Home Maker

Check out this 2 year old

2010-08-25T22:19:00.002-06:00

This is a neat rendition of Abraham Lincoln's famous words.....Gettysburg.

Sweet Peas

2010-08-23T11:55:00.005-06:00

Is there anything quite so lovely, delicate, and resilient in the wind as Sweet Peas?? (okay spider webs are quite fascinating too...) The Lord has definitely created some incredible and wonderful and tender things for us to marvel at... and for which to worship Him. :)

Zucchini Drop Cookies

2010-08-22T16:11:00.003-06:00

It's the season for zucchini!! This year our garden "experiment" is not producing the expected copious amounts of zucchini, at least, not yet. However, a generous friend gave me 2 large ones to enjoy. The first squash was made into a raspberry sauce/add-in for the homemade yogurt we expect to make and eat in the winter. The second squash is likely to be made into these delicious cookies. I usually grate up the whole zucchini with my Kitchen-Aid. Then I bake one batch of cookies and freeze the remaining vegetable for use later. This recipe can also be adjusted by substituting 1/2 butter and 1/2 yogurt (or sour cream) for the 1 cup margarine....plus I usually use chocolate chips instead of nuts. Try it and let me know how you like it!!

Zucchini Drop Cookies

1 c. margarine

1 c. sugar or 3/4 c. honey

1 egg

1 c. zucchini, peeled and grated (although I often leave the peel on)

1 tsp. baking soda

2 c. flour (1 c. white, 1 c. whole-wheat)

1 tsp. connamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. oatmeal

1 c. raisins

1 c. walnuts

In a large bowl, cream margarine, sugar, and egg.

Then add the zucchini and soda.

Mix in the flour and spices.

Add the oats, raisins and nuts.

Drop by teaspoons onto lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375º for 12 to 15 minutes.

Scrapbooking Freebie

2010-08-21T13:34:00.003-06:00

I love freebies!! Here's one from Amazon.com for some Digital Scrapbooking software.... just note it's not compatible for Mac computers..... Thanks Money Saving Mom!

What Do Your Walls Say?

2010-08-15T07:03:00.003-06:00

Just came upon Fruitful Vine Creations which provides lettering to adorn your walls at home. I've often wondered about putting up all the pictures of my beloved and beautiful babes.... questioning whether or not it is breeding vanity or self-centeredness, but not taken them down yet. I've also wondered about photos of God's creation, as a breaking of the 2nd commandment. I know the Amish are very clear about what they put on their walls - nothing but the word of God. Apparently my great-grandmother had the same convictions, though her daughter (my dear Oma) did not continue to hold such thoughts, as she loved decorative items, particularly lovely plates.

I guess I have a few questions to be sorted out in my head still.

1. Is it wrong to place anything on our walls that could take our eyes off the centerpiece of our minds - the Lord Himself??

2. What would be helpful to place on our walls, as even the Old Testament talks about "writing on doorposts"?

Well, just some ponderings. I welcome your comments and insights and wrestlings with such a topic.

Gotta Say Something....

2010-08-13T14:11:00.000-06:00

Ok. So I haven't blogged in a loooooong time.... But I need to start again, and why not today.
I came upon Holy Experience and her post today is striking such a chord in my soul. Bong. I also struggle with living in a home of sinful and redeemed people. Clang. I also get frazzled by daily dinner plans and lost wallets, lost keys, lost shoes, lost purses, lost cell phones, lost.... you get the picture. Ding. I cling to the cross of Christ, trusting His blood to make all clean. Dong. There is nothing that captures my heart like hymns being sung by a family at peace - that includes the family of God gathering corporately. (BTW, why is it that there is something so special about sharing in music by the joining of voices?)

So take a peek at Ann's post and let me know what chords are ringing in your heart.

Is Anybody Listening - Haiti

2010-02-18T10:35:00.001-07:00

As a memory from just weeks ago, here's an inspiring song about Haiti

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Ch.5

2010-02-08T06:44:00.001-07:00

-Chistians cannot grow unless their lives are characterized by praise.

-Proud people don’t praise God- they are too consumed with themselves.

-Praising God gives Him glory.

-According to the Bible, praise involves three elements:

-naming God’s attributes

-naming God’s works

-offering thanks

NAMING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES

-Scriptures powerfully and extensively reveals the character of God enabling us to praise HIm better.

-It is a good habit just to review God’s character when you pray and remember that He is a God of infinite love, glory, grace, majesty, mercy, and wisdom. He is invincible!

NAMING GOD’S WORKS

-God’s attributes are manifest in His works.

-The psalms are filled with the record of the great things God has done.

-Whenever we have a problem we don’t know how to solve, we should praise God for His wisdom and might, as demonstrated in biblical history.

-As we recite the many things God has done, we affirm HIs worthiness.

-Praise bolsters confidence in God because He has proven Himself trustworthy in the past.

OFFERING THANKS

-Naming the attributes and works of God easily leads to thanking Him for all He has done, is doing, and will do.

-At the heart of all praise is thanksgiving.

-Thanksgiving is the antidote to worry.

-God’s providence- which is His sovereign overruling and arranging of all of life’s contingencies into a divine plan for the blessing of believers - should cause us to be thankful for anything that happens in our lives.

-Because God actually uses all difficulties for our good, there is nothing we cannot thank Him for.

-Give every situation over to God’s sovereign control, trusting Him because you know His history of wisdom and power and you understand His promise to supply all your needs (Phil.4:19).

-Nothing about you escapes Him (Ps.139:3)

-You know He cares about you (1Pet.5:7), and He has the power to overcome every difficulty (Ps.62:11)

-But He uses suffering to perfect you to be like Christ (Phil.1:6), and His power and understanding are infinite (Ps.147:5).

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Ch.4

2010-02-02T07:08:00.001-07:00

-Without doubt the most important element in prayer is confession of sin.

-”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”(1John 1:9)

-The original Greek words express continual confession as an essential characteristic of true holiness.

-The forgiveness and cleansing are continual. As the Christian continually confesses, God continually grants pardon and purification.

-But the daily forgiveness Jesus taught us to pray for is a familial forgiveness. It is the remedy for God’s fatherly displeasure when we sin (Heb.12:5-11)

-the forgiveness we seek in our daily walk is not pardon from an angry Judge, but mercy from a grieved Father.

-So the primary feature of confession is agreeing with God that we are helplessly guilty. In fact, the Greek word for confession is homologeo, which literally means “say the same”.

-Confessing our sins therefore means acknowledging that God’s perspective of our transgressions is correct.

-You have not honestly confessed your sins until you have longed to be rid of them.

THE PURPOSE OF CONFESSION

-Confession is a healthy beginning for prayer because it provides a reminder that we do not deserve anything God gives us. A materialistic perspective on prayer gets eliminated when we go before God with the brokenness and the contrite heart of people who confess their sins.

-In Isaiah 66:2 the Lord says, “On this one will I look; on him who is poor and contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

-When any believer confesses his sin, God can chasten (discipline) him without being though of as unfair.

A RIGHT VIEW OF SIN

-First, a right view of sin is the recognition that sin deserves judgment.

-A right view of sin also recognizes an urgent need for cleansing.

-Another crucial part of having a right view of sin is accepting full responsibility for it.

-When we take personal responsibility for our sin, we will advance toward spiritual maturity.

-A right view of sin also recognizes that we sin because it is in our nature to do so.

A RIGHT VIEW OF GOD

-God is not concerned with external behavior but with the thoughts and motives of our hearts.

-David recognized God’s holiness.

-David also referred to God’s authority over sin: “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. “(Ps.51:7)

-David also recognized God’s compassion: “Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.”(Ps.51:8)

-Finally, David understood God’s mercy: “Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” (Ps.51:9)

A RIGHT VIEW OF SELF

-David understood that he needed to turn from his sin and live a godly life for 3 reasons

-For the sake of sinners

-To glorify God

-For the sake of saints

-Only when we are in a right relationship with God can we intercede for others.

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Ch.3

2010-02-02T06:59:00.001-07:00

I think of prayer as living in continual God-consciousness, in which everything we see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness of and surrender to our heavenly Father. Whatever happens, there is a Godward response.

PERSISTENT PERSEVERANCE

-When you pray for something, keep at it until you have an answer.

-Luke 11:5-10

-If such a reluctant and sinful friend will honor persistence, how much more will our holy, loving, sympathetic heavenly Father respond to us?

-If we don’t get an immediate answer to our request, or if events don’t turn out exactly or as quickly as we hoped they would, our Lord’s word to us is to not lose heart (Luke 18:1)

-God longs to respond to His chosen children who are persistent in prayer - even though He often, for good reasons, makes us wait longer than we wish.

-We can never, by our persistence, force God to do what we want against His will; but we do need to demonstrate to Him a heart of compassion and the genuineness of a concerned and caring soul.

CONSTANT ALERTNESS

-Several times Jesus told the disciples to “watch and pray” (Matt 26:41; Mark 13:33; 14:38; Luke 21:36)

-We cannot pray intelligently unless we are alert to what is going on around us.

-We need to keep our eyes open- to be alert to the spiritual needs of others.

-We are to be looking outward, not inward.

-through God’s answers to specific prayers we clearly see Him put His love and power on display.

-If we are not alert to the specific problems and needs of others, we can’t pray about them specifically and earnestly. But when we do, we can watch for God’s answer, rejoice in it when it comes, and then offer Him our thankful praise.

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Ch.2

2010-01-23T06:17:00.002-07:00

“Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do” (John 14:13)
“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14)
To understand the meaning of prayer in Jesus’ name, we need to understand how the word “name” is used in the Bible. In Scripture, the name of God embodies all that He is.
So when Christ commands us to pray in His name, He wants us to pray consistent with who He is- His person His will, and His purposes.
So how do we know the will of Christ? Scripture gives us “the mind of Christ” in a very large measure (1 Cor.2:16)
But the fact is many times we don’t know His specific will on an issue. At that pont we simply need to ask God for His will to be done (Matt.6:10)

ASK IN FAITH:

If you don’t believe God’s promises, the Bible says you make Him a liar (1 John 5:10). As Christians, we dishonor God when we doubt Him.
The Psalms will build your knowledge of God’s person; the Law reveals His righteous character; and the historical books recount how He displayed His power on behalf of His people. That is the right foundation on which to build your faith. As your faith grows stronger, you can proceed with life in peace even before God answers each specific prayer, because you will believe that He is going to answer in His own time for your good and His glory.

ASK IN THE SPIRIT:

Offer prayers that are consistent with the Spirit’s prayers so that you are committed only to God’s will.
Praying in the Spirit is the same as praying in the name of Christ- praying in a manner consistent with who HIe is and what His will is.
As our lives are filled with the Spirit, as we walk in obedience to Him, and as we are constantly communing with God, the Spirit of God will govern our thoughts so that our prayers will be in harmony with Him.

ASK FROM A PURE HEART:

What James is saying (in James 5:16) is that if you expect God to answer your prayers, you must be committed to living a righteous life.
“Whatever we ask and receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John3:22)
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18)
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34:15)

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Ch.1

2010-01-22T22:05:00.002-07:00

it is His design that the prayer of His people should be the means by which He is frequently moved to act.
“The effectve fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”(James 5:16)
The Bible details at least 5 reasons we ought to pray:

PRAYER IS COMMANDED
IT IS A SIN NOT TO PRAY
PRAYER GIVES GLORY TO GOD
PRAYER ALIGNS US WITH GOD'S PURPOSES
PRAYER RESULTS IN ANSWERS

He (Samuel) acknowledged his responsibility to pray for them because he understood that prayer is a duty, and the neglect of prayer is therefore a sin.
God doesn’t answer our prayers for our benefit only; He answers them primarilyfor His own pleasure and glory.
Our attitude should be, “How can I get involved in praying for as much as I possibly can so that I often see God display His divine power, mercy, grace, love, and all His other attributes?”
So pray that God will manifest Himself in your life and the lives of those you pray for so that He may be glorified in you.
In other words, the primary issue in prayer is not obtaining what you want but allowing God to display His glory.
When you begin to seek God’s purposes in your prayers, your heart will be aligned with His will. That’s when you will really begin to see your prayers fulfilled.
God answers prayers and that alone should be reason enough to pray.

Lord, Teach Me to Pray- Intro

2010-01-19T07:20:00.003-07:00

Proverbs 15:8 says, "the prayer of the upright if His delight."

when we go to God in prayer. And not just access, but unlimited divine resources- more than enough for our needs- freely available from a loving heavenly Father.

He longs to have us with Him, telling Him all the issues of our hearts, casting all our cares on Him because He cares for us.

Psalm 61:1-2 says, "Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed."

A call to the duty of prayer will not overcome spiritual indifference, because prayer is an internal compulsion born out of a love for and dependence on our heavenly Father. Lack of prayer doesn't mean merely that we are disobedient; it is also an indicator that our love for God has grown cold.

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me." (Ps.50:15)

Let the truth of Scripture shape your thinking and feed your appetites and then you will know how to pray according to the will of God

Prayer must come from an obedient heart.

Resolutions for a New Year

2010-01-19T07:12:00.003-07:00

As part of my morning reading for 2010, I am attempting to put some time aside to read through some books that have been on my night table far too long. Why have they sat there, as some of them are really good books (I've been told by others, including dear hubby)? Probably a variety of reasons. But I'm going to try reading them a chapter a day. My prayer is that this will allow me to actually get to the end of these books (since many have bookmarks around chapter 3). Also I hope that this will give me the ability to process what I'm reading a little better, as some of these books are on the heavier, meatier side (John Owen, etc.) and for my dense mind, it is so slow to understand.

My first book is John MacArthur's Lord, Teach Me to Pray. I've started it 3 times I think. It's a small book. Beautiful pictures, beautiful paper, helpful thoughts (in the first chapter that I've read 3 times :)

I'm going to use this blog to record the quotes I find helpful of these books as well. So if you have read any of these titles, and want to comment on any of these thoughts, I would welcome your interaction. Maybe this would be even more helpful in working through these books, and in growing in a dialogue with these authors.

The Refreshment Stand

2009-11-18T23:10:00.012-07:00

Came home after morning Bible Study to find my middle son had created a lemonade stand in our front foyer. The foyer is really just a patch of tiles about 4' by 6', but he had set up his place of business at one end to create a small "refreshment stand" on the tiles. The sign read simply:
Freezies 10cents
Peanut butter bread 75 cents
Iced Tea 25 cents
Well, when the entrepreneurial eldest son arrived on the scene, he immediately developed the business plan and "helped" get things "going". Within minutes a big sign was taped to our garbage can and sitting in the middle of the driveway - but now the "Refreshment stand" had a tag line - "all profits going to Neighbourhood Outreach" ( a local shelter for homeless folks).

I was enjoying them working together, and figured it all rather simple, yet delightful.

Then we got the idea of making cookies, to expand the menu, as well as a Sucker Tree and a Candy Tree. Less than an hour later, the "Refreshment Stand" had doubled its menu, and "improved" its decor to include a stool for customers to rest on, as well as some penguin napkins to spruce things up.

Now the advertising had to improve too. "Mom, what do we do to get people to stop?"

We found some old signs in our excess storage and posted them out on the major streets nearby. Then we came home and prepared for the onslaught of customers after school. (The signs were strategically posted near the local school around the corner - in time for dismissal).

At this point, I was hesitantly hopeful for a customer, but realistic that we may not see a soul. At the same time, I wanted to foster the hard work, charity, and entrepreneurship I was witnessing in my wee ones. Therefore, I thought we'd best get pretty distracted, so that waiting for a patron wouldn't result in my going batty... repeatedly saying, "Maybe the next car will stop in."

Long story short, no one stopped, and though the boys were disappointed, I was thankful for the experience. It was neat to see them work together like that. It was neat to see them think of passing the profits on to others in need. And it was neat to see them set it all up.

Hopefully next time we'll have some coin to show for their efforts, but in the meantime, the lessons were great... all in a day of school at home!

Lamentations

2009-11-07T14:40:00.003-07:00

I was reading Lamentations this morning. Feeling a little lost in understanding what Jeremiah is saying through the poetry, I thought I'd spend a few minutes gathering information this afternoon. Came upon the following quote from J.Vernon McGee and it made me smile, as I imagined his nasal voice crackling over the radio and delivering the following:

The book is filled with tears and sorrow. It is a paean of pain, a
poem of pity, a proverb of pathos, a hymn of heartbreak, a psalm of
sadness, a symphony of sorrow, a story of sifting, a tale of tears, a
dirge of desolation, a tragedy of travail, an account of agony, and a
book of “boo-hoo.” It is the wailing wall of the Bible.

Be a Woman of the Text

2009-10-14T23:48:00.002-06:00

Ever have a hard time getting up early to spend in God's word?
Here's a good kick in the pants.... enjoy!!

Don't Change Course!

2009-10-07T13:25:00.002-06:00

Recently, I've been working my way through Teri Maxwell's "Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit". Her third chapter deals with fears and worries that can discourage us and prevent us from living with a meek and quiet spirit. She discusses how God will use difficulties in what we are doing to refine and grow us - particularly when we are being careful to walk in God's way and the Enemy is working to dissuade us. She writes about the particular challenge of deciding to homeschool and the fears that bombard us about that choice.
Keep in mind that the Lord usses difficulties in what we are doing to refine and grow us. Seldom are those struggles a signal to undo what He has called us to do! THe problems should be pulling us to a greater level of seeking the Lord and depending on him. They should not be causing us to consider returning to where we were before He directed us to homeschool. Mentally recall some of the best-known Bible stories. In many of them, a godly man is given a specific task from the Lord. This person soon faces difficulties. Are these obstacles circumstances from the Lord to change His follower's direction? We know, without a doubt, that they are not.Yet, in our lives, we will question our homeschooling "call" when we face trials...... May we never choose to turn back from the path the Lord has set us upon simply because it isn't easy.
This morning in bible study, we were looking at Ezra 4, and the discouragement the people faced in building both the temple and the city walls. In their case, the discouragement kept them from completing the task at hand in a timely manner.
What a good reminder to "stick to it"... when we pray for the Lord's guidance and we struggle to keep faith in our ever-faithful, ever-true, and ever-loving heavenly Father... who is working all things out according to His plan and for our good (Rom.8:28).
Blessings, my fellow pilgrim!

May Jesus Be At Our School

2009-09-05T20:27:00.001-06:00

I came upon this Invitation... a lovely poem and song to invite Jesus into our school. Thought you might enjoy.

A Sunday Song

2009-08-30T23:13:00.002-06:00

Many a church probably sang the Doxology today, but none like this. It's a little "Gaither-like" for my tastes, and yet, you can't help praise the Lord as the song exhorts by the final key-change and Amen. Enjoy!!!

When Something You Love Disappears

2009-08-28T08:20:00.003-06:00

Growing up, I was a barefoot girl. Would walk around the yard barefoot. Nice soft feet in April. Tough by June. Able to run on gravel by August.

Naturally, I would walk barefoot inside the home too. Unless, of course, it was cold enough to require socks.

Moving to Northern Alberta, Canada for post-secondary education necessitated the re-education of "minimal sock wearing" to include such words as angora, merino wool, and the like.

I still enjoyed walking barefoot or socked inside over the years that followed University - spurning my mother's constant slipper-wearing. Clip, clip, clip. They seemed so noisy. And she even took them on holidays with her - wearing them in hotels, at Auntie Irene's home, or in a camp cabin.

Six years ago we moved to an acreage that had ceramic tiles over much of the main floor and my feet began to ache when I would spend large amounts of time in the kitchen. I discovered slippers reduced the pain and began to search out good, comfortable slippers.

After looking through a few stores, found a pair at Wal-Mart of all places, and they cost just $12 to boot (no pun intended). I noticed after Christmas these same slippers had gone on sale, so I stocked up a little.

And then, last year, they changed the design of those slippers, so that now they flipped and flopped, rather than slipped and walked.

Out I was, looking from store to store, searching for the perfect slippers.

Last trip to Costco, I found some again!!! NukNuuks they are called. They come in pink and grey. I opted for the grey - more practical with all the goop I spill on them.

Well, they have gone missing!! I have searched high and low. Who knows where my beloved NukNuuks have disappeared, but I know we'll be making a trip to Costco soon to get another pair. In the meantime, I have been complaining... the floor is too hard. My feet are cold. Where are my NukNuuks????

How is it that something so insignificant can mean so much?? Oh... sin, I guess. Discontent. Here the good Lord was allowing me to experience a loss - though small, and I have been complaining. The words of Paul ring in my mind, "for I have learned to be content" (Phil.4:11). Maybe that's why my slippers went for a walk.

As I tread today Lord, may I rejoice in the discomforts, knowing that they teach me about You, and allow me to learn a little along my walk.

Got an hour?

2009-08-22T02:21:00.005-06:00

For the past 2 months, sleep has been evading me thanks to my dear children. Tonight, everyone is sleeping, and yet, by the mercy of God, I have been awakened by the storm outside... even had to go outside and secure our gate in my bathrobe :)

The blessing of this sleepless night is that I was able to listen to a wonderful sermon pointing to Christ through Numbers 1-10. If you have an hour in the next week... or a sleepless night... or a trip somewhere... consider listening to Michael Lawrence preach at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. A helpful history lesson on the organization of Israel to prepare the picture of God living in His dwelling-place among men... and a helpful reminder of the sacrifice we need to believe in, in Jesus Christ - the perfect blood sacrifice for our sin.

Enjoy!

Raspberries

2009-08-20T17:49:00.004-06:00

Being the new pastor's wife has its perks... 2 families have invited me over to pick raspberries in their gardens. It has been delightful and the fruits of our labors have included a few tortes, breakfast treats, etc.

I will try making jam tonight... have never made raspberry jam before, so this will be an adventure. Hopefully it will be worth the work. Will let you know.

To Be Like Jesus

2009-08-18T20:57:00.008-06:00

Sovereign Grace Music has released their second children's album, To Be Like Jesus, and I'd like to give my official two-thumbs up. The album offers a nice variety of styles of music, with a focus on the fruit of the Spirit.

My children have been struggling, particularly lately, with experiencing God's peace in the midst of our upturned life due to our move. The album addresses that.

The boys have been fighting and short-tempered with one another... the album addresses that.

Mommy has been struggling at displaying self-control and patience, as she's been working through boxes, on minimal sleep (while baby adjusts to the new home and life), and amidst the dryness of soul that comes when dear brothers and sisters are removed from one's life... the album points to Christ for help with such battles.

There are a few tunes that are a touch "rocky" for me... especially early in the morning, but overall, this is a great album... which explains why it's been in our CD player for almost 3 weeks straight.

Definitely different than Awesome God, but a favorite nonetheless!!

Move is Done

2009-08-18T20:52:00.003-06:00

We have officially moved... to a small town... and a darling home... and a new family of believers... ie.church.

Just have 15 more boxes or so, and we'll be ready to make a final trip to the recycling depot to dispose of cardboard.

Plans can now begin for beginning a more regular life, but then, what is regular?

For tonight, regular means going to bed early, as baby was up a lot last night, and I want to avoid those nasty canker sores I get when I'm short on zzzzzzs.

Blessings, my friends.

Great Clips

2009-07-15T21:25:00.005-06:00

We went to Great Clips after dinner to get the manes under control. Big boy was having a difficult time giving up the mullet that he's been grooming on the sly. After deciding to "delay" the longer hair until hockey season, he got a nice, respectable crew cut, complete with gel to push up the bangs. As for the longer hair - I'm hoping it will be too hot under the hockey helmet and will not turn into a mullet again. (Is mommy being too manipulative :)

Son #2 got a buzz cut. "Buzz cut.... that sounds like a cool hair cut," was older brother's comment.
Then tonight as the buzzed one was getting into bed, he said, "my head doesn't even feel like it's on with all my hair missing."

What fun is to be had with just a simple visit to the hairdressers!!

Speedy Pizza

2009-07-14T13:50:00.002-06:00

When you're strapped for time, but the kiddos would love pizza and you don't feel like heading out for take-out, consider making this recipe for speedy pizza. The crust is somewhat reminiscent of those old Kraft boxes of pizza mix... but I find, this is a nice, quick recipe with standard ingredients that can put pizza on the table in around 1/2 hour....

Speedy Pizza
Preheat oven to 450
2 c. flour
2 tsp.baking powder
1 tsp.salt
2/3 c.milk
1/4 c. oil
Mix into a dough using your paddle attachment (if you have a KitchenAid mixer)
Form into 2 pizzas.
Top with sauce, cheese, meat, etc.
Bake 15-20 minutes
Voila!!

Set Your Minds on Things Above

2009-07-09T11:01:00.004-06:00

In Col. 3, Paul teaches us to "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things", that "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God....For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

As I've been packing up to move, this has been a real battle for me. I have been enjoying listening to my ipod - sermons worth mentioning like What to Do If You Don’t Love God from Capitol Hill Baptist Church)... and in the midst of that dealing with what earthly things to keep, and which to get rid of.

There is so much in my home that is precious for the moment (kid's artwork, cards from hubby, personal journals, sewing machine, dining room set, toys, kitchen tools, etc.etc.etc) and yet there is a point where it becomes too much to keep. How do you determine that point? Do you have a strategy? I am finding that I am throughout the day, pleading with God for wisdom. The conversations run something like this: "Should I keep this glitter glue... We could use it for a homeschool activity in the fall... I don't really have the space for it... Father, HELP!!"

"How about the teacups from Gramma Shirley? They'd make such a special tea time with the elderly ladies of the new church, when they come over to visit.... but I have the set from Oma Weinert, the set from my mom, and the set of cups that came with my everyday dishes.... What do I do, Lord?"

It seems crazy, I'm sure, but I feel like the battle for our home and for materialism is waging an ugly head - worse than I've ever encountered in a mall (which is surprising me). And I'm not sure if it's because I have people and memories linked to a lot of my stuff, since they were gifts. At which point do you give away a gift and feel like you're not becoming a traitor.

Well, I've got to leave it there. I'm limiting myself to 15 minutes per blog post. Love to hear your wisdom on this topic. In the meantime, I will keep trying to think of heaven, and hopefully I'll realize that even the most precious things here, can be let go, "in the light of His glory and grace".

Layin' Around

2009-06-27T15:01:00.003-06:00

I was sorting through my digital photos when I came upon this one. Clearly, taken when daddy was watching Johnny P. Guess the little ones will watch whatever we feed 'em...

Coffee Cup Verse Revisited

2009-06-27T08:30:00.003-06:00

It's time to dust off the Fighter Verse booklet and get back to memorizing scripture with the kids... so I'll be posting the verse we will be working on each week, and if you'd like to join us, print it off, tape it to your coffee pot, and hide God's Word in your heart. We'll have fun together... and we pray that in the process, the Spirit will speak to us through God's Word.

While you're at it, pour yourself a cup of coffee, in a nice pink mug, if you've got one :)

Breakfast For Tomorrow

2009-06-12T23:18:00.001-06:00

Carolyn Mahaney of Girltalk inspired me to try a "make-ahead" recipe for breakfast tomorrow. Since I have day-old french bread and Granny Smith apples, we'll see how it goes. It should mean I could sleep in a little, which would be a treat if baby wakes again this night with teething pain, as of late. It should also mean a special breakfast for the boys. We'll let you know how it goes.

Do you have any "make-ahead" breakfast recipes?

2009-06-12T23:00:00.008-06:00

Over at Holy Experience, I came across an interesting idea for family devotions. Since we are planning to move in the next month, I think I'll have to put the idea on the back burner for now. But I am definintely intrigued to try journalling as a family in the fall, possibly.

I've never really journalled, other than a diary I kept during my single years of university. Donald Whitney encourages journalling. Not sure if that will help convince hubby to try :)

Let me know if you've ever attempted such a venture - either alone or as a family. I'd love to hear your experiences.... particularly those that have become holy experiences.

To Be Like Jesus

2009-06-10T09:35:00.002-06:00

There's a new children's album out by Sovereign Grace Music... and if it's anything like their previous album, Awesome God, it's sure to be a great way to teach, praise, and raise our children. It's called To Be Like Jesus and samples can be heard here.

Eco-Friendly Laundry Equipment

2009-06-09T21:25:00.005-06:00

Over a year ago, after much saving up, we purchased a terrific washer and dryer set from Miele. I had been using a set for the previous 14 years which I had inherited from my Oma, that I thought was getting my clothes clean, but have since discovered, was probably just getting them wet.

This new set is touted as being the latest in energy-efficiency and clean-technology. In my experience with cloth diapers, grass stains, and blueberry jam on Sunday-suit jackets, it has proven to be quite effective in tackling even the toughest stains with minimal effort.

About a month ago, however, my dryer passed out for the second time. The high tech heat sensor was shutting down the heat in the unit. The technicians came out twice and confirmed it was the ducting we were sold by the appliance company. "Simply not appropriate for such a powerful machine."

Today I was doing laundry, while waiting for the repair man to arrive, and was once again drying the clothes outside. I have come to love the fresh smell of laundry from the outdoors, and have developed a "smooth" system to deal with it over the past 2 months. This afternoon, while I was hanging up the clothes in the beautiful sunshine, I paused to be thankful for my drying rack.

When I was shopping for a drying rack around 4 years ago, (my old wooden rack from Wal-Mart had disintigrated due to poor materials and poor manufacturing), I was determined to find something a little "sturdier", larger, and more attractive. After scouring Zellers, Sears, and 3 or 4 other stores, with nothing better to offer than the Wal-Mart unit, I grew discouraged and faint in hope of finding what I was looking for. At that point, I came upon a nice rack one day, while grocery shopping at Superstore. Expandable. Collapsible. Attractive. Only $24.99. It seemed a good fit for my requirements. I took it home, but was a little learie whether it would last since it was from Superstore.

Today, I was reflecting on that hunt and subsequent purchase, so glad that God provided such equipment for me. And that I might use His fresh air to dry the clothing He has granted us to cover our nakedness. What a terrific piece of eco-friendly laundry equipment!

Reviving the Keyboard

2009-06-09T21:22:00.002-06:00

It's been quite a while since I sat down to type a post, but lately I've been thinking about ways to stay connected with friends after we move. (Post on this to come later this week). As a result, it is my goal to post on this blog, and allow dialogue to continue via blogger. I hope you'll keep commenting and that we will be able to grow in this way.

Grace and Peace

2008-08-18T08:42:00.004-06:00

Last week I started working my way through Colossians and I've been struck by the phrase in verse 2: "Grace to you and peace from God the Father".

The word, grace (karis in Greek) has several nuances.
GRACE:
that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, like grace of speech
GOOD-WILL, LOVING KINDNESS, FAVOR:
of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
WHAT IS DUE TO GRACE:
the token or proof of grace, benefit
THANKS:
(for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward

Although all of these befit God's grace towards sinful mankind, I truly see Paul's desire of the "good-will, loving-kindness and favor" to rest on the saints and fellow brothers in Christ at Colossae.. and through the generations, to all believers.

May I walk with a glimpse of such favor upon me. Surely this will change me today... How can I complain? How can I despair? How can I but help to praise my God and my Redeemer!!

Thank you, God, for giving your grace for today. Please help us walk in grace and be ministers of grace to every soul you bring our way.

Coffee Cup Verse

2008-08-04T08:43:00.003-06:00

Psalm 77:13-14

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.

Heart-smart Carrot Muffins

2008-08-04T08:35:00.003-06:00

Tried a new muffin recipe this morning (trying to use up my frozen carrots before the garden provides us with a whole new orange mountain :). It's a heart-healthy option in many ways - let me know what you think.

1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar (I substituted honey... for my honey... who's on a honey health plan:)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup fresh, plain yogurt
1/8 teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
My method:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F).
2. Mix the oil, sugar, carrots, and yogurt in a mixing bowl.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a separate bowl and mix them .
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine them well.
5. Mix in the raisins and walnuts, then later add a few more if you like, after you scoop the batter.
6. Scoop out the batter, one ice cream scoop at a time, into a lined muffin pan.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins puff up and their tops look golden brown. 8. Let them cool until they reach room temperature, then store in a cool, dry place.
Eat them up in 4 to 5 days, and refrigerate them in warm weather, as they contain yogurt. Enjoy!

Simplicity

2008-07-30T13:41:00.005-06:00

Love. Faith. Believe. Simplicity.

These words are all over the place. In gift shops. In homes. In spas. In medical offices.

Just this morning I saw "Simplicity" in a gift shop at the Kananaskis Lodge. And then, interestingly, I opened my bible this afternoon and read Proverbs 1:22 (NKJV), "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge."

The context of this verse is the introduction to Proverbs, where King Solomon is pleading the case for Wisdom. He is reminding that

v.1 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge

v.20 Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares

v.33 whoever listens to me (Solomon/wisdom) will dwell safely, and will be secure without fear of evil

In contrast, he gives "simplicity", or "naivete", as some versions say. The warning for those that stay in "simplicity" rather than pursuing "wisdom" is given in v.32: "For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them."

May we avoid the "simplicity" which the enemy of God is trying to entice us with, and may we seek Wisdom, because as Proverbs 2:4 says, "If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God."

B's Singin'!!

2008-05-28T21:54:00.002-06:00

Here's a song written by the worship minister of our church and sung by a real sweetie, B. Hope you enjoy Satisfied as much as I am while I sit here and blog for a bit.

The Eaglet

2008-05-04T22:03:00.010-06:00

Last week we finished up Pioneer Girls for the year. To celebrate with the girls, we had a musical concert. It was a delightful time and filled with a variety of stlyes of music - ranging from classical to bluegrass.

Every year at our closing event, I want to be sure to have the gospel clearly spoken, since we have many girls attending that come from homes where Jesus is not known. This year I was really struggling in who to ask to speak to our assembly. The time kept drawing nearer and nearer, and I was beginning to grow a little nervous - although I was also trying to be faithful by praying and trusting God.

Then last week I was reading a book by Jim Elliff for my youngest son. As I read line after line, I suddenly realized this was the book to read for the concert. That same afternoon I sat and scooted around the internet for some music that I could use as a "backdrop" for the book. Since I used to work at a radio station, I expected to spend a significant amount of time finding and editing background music, but by God's grace and as a true miracle, within one hour the whole production was complete. I was absolutely stunned! He had led me music that fit wonderfully with the words that Pastor Elliff had written.

For any of you that are interested in the book, you can find it here. You can buy copies for $3.16 ($2.77 if you buy 2 or more) ,... which might make this a nice book to give for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Hope you enjoy it and can share it with a little one in your life!

Matthew 25:1-13

2008-04-21T09:06:00.006-06:00

This year I have been reading Matthew in my daily devotions. For January I read chapters 1-7, February found me in chapters 8-14, March was camped in chapters 15-21, and in April I've been working through the final 7 chapters. Today I was particularly interested in the parable of the 10 virgins.

I remember, as a young girl (around 9 or 10), the older girls of our church (15-17 year olds) presenting a drama that was basically an enactment of this parable. It gripped me deeply, as I felt the plight of the foolish virgins in their despair of finding the door locked, and the bridegroom saying, "I do not know you." These words echo Matthew's earlier recount of another of Christ's lessons in Matthew 7:22-23: On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

In meditating on Matthew 25:1-13, several analogies needed clarification in my mind, as I was trying to understand this parable.
1. Who are the virgins?
2. What are the lamps?
3. What is the oil?
4. What is meant by "became drowsy and slept"? (My first thought: this represents our daily lives on earth, as we are waiting for the bridegroom, Christ's, return.)

In addition to learning what Christ was pointing to with these word pictures of lamps, oil, etc., the admonishment to "watch" is clear at the end of the parable. So I am also seeking to clarify what that exactly entails and requires on my behalf, since it seems to be the point of Christ's story.

As I studied, I came to think that the virgins are people, with the foolish being the unregenerate and the wise being the children of God. In checking out such thoughts I looked into various commentaries and was reminded to note the context of chapters 23 and 24, where Christ is clearly admonishing the scribes/ pharisees and outwardly religious. This adds the dimension of these virgins being people who are preparing themselves for the bridegroom - professing Christians... and this dimension begins to point to what Jesus is meaning by the word, "Watch".

Initially, I thought the lamps which the bridesmaids carried represent our souls. I'm not entirely sure, since Wesley's commentary suggested "faith" as the lamp,... with the oil representing faith that is working by love. In my spirit, this was not what I understand the text to be saying... that we need to "watch" by 'working out our salvation with fear and trembling,' or by keeping ourselves in the faith. I believe the Father does this by the power of the Spirit (John 17:11, Gal.3:3) . I saw the oil to be the gospel, or "saving grace" as MacArthur described, in his sermon. This clarified the "trimming of their lamps" as the preparing virgins examining themselves and preparing to meet God.

At this point of the parable, there is a clear separation between those that are found ready and those that are wont of oil. Why couldn't the virgins share their oil, I kept wondering. If it's the gospel, surely they could share? This question clarified for me that indeed, the oil is saving grace - which cannot be given from one person to another, but must be received individually from God Himself through faith in Jesus Christ by the Spirit.

However, the alarming part of this story is that there will be a day when the door will be closed and it will be too late to have a lamp lit for the bridegroom. This clarifies Jesus' words to "watch" all the more. Dear fellow pilgims of this world, please let us each examine ourselves to see that we are in the faith. These words should be especially serious to all of us who proclaim to be Christians. We must make sure that our lamps are lit with God's grace, and not that we THINK we are part of the many who will be saved (Matt.20:28) and yet are part of the many mentioned in Matt.7:21-23.

Please join me today, and take a moment to look at the fruit of our lives. Let's examine ourselves, while we have today, so that we too will be ready for our bridegroom with our robes of righteousness in place and holding the oil of saving grace in preparation.

Morning Check-List

2008-04-20T22:35:00.002-06:00

About a month ago, I was talking with my sister on the phone about getting children ready for school. She had just welcomed baby #4 into their home and was trying to figure out how to help her older children make it to the school bus without the continual nagging that had become habitual in their home between 7 and 8 am. They had begun using a morning check-list and said it was working really well.

So I considered our morning routine, and decided to try something similar, which I've been enjoying for a lot of reasons.

1. Now my boys are becoming more independent with their dressing, hygiene, room maintenance and bible time.
2. It establishes a routine that they can do without my help.
3. It frees me up to get things ready for the day, and spend time doing some of my chores.

So this is what I've got on our chart in the bathroom, with stickers to mark each day:

Get Dressed
Make Bed
Tidy Room
Brush Teeth
Wash Face/Hands
Brush Hair
Personal Bible Time

At the end of this, they are ready to head downstairs and start the day.

I've been encouraged by doing this. Maybe everyone else has a more regular life so that these things occur more naturally. I have found the chart to be a real help in reducing my nagging, and in directing their minds in activity. Hopefully we can keep it up, and expand this to include some other helpful habits.

Housekeeping Chores for Children

2008-04-20T21:56:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we were at a homeschooling conference, which was helpful for me on many fronts.

About a month ago, I set up a schedule for chores and was trying to stick to it. The keynote speakers at the conference were Steve & Teri Maxwell. They have 8 children and have written 2 books about scheduling - one geared on homeschooling multiple children and another geared towards chores. Two weeks into our new "Team S---- Housekeeping Chart", I had been experiencing some "blips" and was thankful for their advice along the way. At the end of the one session, devoted to chores, I was particularly encouraged to keep at it with my boys - despite the "reminding" and "quality control" that needs to be part of the whole endeavour.

I have found one of the most difficult parts of setting up the schedule was finding age- appropriate tasks for my boys to do. Here's a list of the chores they have:

7 year old son (Monday) feed cats, gather laundry, sort laundry, put away laundry
(Tuesday) feed cats, vacuum kitchen, dust lampshades
(Wednesday) feed cats, empty garbages, polish shoes
(Thursday) feed cats, wipe bathroom counters, gather library books
(Friday) feed cats, clean french doors, wipe mirrors
(Saturday) feed cats, clean out van, vacuum main floor & kitchen

5 year old son (Monday) dust railings, put away laundry
(Tuesday) wipe doors (week 1) wipe knobs (wk 2), wipe window frames (wk3)
(Wednesday) wipe baseboards
(Thursday) dust door jams
(Friday ) wipe cupboards (week 1 - kitchen, wk 2- bathrooms, wk 3- bookcases)
(Saturday) tidy garage, tidy shoes
We have yet to make it successfully through a whole week, but we're getting there... and I'm noticing that the boys are mastering the chores bit by bit. Now they are starting to complain less, and accepting their jobs as part of the "Team", and they're becoming familiar with supplies, etc.

Some of the things I have learned:
- pay attention to SAFETY ( a good reminder for me from Steve Maxwell).... I especially like vinegar and water as cleaning ingredients, paired with a good cleaning cloth from the dollar store
- try to choose chores that are age-appropriate... I'm still figuring this out
- be clear in teaching the task and expectations
- inspect the chore after it's complete.... Teri Maxwell mentioned this. I was thankful to learn that this can be an excellent opportunity for me to affirm my sons, as they complete tasks properly. Without this inspection time, I generally only notice when a chore is NOT completed well... and that means only giving negative feedback, which I want to counteract with positive words.
- try doing chores after lunch but before play time.... I have tried doing chores before homeschooling, and found we were using up their best brain time to "dust railings". For the last 2 weeks, we do our morning checklist, homeschool, lunch, chores, and then play time. I find the incentive to stick with chores is exceptionally high at this time, since playtime is the desirable reward at the completion of chores.

These are only my findings thus far. In the coming weeks I want to try out the Maxwells' "ChorePack" idea. If it works, I'll post on it FYI.

Never walk. Strut.

2008-04-07T07:32:00.007-06:00

Never walk... Strut!

These words accentuated this advertisement which I encountered driving into the big city on Saturday. Here is the picture that accompanied those big, bold words. It made my mind think of the phrase, "to strut like a peacock". This, in turn, took my mind to Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

How our society would love women to strut. The continual fascination to pursue what "we deserve," to "love ourselves," to "believe in ourselves," are all enticements towards the pride that so easily takes residence in a heart... such as mine. Though I desire to walk humbly, quietly, with grace and truth, and with love, the greatest obstacle in my feeble soul is my pride, and that remnant of sin which seeks to usurp God from residing as Great One within me.

Last week's coffee cup verse is true help in such a war - Do not love the world, or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For the things in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of possessions (NASB - the boastful pride of life) are not of the Father, but are of the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever (1 Jn.2:15-17).

Praise be to God, "who... with the temptation will provide the way of escape also." We do not need to buy into the world's call to strut. We can set our eyes on the things above and these lusts will pass away.

Coffee Cup Verse

2008-04-07T07:31:00.002-06:00

Psalm 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Mud Fight

2008-04-04T12:54:00.002-06:00

The best fun is often not planned - possibly even among the ordinary, everyday work. This was our experience on Wednesday afternoon.

My sons and I began some chores down by our pond. When our house was built, the previous owners used re-claimed bricks (from the inside of old bank vaults) to build the front steps and front window box. The extras were thrown down by the pond, and covered with composting tree branches, grass clippings, etc.

Three years ago, we added a large shed to our back yard, and I've been thinking up some ways to use these bricks to finish up the front of the shed. So, Wednesday we began to dig up some of these bricks, and to haul them with wheelbarrows to the garden.

While mommy was working up a sweat, the boys began to get distracted with the pond's edge. Although the pond is still frozen, the sides of the pond, are melting and beginning to become a little muddy. To keep them occupied and out of my way (since I realized pretty quickly that these bricks were far too heavy to expect them to help me), I suggested they get their dump-trucks from the sandbox, and play in the soft dirt.

It didn't take long for the trucks to be tossed aside, and the mud was "explored" with feet and boots. The embankment is fairly steep, so part of the fun was slipping down. Naturally, a mud fight ensued, and at the end of it all, mommy just had to get some photos to remember the fun.

I'm still cleaning up some of the mess, but for the boys, it was the best chore-time of the week, I'm sure.

Coffee Cup Verse

2008-03-31T09:37:00.002-06:00

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in posessions - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Bonnie's Buns

2008-03-30T21:28:00.003-06:00

Yes this makes for a provocative title, but once you taste a bite of these delicious, home-made buns, you will understand why credit must be given where credit is due. I cannot, in good conscience, title this, "Homemade Buns" or "Basic Buns" or even "Best Buns", because they do not differentiate this bun recipe, as it deserves. I have given this recipe to many people, and this afternoon, I was once again telling Abbey about "Bonnie's Buns" after she raved about the scrumptious bread bits at our church potluck. This recipe has options for both Bread Machine (which is what I always use) and Regular Bread-making Method.

If you've never tried making buns, and you have a hankering for some fresh buns, try these out, and let me know what you think.

Bonnie's Buns (Bread Machine)

1 cup warmed milk

1/2 cup warm water

1 egg

3/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2/3 Tbsp. white sugar

1 Tbsp. butter

3-3/4 cups flour

2-1/4 tsp. yeast

Put in bread machine in order of ingredients.

Set bread maker to Dough Cycle.

After mix time, form into buns and put on pan to let rise. (20-30 minutes)

Bake about 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

(Regular Method- Full Recipe)

2 Tbsp. yeast

1 cup warm water

2 tsp. sugar

Place in bowl to start yeast.

Scald 2 cups milk.

Add 1/4 cup butter and 6 Tbsp. Brown Sugar.

When butter and sugar are dissolved, add 1 cup cold water, 2 tsp. salt, 2 beaten eggs, yeast mixture, and ~10 cups flour.

Mix in bowl, then knead on board.

Let rise till double in bulk.

Punch down and let rise again.

Put in pans and let rise.

Bake about 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Starting Up

2008-03-30T20:58:00.003-06:00

Did you know that there are approximately 14 blogs started every second? Startling, isn't it? I'd even go so far as to say, creepy. There are 173 people born every second. Considering most of the world's population lives in the poorest countries - without computers and the world wide web at their fingertips - this number of blogs started is clearly displaying our fascination with the new phenomenon of the blogosphere.

Another statistic I found, said the average blog lasts only 8 weeks. This makes me feel a little better about abandoning ship on my blog for almost a year. But it also makes me hesitant to start up writing again, since I don't like be a "quitter" - and by "starting up"... I wonder if I'm just setting myself up to become a statistic.

Nonetheless, I am tapping away at my keyboard, willing to face my fear in this regard, and put my words to the screen. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it up and develop some "stick-to-it-iveness"... as I try to encourage my boys to work with perseverance. And hopefully, in the process of this forum of shared ideas/information, we all will be encouraged to love God more, plus equipped to serve Him fully.

Dear friends, I welcome your dialogue and I thank you for your patience with me, as I've taken my hiatus.

The Beauty of Age

2007-04-16T08:25:00.000-06:00

My dear grandmother is now with her Lord. Before she died, my family and I were blessed to share a special visit with her at the Senior's Lodge where she spent the final years of her life. Our youngest boy was only months old and had just learned to sit, so we were relishing in his latest "trick", and had given him a seat of particular honor - right on the middle of the patio table we were visiting around.

Ur-Oma (great-grandmother) was enjoying the little one and I was busy snapping photos. As motherly, protective hands subconsciously do, Oma cradled the back of my boy - to ensure he wouldn't suddenly fall backwards and be hurt.

The moments were special - particularly so, because they were the last moments we spent together.

Months later, I was scrapbooking these photos into a photo album, and in doing so, dramatically cut some of the photos up. I was trying a "new" technique - placing little squares around the circumferance of the page. I remember looking for "one last square" to complete the page - rifling through my photo scraps in search of a flower, leaf, or some other "less noticeable" feature in the remnants of my photographs. As a result, my eyes lighted upon a corner in my discard pile. On it, were my grandmother's hands. Instantly, I cut around those hands to shape a square and added it, like the crowning jewel to my scrapbook page.

To anyone else, the little square would probably be overlooked on the page - amidst the shining face of my 6 month old, and smiles of my, then 3 year old with Ur-Oma. But today I was reminded just how precious that little square of the photograph is, and why it stirred my heart while I was scrapbooking.

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Seminary and host of the Albert Mohler show (and arguably, one of the smartest Christians speaking out in the world today:), did a show last week called The Nature of True Beauty. I highly recommend listening to the program - especially if you've ever lamented over a wrinkle or a blemish. As part of the show, Dr.Mohler addressed our cultural fixation with the beauty of youth and how this becomes extraplated into the superiority of youthfulness. He pointed to scripture's perspective on beauty, as penned by Solomon in Proverbs 31:30 0 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain (NIV "fleeting"), But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

My Oma was a woman who feared God. I remember her talking of God to strangers, to friends, and to her family. She was in the Word daily and sought to live according to it with all her strength. In hindsight, I regret that I did not respect and honor her more in these regards. She was a hard-working wife and mother. She worked long and hard at church - using her gift of encouragement to rally brothers & sisters in the faith until her final days. Her hands spoke of such efforts. Her hands displayed her beauty within. Such true beauty is what I would like to develop - for it is such beauty that is not simply a result of genetic distribution, but the result of an obedient and willing heart in the hands of the Almighty God. Such beauty is to be praised because it points to the creator and sustainer of true beauty and it exalts Him, who IS truly beautiful.

May our hands become more beautiful - as we serve our God by serving others. May each wrinkle that is earned prove itself beautiful in the refining fire of our Maker's cauldron. May the beauty that we seek, reflect that ultimate Beauty we are gazing upon in God through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-04-16T08:23:00.000-06:00

Psalm 86:7
In the day of my trouble
I call upon you,
for you answer me.

A Good Cup of Coffee

2007-03-21T22:26:00.000-06:00

Whilst sipping coffee out of my favorite pink mug, I "happened" upon an interesting blog, Everyday Mommy. A good read is the article, Sola Moms.

May we all contemplate the implications of such truths as sola christus. This is particularly significant with the erosion of the true gospel in the lives of many people who name Christ as their only Savior.

Let us examine ourselves in light of scripture and cling to Christ, His Word, etc. - as these foundations are the very truths which the Spirit used to bring us to God Himself.

Homeschooling Challenge

2007-03-21T21:52:00.000-06:00

Here's an article for homeschooling moms. Beware: the following may result in reflection, conviction, and sorrow leading to repentance. Some things may be a little "heavy" to bear, but definitely some good thoughts to consider, as we seek to parent with "obedience to God", rather than personal goals as motivation.

In Preparation for Easter

2007-03-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon a video, with music by Fernando Ortega, that was a simple song of the regenerated soul's longing for Jesus.

You can watch it here.

Baby Food Recipes - I

2007-03-19T10:42:00.000-06:00

As I was looking through my recipe book last week, I came upon these baby food recipes. My boys had quite enjoyed them, and so I thought I'd share the recipes - they're from a book my sister had received as a shower gift.

Hope your babies enjoy!!

LENTIL SPECIAL

4 oz. sweet potatoes

1 rib celery

2 tbsp. red or green lentils

1 tbsp. ketchup

1-1/2 cups water

Bring to a boil. cook until soft. Blend. Freeze in ice cube trays.

PAPRIKA PORK

6 oz. pork

3 oz. carrot

6 oz. potato

1/4 onion

1/4 red pepper

1 tsp. oil

1/2 tsp. paprika

2/3 cup baked beans

2/3 cup water

Bring to a boil. Cook until soft. Blend. Freeze in ice cube trays.

SAUCY PASTA

* 4 oz. carrots

* 2 oz. brussel sprouts

* 1 oz. green beans

* 2 tbsp. corn

* 2 oz. dried pasta

* 1-1/2 cups milk

2 oz. mild cheddar

Bring * items to a boil. Cook until soft. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Blend. Freeze in ice cube trays.

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-03-19T10:02:00.000-06:00

I'm attempting to learn 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 from memory, and so I'll start by making this my coffee cup verse for this week. You can join me in this endeavor, if you'd like. I've set a 'hoky' melody to the words to help, which I'll share, if you think you can endure the tune to get the words deep into your heart :)

1 Chronicles 16:8
O give thanks to the Lord
call upon His name
tell His deed among the peoples.

O sing out to Him
sing psalms to Him
talk of all His wonderful works.

Apple Crisp

2007-03-13T15:42:00.000-06:00

A friend recently asked about my apple crisp recipe, so I thought I'd post it... in case you're searching for a "healthier" dessert option to top of tonight's dinner.

Apple Crisp

Fill pie plate with apples (or any other fruit) as high as you want.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (or brown sugar with fruits other than apples).

Crumbs mixture:
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. oats
enough butter to make it moist and crumbly (approx. 1/3 c. butter)
Add milk (dash) if not moist enough or to reduce the amount of butter.

Mix crumb mixture together with hands. Crumble topping over fruit.

Bake in 350 degree oven until golden brown (approx.30 minutes) or in microwave for 10 minutes.

Enjoy topped with ice cream, as desired

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-03-13T15:39:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 19:20-21

Listen to counsel and accept discipline, That you may be wise the rest of your days. Many are the plans in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORD, it will stand.

Interesting Find On Love

2007-03-11T22:42:00.000-06:00

Just for your interest... not sure of the application of this "research" yet.

I did a search into "love" and the gospel/evangelism a few weeks ago, as part of my bible study.

Taking a look at the gospels and Acts, I found it interesting that the only time Jesus mentions God's love for people, or of His own love for people is John 3:16, when He is talking to Nicodemus and with His closest disciples (once Judas Iscariot leaves) just before His crucifixion in John 13,14,15 .

None of the sermons recorded in Acts begin with a discourse on God's love.

In the epistles, there are several discussions of God's love. But similar to the pattern of John's record, the mention of God's love is in letters written to the 'elect', the church, the believers, the remnant.

This has left me somewhat baffled at evangelism methods that suggest we should point to God's love first.

Guess I'll have to pray more and read God's Word more to learn why Jesus didn't come to earth and proclaim God's love. Clearly, He demonstrated the Father's love and, as John points out, He loved "to the end" with His actions. But my question (and I'm inviting feedback :) is: why didn't Jesus or Peter or Paul stand up and extol God's love in light of the cross? Why didn't they explain His love in this way to the unbelieving? Why is there silence about God's love outside the circle of those that are saved, or like Nicodemus (seeking Jesus so desperately that they are risking their necks and seeking Him out in the middle of the night... so hungry for the truth)?

What say you?

Friends

2007-03-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, it must be my turn to learn about friendship.

In my bible study, we've been studying John 15 and the words of Jesus resound... "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do what I command you."

Thanks be to God for the friends He has granted me. They are of the category described above, 'one another'. I know we are 'friends', and thereby 'one anothers' to one another, because they and I have the above mentioned "linking factor" - Jesus Christ. By observing their lives and hearing their words, I see that they desire to do what Jesus commands: loving God and loving others. (Matt.22:37-39)

It is remarkable what friends will give of themselves and it is a testimony of the believer's love to give of themselves... completely. This includes telling the truth despite the fact that it is painful, as well as hugging while it is painful.

Such was my blessed opportunity at study last night, and I thank my friends for their love for God - shown to me.

Let me encourage you... if you do not have friends that will spur, encourage, bear, weep, and pray for you - find some believers with whom you can engage in such a relationship. Plead with God to lead you to such people. Seek them out. Be such an one. Such closeness will generally preclude the opposite sex, but from personal testimony, it is indeed the way God designed Christian fellowship to function.

When it presses too closely or too painfully on our soul, our tendency is to push others farther away, and yet it is precisely at those times that we ought NOT to "forsake the assembling of the saints, as some are in the habit of doing."(Heb.10:25)

We live in a very rich country, with a plethora of choices. Many of our choices dictate the use of our time - a commodity that we often spend foolishly. Please carefully consider becoming a part of a study of pure scripture with people that will truthfully love you... to the point of pain, because "the Lord disciplines those He loves." And what great joy can be found there... what great news it is to be counted among the disciplined ones... what great love that truly is!!

Birthday Guests

2007-03-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my son's 4th birthday (p.s. Is it normal to have palpitations when your "baby" is 4?) As part of the festivities of a "train party", the children received a parcel from Sir Topham Hatt, captain of Thomas the Tank Engine. Inside the package was a story book, as well as costumes for the fathers to don - all part of an impromptu storybook theatre presentation.

The children seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, as their dads became Thomas, Gordon, Henry, Percy and James. Their grand stature and comical voices added to the hilarity of the moment.

A big 'thanks' to all the dads - for their willingness to be part of the afternoon. Yet even more, thank you dads for taking an interest in your children. There are many, many homes where children are growing up without their fathers, and it was SO encouraging to my soul to see men being REAL men by being a memorable part of their children's lives (even if it was in a masked way). THANK YOU!!

Best Friends

2007-03-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

This photo was shot 2 weeks ago, when my eldest son had his friend over for the day. It was a week off school and so both of them were in the best of spirits and full of energy.

Being a gorgeous day outside, I thought I'd sit down for an afternoon cup of tea and let them play in the snow. As I watched them, I marvelled at their intense affections for one another.

They haven't been friends for very long. (My son reminded me yesterday, on the way to church, that his favorite day was Oct.31st - the day he met Isaac at Bible Discovery Night.)

Since then, they search each other out at church or Boys Brigade... and for my son, this is definitely his first "crush". Not like boy-girl crushes, but the kind of affections that we can lavish on another human being, whom we enjoy being with and whose heart is one that knits itself to ours. I'm reminded of David and Jonathan's friendship in 1 Samuel 18:1, "As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. "

Interestingly, I believe I was watching a similar knitting occuring on this snowy afternoon. Under the open blue of heaven, my son and his friend were digging for diamonds in their diamond mine, while they were sharing in something much deeper.

Of course, their friendship focuses predominantly on where the next battle will take place, and who will be the captain and who will be the first mate... or which one of them should wear the shield while the other gets the sword. But I find something so endearing in the picture of friendship. Our friendships here remind us that life is not all about us... and although many people "sabotage" their relationships by their selfishness, a true and genuine love for another is marked by selflessness and love that seeks the other's benefit over our own.

May I be marked by such love for my Savior - my best friend. And from that deep relationship, I pray for the template to respond to the human lives I am blessed to be a part of.

I thank God for granting me some especially dear friends (chief of whom is my dear hubby) and my prayer is that all of us will be able to share our days with fellow "diamond miners" amidst the open skies of heaven.

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-03-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord

is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom

and understanding.

Captivating

2007-02-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Kim at The Upward Call writes an interesting review on John & Staci Eldredge's book for women, titled Captivating. I highly recommend reading the blog post, as well as the linked articles. I'll leave it at that.

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-02-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Speaking of the Potato

2007-02-24T02:32:00.000-07:00

Girltalk has had a good series on practical deeds we can do for others. One specifically dealt with Doing Good to Our Husbands. As I look over the list, there are several items that I can relate to quickly, and may have even done in the past month without a list to inspire the action. However, I had to stop when I encountered their suggestion: Encourage him for demonstrating a specific godly trait—in front of friends.

I hate to say, but I don't really feel comfortable praising my husband in front of other people. Without evaluating the idea more, I wonder if it's because I feel like it's related to boasting and pride - "here's my wonderful husband". Guess I'll have to search my heart more about this one.

Anyway, with Valentines having come and gone, I'm gonna use this forum to do as Girltalk has suggested. Since the Spud is undoubtedly and unabashedly my biggest fan (proof), I suspect he'll be the first to read this, as would be appropriate.

Spud, I am so encouraged and challenged by your dedication and commitment to get up early every morning to take your 2 mile walk and spend time with God. Your self-discipline (1 Cor.9:27), commitment to Christ (Matt.16:24) and denial of sleep (Mark 1:34) are traits that I admire and seek to develop. Keep abiding in these ways. Thank you for setting such an example for the boys and I.

Verna's Brocolli Salad

2007-02-24T02:18:00.000-07:00

There are lots of different brocolli salad recipes, but I suggest you try this one and see if it's not the best one out there.

This recipe belonged to a lady in the church I went to while in university. She was one of those ladies that "guarded her recipes". You know the type. But I was grateful that, with a little encouragement (and possibly flattery, I hate to admit), she succumbed to my earnest pleas for her prized recipe. Thanks to her, we have enjoyed many a bowl of brocolli in our home, and generally my husband will prefer this salad to any dessert I may have made - which is the highest of praise considering the main ingredient is a green vegetable.

Ingredients:
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup mayo
4 cups brocolli
1/2 cups golden raisins
6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1 can mandarins
1/2 medium red onion
(can also use grapes, if you like... instead or with the mandarins)

1) In top of double-boiler, whisk together eggs, sugar, cornstarch and mustard.
2) Combine vinegar and water - slowly whisk into egg mixture.
3) Place over hot water and cook, stirring occassionally, until mixture thickens.
4) Remove from heat; stir in butter and may. Chill
5) Toss dressing with remaining ingredients in serving bowl. Serve.

What Do I Say?

2007-02-24T02:03:00.000-07:00

Know you should talk about the gospel with your friends, but not really sure what to say?

Let me recommend The Way of the Master's 'Evangelism Course'. It's a book the size of a phone book, which could be the most intimidating part. But as I've been working my way through the 101 lessons, I have found it to be encouraging to my faith, strengthening to my prayer life, instructive in basic matters of theology, and very helpful in getting a comprehensive discussion of evangelism. They deal with how to share your testimony, how to talk to strangers, what Mormons, JWs, Buddists, Hindus, Muslims, etc. believe.

It's an easy read... although not always an easy application. Lately I've been realizing that I actually love the 'praise of men' far too often and that this has been a major factor in my failures in actually speaking the truth of God.

Like with all things, make sure you have your Bible at your side. It is always good to look up the scripture references mentioned.

This is not a book on evangelism like J.I.Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (Challies review), but I have found it to be equally helpful in equipping me to actually "Go" into my world and share the gospel that has given me life.

Blessings fellow "fishers of men"!

Too Much Praise For Our Kids???

2007-02-24T01:49:00.000-07:00

Albert Mohler had an interesting review of an article in the New York magazine concerning praising children too much. It's worth the read.

And if you have an ipod, you may want to start mopping the floor and take a listen to the discussion on his radio program podcast.

What are your thoughts??

The Eaglet

2007-02-24T01:43:00.000-07:00

Just came across this wonderful story, written by Jim Eliff, of Christ Fellowship of Kansas. I'll be reading it to my 6 year-old... thought you might be enjoy it too.

Story: The Eaglet

A Late Valentines Date

2007-02-24T00:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's February 23rd and a great time to celebrate Valentine's Day. Tonight, Hubby and I went to a fine Calgary establishment, where we feasted on ribs and chicken souvlaki. Afterwards we went to Chapters for a Maple Macciato and some quality "Book Time". This was a favorite past-time, which we have given up since the boys came along.

Tonight I was especially struck by the worldliness of such a store. As I entered the literary marketplace, it is as though my mind was being accosted by the words screaming from the covers of books on everything from Feng Shui to Self-Esteem Building Child-Rearing to the latest gossip of People magazine. It made me think of Acts 17:16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

I almost felt like standing up in the middle of the store and preaching a sermon something like this:

Men and women of Calgary,
I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I pass through your marketplace of ideas and observe the fascinations of your worship, I find books with various inscriptions.

You seem to be searching for something and yet you are denying the very One that will satisfy. Your volumes of self-help propaganda and life-enrichment strategies have turned into mountains because of the many gurus, self-proclaimed experts and story-telling celebrities. You put together all manner of ideas and words - vainly seeking to design a god that can stop your pain within. You pursue all manner of gods: with the latest being a 'secret' that helps you find the real You, so You can have what You want and ultimately become a god in Yourself.

What therefore you seek as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, is not an idea concocted by man, nor is He mystically connected to. He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him.

He is actually not far from each one of us. In fact, if you head to the back of the store, in the far hidden corner, there are 4 shelves that give us His Word. Yes, deep among the religious panderings of false prophets and antichrists, you can seek and find the truth that will indeed set you free.

You think You are wise and intelligent; enlightened and sophisticated, but the reality is that you are ignorant and foolish - exchanging the truth of God for a lie. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.

Yes, this is an alteration of Acts 17:22-31 - with no intention of being blasphemous. I'm simply illustrating how there is an incredible similarity between what the Athenians were pursuing and what people are buying today. Mankind has not changed. We are not more "advanced". In fact, the case can be made that we are just as sinful and deluded as ever - without the light of God in our hearts to help us.

This evening has definitely made me even more aware of the desperate need for truth to be spoken to the world today. May we all take seriously the task at hand - to share God's glorious truth with everyone we encounter. Our friends, acquaintances, brothers and sisters need the true God... and they need to hear His word spoken clearly in the marketplace of false gods being peddled through today's media.

Romans 10:14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Tiramisu

2007-02-24T00:47:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I came upon many years ago for a special Young Adults "Italian Night". It proved to be a big hit, and a few weeks ago I stumbled across the recipe again. After eating it, I thought it might be a great recipe to share. It's fairly easy to make and is a "pretty" dessert -making it a good choice when company's coming.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (6 serving) Vanilla Pudding & Pie Filling
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. coffee liqueur
1 Tbsp. Instant coffee
1/2 cup hot water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. lady finger cookies
1-1/2 containers of Cool Whip, thawed
4 squares chocolate

Directions:
1) Prepare Pudding according to package directions.
2) Whisk cream cheese and liqueur into hot filling. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
3) Combine coffee, hot water and sugar. Brush over lady fingers.
4) Fold whipped topping into pudding mixture.
5) Line bottom of trifle bowl with lady fingers. Sprinkle with half pudding mixture and half the grated chocolate. Repeat layers.
6) Cover tightly. Chill 4 hours or overnight.

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-01-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Psalm 119:165 (NKJV)
Great peace have those who love Your law
and nothing causes them to stumble.

What Do You Believe?

2007-01-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Holy Experience has joined forces with a friend to blog at The Sacred Everyday. As part of their introduction to the blog, they have included a statement of beliefs. It's the kind of thing you may find on a church or seminary web-site, but written with a more poetic feel. It made me contemplate writing such a statement of my own. So what do I believe? And is there maybe a benefit to putting my own words to such beliefs, rather than assenting to those penned by another.

Here's a challenge for all of us: to come up with a written statement regarding our beliefs. And just to crank it up a notch, consider adding a few poetic images (hint, hint to all those that have already written ordination papers and the like - just to keep us "less scholarly ones" trackin' with ya!)

Clean-up Tips

2007-01-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

Now that all the Christmas parties are done, we're faced with all the tidying up. Decorations, linens, lights - they all require our attention to re-claim "normal" in our homes. I've come upon a few helpful tips in these cleaning endeavours and will share them to your benefit, I hope.

1. To keep silverware tarnish-free, put a piece of blackboard chalk in the silverware box.

2. Those beautiful cut-glass vases, bowls, and glasses will sparkle if you wash them in soapsuds and one tablespoon of bluing (just be careful not to squirt bluing directly onto any clothes... it can leave permanent marks).

3. Use Windex spray to shine scuffed patent-leather shoes. Just take a clean cloth and wipe clean.

4. To polish copper, mix vinegar with salt and you will have beautiful, shining copper.

5. Water rings or hot-dish rings can be removed by making a thick paste of equal portions of salad oil and salt. Rub it on the spot with your fingers and let it absorb for a couple of hours. Then rub it of with a soft cloth.

6. Scorch that beautiful linen cloth? Simply rub the scorched area with a raw onion, soak in cold water for a couple of hours, then wash the linen as usual.

The above tips come from Emilie Barnes, Creative Home Organizer. This is a handy book with hundreds of tips like this - definitely a handy resource for all Home Makers.

Fight for Joy

2007-01-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

If any of you have not yet encountered John Piper's When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy... hmmm... hmm....

It's not inspired writing, like the Bible, and therefore not life-giving... BUT may I suggest it is a way to magnify God in your life. John's perspective of our daily battle for the "joy of our salvation" is proving to be helpful to me.

My primary desire for the coming year is to grow in Joy... in God (as Piper continually reminds us). Joy in anything less is truly a placebo. Though my family is wonderful... nothing can grant true joy like God.

If you've been feeling a little ho-hum in your desire for God, may I first suggest a heavy dose of Him by diving into His Word and by spending time walking with Him. And if you've got time for a little extra reading, might I suggest Piper's story about His increasing desire for God and the Joy that comes from Him!!

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-01-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Psalm 62:8

I will trust in You at all times;

I pour out my heart before you.

You, God, are a refuge for me.

Coffee Cup Verse

2007-01-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Psalm 32:7

You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

New Year's Thoughts

2007-01-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!! Praise God for the year past... another step closer to eternity!

To some that may be a morbid perspective, but for us that have eternal hope, it is like walking the aisle towards our bridegroom. What joy, what love, what hope, what longing fills our souls!!

As we are waiting and continuing our daily walk upon this earth, the turn of the year may be a good time to stop and contemplate the days remaining for this leg of our 'lives'.

Girltalk posted D.Whitney's 10 Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year at the end of 2005, and I found it to be really helpful in giving perspective to my goals, plans, and realities. I had shoved the paper into my desk and was encouraged/challenged several times during 2006 when I chanced upon the page. The ladies of Girltalk have linked to this article again, and I plan to, once again, fill in my answers to the questions listed.

I hope you find this helpful in your "self-examination" of 2006 and "goal-setting" for 2007.

Blessings, as you look forward to God's work in and through you for 2007!

Christmas Reflections

2006-12-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well Christmas celebrations came and went this year. In reflecting, I have several observations about what transpired in our home over the past 4 weeks, and I thought I'd share them. Maybe you too have been able to enjoy, celebrate and re-evaluate your "christmas traditions".

First, I am grateful that my boys received very few presents this year. It sure made them appreciate what they did receive, plus it made the whole "gift thing" a smaller part of our Christmas season. If I can help them understand the rightful emphasis of gifting in the years to come, I will be grateful to God for help in this regard.

One thing that I particularly enjoyed for Christmas 2006 was reading a collection of 24 verses from Luke and Matthew during the advent weeks. It was great to read and re-read these verses with the boys, since the meaning grew with every passage over those precious words. My goal for next year (should we be granted another Christmas season) would be to have a dedicated time each evening for a "vesper" service -where we read God's word and sing carols. We tried this a few times - snuggled in mom's bed with the Christmas lights twinkling -and it was a special time. The only obstacle were the nights of christmas choir practice and Boys' Brigade. Maybe I can figure a way to have these services despite the later nights for the children.

Anyway, another thing that I relished this past season, was contemplating Christ's second coming as part of my Christmas "mind-travel". I would love to do a deeper study of eschatology in conjunction with an Advent preparation. Maybe the Lord will allow me that next year.

Finally, I was grateful that we were holed up in bed with the flu the week prior to Christmas. This afforded me a lot of time to read scripture, listen to John Piper, John MacArthur, etc. It was a special "treat" that was forced upon us in the midst of the Christmas flurry. One side benefit was that I realized that sometimes stepping back can give a lot of clarity to the whole "holiday" time. There can be great joy for our families in preparing for December 25th, but in the midst of our society's perversion of the holiday, we need to be vigilent in keeping our eyes glued to the truth of the incarnation.

These past weeks, I have been so thankful for the many reminders that God came to earth because of the dirty sinners that populate this planet. This includes you and me. We all deserve God's wrath. It is reasonable for law-breakers to be punished, and since we have broken the holy Creator's sacred laws, we deserve His pure and justifiable wrath, with judgement.

Thanks be to God for sending Jesus to walk this earth, next to sinful creature. Thanks be to Jesus for being faithful in purity, obedience and sacrifice. Had the incarnation not happened, we would all be destined to hell, BUT... praise God for His gift of a Savior.

Interestingly, Jesus' role as a Savior permeated all the Christmas events I attended this year, and it reflected the joy in my soul. He is my Savior!! I would have no hope... and now my future is completely changed. Already I experience the wonderful blessings of this changed heart, but I anticipate with even greater hope my final glory - when I will be face to face in God's presence... worshiping forever without distraction. Now that's a reason to celebrate - and not just on December 25th, but for the whole year!!

"S is for the Saviour"

2006-12-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

The Saviour (from The Valley of Vision)

Thou God of All Grace,
Thou has given me a saviour,
produce in me a faith to live by him,
to make him all my desire,
all my hope,
all my glory.

May I enter him as my refuge,
build on him as my foundation,
walking in him as my way,
follow him as my guide,
conform to him as my example,
receive his instructions as my prophet,
rely on his intercession as my high priest,
obey him as my king.

May I never me ashamed of him or his words,
but joyfully bear his reproach,
never displease him by unholy or imprudent conduct,
never count it a glory if I take it patiently
when buffeted for a fault,
never make the multitude my model,
never delay when thy Word invites me to advance.

May thy dear Son preserve me from this present evil world,
so that its smiles never allure,
nor its frowns terrify,
nor its vices defile,
nor its errors delude me.

May I feel that I am a stranger and a pilgrim on earth,
declaring plainly that I seek a country,
my title to it becoming daily more clear,
my meetness for it more perfect,
my foretastes of it more abundant;
and whatsoever I do may it be done in the Saviour's name.

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-12-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

Philippians 2:6-7

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made Himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

Have a "Truly-Confused" Christmas!

2006-12-16T19:38:00.002-07:00

We received several Christmas cards this week. Generally, I am not one to check the back of cards to see if my sender has "sent the very best". Somehow one card did get a backward glance and now has become the focus of a blog posting.

The front of the card says, "HIS STAR STILL SHINES IN EVERY heart THAT KNOWS HIM AND BELIEVES." The inside inscription says "MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND HOLD YOU CLOSE AT Christmastime AND ALWAYS."

I've been careful to mark the capitalization as Hallmark intended it, because I am sure they choose capitalization and font as part of the message on each card.

Naturally, I was glad to receive a card pointing to GOD and I was encouraged by the suggestion that people believe HIM.

The hand-written words from our friends affirmed the faith that we share in Jesus Christ. Up to this point, my heart was warmed -spiritually and emotionally. And then... the fateful back-side of the card. Here Hallmark lets us know what they meant by this card. This card is a "Mahogany" card... and Hallmark has even included a write-up for us:

The Hallmark Keepsake Ornament featured on this card is the first in A Celebration of Angels Collector's Series that began in 1995. During the holiday season, African-American families celebrate Christmas as well as Kwanzaa. Therefore, each year a new African-American angel dressed in a festive robe will symbolize the gift giving, reflection and reunion of this special time of the year.

I was kind of sad that I had caught these words. Here I was thinking that the card was about Jesus. You know, the "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes unto the Father but by me", Jesus (Jn14:6). And I suppose in one way it is about that Jesus... except for the but by me part... 'cause I guess that would eliminate the Kwanzaa part of the write-up....(Kwanzaa's definition of faith is " To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.) Plus, if they were honestly talking about Jesus, the symbolism of this "special time of year" would surely include worship, sacrifice, and incarnation.

Ladies, this kind of careful "word-crafting", which sounds very "christian" until we listen alertly, will most likely become one of the hallmarks of 2007 (no pun intended:)). May we all set our minds on Christ so that if "any man (or card company) is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received", we will not be swayed, but rather recognize the fake.

"Think Like A Server" Link

2006-12-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

To continue with the topic of serving our King, consider Titus 2:3-5 "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored. "

This is another part of our job description and I came upon a helpful perspective fix at Holy Experience: Think Like A Server. Often I can find myself becoming complacent in my "working at home"... and this was a reminder to work diligently, as serving the Lord.

As the festivities get busier, may we all do our work - as to the Lord... not because Aunt Jane will check behind our toilet to see if it's clean, not because we want to receive praise for our gingerbread pie recipe, not even for our families... but as a service to our King. I suspect this will make the broom a little lighter, the days less stressful, and our joy... overflowing.

Blessings, my fellow homemakers, as you work for your King!

Go Serve Your King

2006-12-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

Being an ex-radio-host, I'm intrigued with sign-offs. Todd Friel, Way of the Master Radio, signs off every day with the line, "Go serve your King!"

These words remind me that I have a new job and a new employer... God Himself!

I have a new "job"... a new "calling"... since I have been made into a new "creation". 2 Corinthians 5:20a gives me my job description: "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us."

Ladies, God is entreating people through US! The King has sent us, as ambassadors into this land of temporary residence. Oh yes, we used to call this land, home. But now we are aliens. We have received a new citizenship. And when that citizenship became "official" with the Holy Spirit's seal on our heart, we were employed in the King's work.

We are now ambassadors, cleverly disguised as university students, mothers, nurses, teachers, etc. We have a job to do and are even "thoroughly equipped" to do our work.

So today, with all our strength, let us go and serve our King!!

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-12-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the Christmas thoughts... God come to earth, Christ living and dying, these verses in Romans give me great insight into the WHY of Christmas. I pray pondering this verse will make this week of advent even dearer.

Romans 5:17-18
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness

there resulted justification of life to all men.

God's Sovereignty - Debate-able?

2006-12-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

My husband received The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions for his birthday, and I've been blessed by the eloquent expressions of theology found in this book.

Tonight, on the way to church, we caught ~5 minutes of a preacher on the radio. He was very specifically arguing against Calvinism. One of the big issues he had with the teaching of Calvinism was the sovereignty of God. Since the sovereignty of God is a biblical thought (Ps.103:19, 1 Tim.6:15), the attacks he was mounting were pathetic. Nonetheless, the conviction and passion with which he spoke was disturbing to me, since he was speaking from a "pulpit" (radio or otherwise).

Oh what a blessing to have words such as the following prayer from The Valley of Vision, which resonate with the power, authority and might that God has and is.

God the All

O God whose will conquers all,
There is no comfort in anything
apart from enjoying thee
and being engaged in thy service;
Thou art All in all, and all enjoyments are what to me
thou makest them, and no more.
I am well pleased with thy will, whatever it is,
or should be in all respects.
And if thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair
I would choose to refer all to thee,
for thou art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss,
as I am in danger of doing.
I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,
and it delights me to leave them there.
Then prayer turns wholly into praise,
and all I can do is to adore and bless thee.
What shall I give thee for all thy benefits?
I am in a strait betwixt two, knowing not what to do;
I long to make some return, but have nothing to offer,
and can only rejoice that thou doest all,
that none in heaven or on earth shares thy honour;
I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed name,
but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee,
I know that thou art the author and finisher of faith,
that the whole work of redemption is thine alone,
that every good work or thought found in me
is the effect of thy power and grace,
that thy sole motive in working in me to will and to do
is for thy good pleasure.
O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much
about man's creaturely power and goodness,
when, if thou didst not hold us back every moment,
we should be devils incarnate.
This, by bitter experience, thou hast taught me concerning myself.

Movie Night

2006-12-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

We went to see The Nativity Story last night. Had an absolutely delightful time with friends. This was the first time hubby and I had been to the theatres since Jonah Veggie Tales was released. I found last night's venture to be a worthwhile time!

I was struck by the long journey they made from Nazareth to Bethlehem at the height of Mary's pregnancy. What a purifying and refining time that would have been for both of them. I was reminded of Romans 5:3-4 "...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. "

The movie was also pleasantly surprising in it interpretation of the scriptural account of Christ's birth. Of course, there were artistic choices made to help us imagine the incarnation, but I found they were bearable, at times even imaginable (eg. Joseph's comment to Mary, "will I actually teach Him anything?")

More than anything, I found I was left sitting at the end of the movie wanting it to continue. My mind went on a mental journey to the cross, and ultimately it made me long for the 2nd coming of my King.

I've been contemplating Christ's return whilst decorating my home for Christmas this past week, as well.

We have a long railing that spans our front entrance area, and while putting up garland the other day, I was dreaming in my heart that I was hanging out bunting to welcome my King to my home. I was even pondering a way to hang a banner of sorts with the words King of Kings.

Wouldn't that be wonderful... our Savior and King returning for His bride. Come Lord Jesus... quickly... come!!

Back In The Blogosphere

2006-12-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we have hooked up our wireless internet connection... and I'm loving it!! (as much as I can love anything related to megabytes and pixels and kps:)

My first thought is to share a quote from Robert Murray M'Cheyne, thanks to our latest Sunday School teacher, Clint Humfrey. Here is a thought from M'Cheyne...

The greatest need of my people (for all us moms, insert...my children) is my personal holiness.

M'Cheyne was talking about his personal relation to his parishioners... and yet it is so poignant of the high calling all of us face as teachers of someone.

For this week-end, instead of a coffee cup verse (set to come on Monday morning:), I'm suggesting we mull over the need for our own personal holiness and pursue this with all our hearts. Might I suggest some time beseeching our God, who has ordained our sanctification from before time. Wow!!

Blogosphere On Hold

2006-09-21T22:28:00.000-06:00

To all my friends in the blogosphere:
I would like to continue my relationships over the net via this site, but have taken a break. My computer was frustrating me the last few posts, and I'm not sure if this is related to blogger... or more linked to the delay that comes with dial-up internet. Since I was finding posts got lost, waiting 60sec -3 minutes for refreshes on posts, etc.... I decided to stop the frustration and pause my writing. However, hubby and I have been talking about wireless... and once we can get the money and system set up to go.... I plan to start my writing again. In the meantime, hubby has to endure my verbal meanderings over dinner. (Just this week he challenged me with, "that sounds like a blog post, Marlene"). Guess this may mean more motivation to get the computer kicked up :)
God bless you all!

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-08-28T07:24:00.000-06:00

Psalm 62:5-8
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortres: I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty ock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge fr us.

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-08-21T07:29:00.000-06:00

Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-08-08T09:37:00.001-06:00

Deuteronomy 10:12-13
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-08-08T09:37:00.000-06:00

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-07-30T05:53:00.000-06:00

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God,
the faithful God
who keeps covenant and steadfast love
with those who love him and keep his commandments,
to a thousand generations,

Submission - As To The Lord

2006-07-11T10:38:00.000-06:00

Continuing in a look at Ephesians 5:22-24, we need to consider what is meant by "submit".

Such a word and concept is so contrary to our world’s thinking, which is "what have you done for me lately?" I think it was Michael Jackson’s sister, Janet, that sang a song like that. Sadly, that kind of thinking will kill a marriage. It is completely antithetical to God… and Jesus.

Christ’s way is one of service, denial of self for the betterment of another. That’s what Paul is talking about here in Ephesians 5. The word used for submission is hupotasso… "to be in subjection…to put onself under another".. to place your own desires, needs, wants and ways, second… and place someone else’s desires, needs, wants and ways first. This is tough, because it goes against every fibre of our natural man. It is a spiritual battle, and as a result, this means you must fight hard to work at this.

I found it interesting as I studied this word, hupotasso, subjection, that it is a word used to describe Jesus… and it is one of the few words used when God specifically addresses women and wives. Colossians 3:18 echoes Ephesians 5:22. Titus 2:5 tells women to "to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored." 1 Peter 3:1 says, "In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives," and 1 Corinthians 14:34 also talks to women about speaking, telling them to "subject themselves, just as the Law also says."

Obviously, this is important to God. Obviously, it is difficult for us to do, since He needs to say this over and over and over in scripture. But if we believe God’s word to be the truth, then we need to seriously work at submitting.

When you go to the heart of how to have an incredible marriage, I think you can boil it down to these 2 things… your walk with God and your submission to your husband. For me, problems generally begin when one of those 2 areas is slipping. If I haven’t spent time in God’s word and in prayer, if I’m being disobedient to God or walking in a sinful habit, this kind of behavior takes its toll on our marriage and I find repenting and turning to God for help is the only way to change things for the better.

In the same way, if I start focusing on me, and my way, and my desire, and me, me, me… again, trouble up ahead. As soon as I take my eyes off me, our marriage has a chance again.

Whether it’s in the bedroom, or in the kitchen, in areas of finance or extended family, parenting, recreation, ministry… all these areas of our lives are opportunities for us, as wives, to submit to our husbands as to the LORD. And in that light, we don’t want to miss those opportunities.

Marriage and submissive wives are God's ideas, and His ways are perfect. We may not always understand them… in fact, we may often wonder at them… but the Bible tells us that God’s wisdom far exceeds man’s wisdom, and so we are fools to disregard what He has told us to do.

P.S. Let us pray for each other as we strive to be obedient in this regard. Like I said, this is a spiritual battle, but it is a campaign that we must mount, and with our Lord's strength through the Holy Spirit, we are promised victory in our marriages.

As To The LORD

2006-07-10T06:50:00.000-06:00

The following is an edited excerpt of a devotional I prepared for a bridal shower last week. As I was working through the passage, I was struck anew with the perspective of "as to the Lord". Thought it might be beneficial for others as well.

Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For, the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let wives be to their own husbands,… in everything."

In our world today, a lot of the words used in this passage are not popular: submission, the LORD, headship, the church, Savior… these are words that speak to the heart of a believer – they are, thus, unpleasant, distasteful, even foolishness for those that are perishing…

So maybe that’s where we need to start our look at "wife-ing" –What wives is God addressing? What is Paul’s audience? By looking at Ephesians 1:1 we see that Paul is writing to the saints in Ephesus: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, TO the saints who are in Ephesus, and TO the faithful in Christ Jesus."

What does that mean, "the faithful in Christ Jesus"?

First off, these are people that are "in Christ Jesus", that is, "EN CHRISTO JESU"… Literally, Paul is saying… these words I’m about to write are for those that are "through Jesus Christ"….again, what does that mean… "through Jesus Christ"? Paul goes on to explain what this means in the next 3 chapters.

Number 1, "through Christ" they HAVE UNDERSTOOD WHO GOD IS… Ephesians 3:9 says He is the creator of all things, Chapter 1:17… He is the father of glory, Chapter 1:20… He is seated in heaven, far above all earthly power, might, dominion…

Number 2, "through Christ" the people receiving this letter also UNDERSTOOD WHO THEY WERE…. Look at Chapter 2: 1…"dead in sins", Chapter 2:2, "children of disobedience", Chapter 2:3, "walking, or conducting, ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind". These people, like us, are summarized by Paul as "children of wrath" in Chapter 2:3.

These Christians in Ephesus understood that God is holy…perfect…unattainable…They knew that a sinful person cannot be in the same place as Almighty God… because sin and holiness cannot co-exist. And they understood their perilous position in light of this - any person that commits a sin has no hope of ever being with God in heaven if they have no holiness.

Enter Jesus Christ. He came to earth - God clothed in human flesh. He lived a perfect life. He died, as an innocent on the cross. And he did this, so that his holiness and perfection could substitute for our lack of holiness. This is the third aspect which the Ephesian readers understood - JESUS CHRIST DIED ON THEIR BEHALF TO PAY FOR THEIR SIN (see 1:5, 1:7, 2:1, 2:5, 2:13)

Ahh, now this makes sense… "through Jesus Christ". That’s where we can stand, when we embrace Christ as our Savior in repentance and faith.

So, how does Christ’s death and resurrection affect marriage? Well, this is the backdrop to chapter 5 when Paul starts addressing wives … "submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord."

The LORD… who left the incredible beauty, serenity, peace, cleanness of heaven to come to earth and fulfill His Father’s plan.
The LORD… who endured a life on earth that was marked with service, lowliness, humility, amongst the riff-raff, to walk side by side with mankind.
The LORD… who gave up himself to face temptation from the devil, to endure bodily suffering…so that he could sympathize with our existence as humans.
The LORD… the one who hung on a cross, after enduring lashing after lashing on our behalf.
The LORD… who gave up his very last breath, so we (sinful, unholy, imperfect creatures) could have eternal life.

Suddenly, whatever this LORD asks of us, does not seem unfair. Suddenly, submission to our husbands is the very least we can do, when God tells us to do so… as unto the LORD. And suddenly we can understand why the world cannot stand the thought of "submitting to a husband".

Look again at our main verses, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. FOR the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body." God’s perfect plan is that wives first understand what Jesus did for them… this is then the context into which he places his command to submit.

Maybe, tomorrow I'll include my thoughts on submission :)

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-07-10T06:37:00.000-06:00

Romans 11:34-36
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Coffee Cup Verse

2006-07-02T23:24:00.000-06:00

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O LORD,
Thou wilt hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee
and eagerly watch.