 17:24). The glory of God moved his holy heart to choose a people (Rom. 9:23).

God extends grace to broken people for his own glory. God is glorified when he is treasured above all, when he is your greatest prize, when he is your fountain of delight. The proclamation of salvation is a proclamation of the glory of God. The heart of the gospel is the glory of God. He is great and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. Splendor, glory, and majesty are his. He reigns.

God does not exist for man; man exists for God. Jesus Christ restores broken, fallen man to a true worship of God. The God of the Bible is the supreme object of worship. Jesus Christ saves sinners and makes them worshipers.

Remembering Why

2008-07-28T20:51:00.002-05:00

"Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord." --Jeremiah 9:23-24

This resonates with me this morning, especially as I consider, "Why do we educate our kids at home?" Is the goal for my children intellectual superiority, or athletic strength, or vocational success? No. Similarly, why am I prone to discouragement when other children are reading greater works, or farther along in math, or more skilled at ____________ (you fill-in-the-blank) than mine?

Mine is to remain focused on the Lord, He who exercises lovingkindness and justice and righteousness. My goal is to raise children that understand and know our Lord. That is His delight, and that is mine, as well. And even then, I dare not boast, but humbly bow, and give thanks.

(Note: This entry was kindly submitted by a dear sister-in-Christ from whom there is much to glean. So, thank you, KH. We look forward to more!)

Returning from the Storm

2008-07-28T19:54:00.003-05:00

We had a break to make way for Hurricane Dolly, but all is well and the clean up continues. God is faithful and good!

Do It Generously and Simply

2008-07-22T09:50:00.005-05:00

Just Hard Work by Linda Paul

In the way of God, thoughts count for little, love does everything. And it is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God; when it is finished, if I have nothing to do, I prostrate myself on the ground and adore my God, who gave me the grace to make it. After which I arise, more content than a king. When I cannot do anything else, it is enough for me to have lifted a straw from the earth for the love of God. People seek for methods of learning to love God. They hope to arrive at it by I know not how may different practices. They take much trouble to remain in the presence of God in a quantity of ways. Is it not much shorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to make use of all the labors of one's state in life to show Him that love, and to maintain His presence within us by this communion of our hearts with His? There is no finesse about it; one has only to do it generously and simply.--Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

Wiping noses, doing laundry, hugging a child...all for the love of God. This is a great practice, indeed!

You are Serving Christ

2008-07-21T18:06:00.003-05:00

When you serve your family, you are serving Christ...The call to motherhood is a unique and individual call. No two mothers do it the same way, but all of us do it to serve the King.--Donna Otto, The Stay-at-Home Mom

Serve Him diligently, sisters! To have such a specific purpose in life brings much peace and contentment.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all the glory of God. -- 1 Corinthians 10:31

Loneliness and Non-Recognition and Motherhood?

2008-07-20T16:19:00.010-05:00

Mother and Child by Renoir

"Loneliness and non-recognition attend motherhood for a time. But that is the perspective of this world only. How does the Judge compare the socialite, the dynamic business 'success' in comparison with the mother who is selflessly training children with an eye of faith fixed on a spiritual kingdom and her hope firmly fixed upon the Lord?"--Walter Chantry, The High Calling of Motherhood

Oh, how I need this reminder. How often I lose sight of the eternal perspective. How often I am going through my daily tasks not giving attention to my children's soul. How often my eyes wander to the glitter and glamour of what the temporal world offers in the form of financial gain and comfort. How often I seek the praises of men instead of the complete peace of doing diligence in my honorable calling of motherhood!

When I purposefully seek to fulfill His calling on my life--to raise my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord--I experience the true peace that passes all understanding. The pursuit of worldly recognition is a snare that can quickly entangle me and pull my attention away from where it ought to be.

Oh, dear and faithful Holy Spirit, I pray that you would quickly restore my focus when I lose sight of my heavenly purpose. May I fix my eyes upon you, dear Lord Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. Amen.

Trust

2008-07-18T23:49:00.003-05:00

If they can see you love them, you can say anything to them.--Richard Baxter

When we surround them with love, we build trust. In building trust, we provide an environment where our children believe that when we must discipline them, it is not done out of anger or hate, but out of love--for their good.

The Family: A Formation Center for Human Relationships

2008-07-17T10:50:00.002-05:00

Edith Schaeffer shares with us in her book, A Celebration of Children, that "human relationships start at birth and continue to death, whether or not anyone consciously thinks about it. Good or bad human relationships and constructive or destructive human relationships take place at every level of life. Whether people treat people as human beings or machines, people are treating people in some way. Whether people treat everyone as having importance, dignity, significance, or whether people treat others on a sliding scale of importance--everyone is reacting to other people in some way.

A family is a formation center for human relationships. The family is the place where the deep understanding that people are significant, important, worthwhile, with a purpose in life, should be learned at an early age. The family is the place where children should learn that human beings have been made in the image of God and are therefore very special in the universe.

Parents have been teaching children lessons of how to treat other people, in devastatingly horrible ways or in biblically right ways, whether or not they have ever thought of themselves as teachers. Teaching takes place by example, every minute of every day, for every human being."

We, as parents, need to be ever mindful and intentional about what we are teaching our children. Many times we are making impressions on them through the example of how we live our own lives in front of them. Let's be vigilant in examining ourselves in light of the Word with the constant reminder that within our families, we are training in human relationship building!

Educating Children for God

2008-07-16T09:37:00.006-05:00

Ed·u·cate \ˈe-jə-ˌkāt\: v. To bring up, as a child; to instruct; to inform and enlighten the understanding; to instill into the mind principles of arts, science, morals, religion and behavior. To educate children well is one of the most important duties of parents and guardians.

Ed·u·ca·tion \ˌe-jə-ˈkā-shən\: n. The bringing up, as of a child; instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

--The American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster 1828 edition.

In Edward Payson's (1783-1827) article, Bringing Up Children for God, we are challenged to keep in mind...

1) ...a realizing, heartfelt conviction that they are His property, His children, rather than ours;

2) ...a cordial and solemn dedication or surrender of them to Him to be His forever;

3) ...we must do all that we do for them from the right motives--namely, His glory;

4) ...we must educate them for His service.

He states, "we will constantly labor to impress upon their minds a conviction that we consider religion as the great business of life, the favor of God as the only proper object of pursuit, and the enjoyment of Him hereafter as the only happiness, while everything else is comparatively of no consequence, however important it may otherwise be."

The Business of Kingdom Building

2008-07-14T23:04:00.009-05:00

I am re-reading RC Sproul Jr.'s book, When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling and this struck me:

"We are not training our children so one day they might build the Kingdom. We must remember, as we continue to grow in grace and become more effective in our calling, to ditch this notion that school is something you do for a time, and then you work. We continue to learn, while we work. And our children continue to work, while they learn. Your children are not simply in training, but are even now about the business of building the Kingdom of God."

This is a great reminder as to why we do what we do as parents. My prayer today is that we look at our children not only as little people dependent upon us, but as real participants in this calling of Kingdom building. Press on, parents, in His strength, for His glory!