Book Monday

I really hadn't decided what book I was going to do today until about ten minutes ago, when I picked this one up...and remembered, again, why I love it so much. Lies Women Believe, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, is set up so that all you have to do is look through the list of lies women believe in the table of contents, find your lie, then turn to the page to read about the truth. Awesome. I was looking under the lie of "I don't have time to do everything I'm supposed to do." (Who out there hasn't thought that??) She points to Jesus' words at the end of His life, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." (John 17:4, italics added). Later, she follows up with this quote:

Frustration is the by product of attempting to fulfill responsibilities God does not intend for us to carry. Freedom, joy, and fruitfulness come from seeking to determine God's priorities for each season of life, and then setting out to fulfill those priorities, in the power of His Spirit, realizing that He has provided the necessary time and ability to do everything that He has called us to do.

When your head is speaking lies to you, there's nothing like a good shot of the truth to get you back on solid ground, and this book is a great tool for that. Nancy Leigh DeMoss has recently become a favorite of mine. She really loves the Lord and has such fresh insights from the Bible.

Book Monday

I'm going with a book written for grown-ups this week. The Attributes of God by Arthur W. Pink, is a collection of newspaper articles he wrote many years ago. (I used to have a page in my book that told about the original publication, but it's fallen out, ne'er to return.) From the language of the book I would guess that the articles were written sometime in the 1800's. So it's not an easy read, but well worth the effort! Each chapter deals with a different perfection of God, written by an author who can make complex things simple and cause me to look at truths with new eyes.

This book is a great encouragement to me in that it gets my focus above the grind of daily life and onto God Himself. I especially like to read it before going to church on Sunday because it prepares me to worship God for who He has told us He is, not just for what He does for me each day. As Pink says, "(t)he foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped." I have quoted this book once on this blog and you can read that quote here.

Fun Bible Thing

We had a guest speaker at church last night who spoke on John Calvin and the Doctrines of Grace. Really good! Anyway, one of his asides that he mentioned was to read Ephesians, chapters 1-2, and circle all the pronouns. Believe me, it's more than just a grammatical exercise. I tried it this morning, and it was awesome.

I hope you don't spend one ounce of your energy today trying to do something to get into heaven. The work has already been done by the only One who could do it. Great news if you're saved by grace...and really great news if you're still trying to save yourself.

The Difference A Year Can Make

We un-decked the halls yesterday, which was great fun...

we heard a sermon on joy this morning, which was very convicting... and we're back to school tomorrow. I've been thinking about our Christmas vacation last year, which was when we very suddenly (long story) decided to begin homeschooling Ellie. The break was spent obtaining a curriculum, setting up the schoolroom, and, most of all, getting mentally adjusted to the idea of being homeschoolers. This break has been far more relaxing, to say the least. I'm thankful for the lessons learned over the past year, and for the fact that they were taught by the kindest and best Teacher. So, let our winter term begin! There's joy to be found in every moment.

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4

House of Mourning

It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:2

Last night at church we received word that a friend to many in our church body was being taken off life support following injuries sustained during a farming accident. She was a wife and mother, and had just become a grandmother for the second time last week. We rejoice for her. She had trusted Christ to cover her sins,and we know she is with Him now. We ache for the family, however, and have only found peace in lifting them to their Father in prayer, knowing that He will give comfort and strength.

One thing I remember about this lady is a testimony she gave at church several years ago during our Thanksgiving service. They had been dealing with a heart condition in their daughter, which had made their days uncertain and, I'm sure, frightening. I don't remember the scripture she shared, but I remember being so encouraged by the fact that God had proven Himself faithful to them during their time of anxiety and trial. She spoke of His goodness and care... the same thing He will, no doubt, show to their family again.

Anyway, today life just seemed a little sweeter, and the busy-ness of all the holiday preparations didn't seem like such a distraction. We are given precious time to do the work God has prepared for us. There's nothing like a visit to the house of mourning to remind us.

Glory

"...whatever you do, do all to the glory of of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31b

God's Resolution (for any year)

(I received this poem in an e-newsletter and thought it was worth sharing.)

New.
New Year.
New toys.
New gadgets to play with.
New things to do.
New things to tantalize.
But what happens to the old?
Thrown away, trashed, burned.
"But it's broken, worn out, used up; it's...it's old!"

And into this world that prizes new things,
which has junk heaps for mountains,
come the words from the One who sits on the throne:
"Behold, I am making all things new." And that's what He does, doesn't he? He takes old things - like you and me, things that are broken with sin, things that are used in the ways of selfishness, things that are tired because of vain pursuits... And instead of holding us at arm's length with disdain - over the trash can - saying:
"It's ...it's old!" He says, "Behold, I am making all things new."

And then He does it.
He takes on body to experience getting older.
He endures the older-than-time taunts of the one
who delights in destroying, in tearing apart.
He knows the age-old temptations to sin.
He hangs on old wood.
Why this throne-leaving to intimately know "old"?
So He can take old hearts and transform them.
So He can make old, sad hearts dance with new joy.
So He can make guilty hearts
know newness of starting over again.
So He can make all of us old sinners
(well practiced in old paths of sin)
know new life.
So He can make all things new.

Kelly Knowlden

My Verse for the Year

Happy New Year, everybody!

With the dawn of 2007, I have finally decided on the passage of Scripture I will be focusing on for my 35th year of life (as first mentioned here).

My focus this year will be on contentment and the verse I've chosen is Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Simple, huh? Not really, for me, but I know He will be faithful to teach me. The word picture of a shepherd guiding and providing for his flock is very powerful, I think. Some other passages I looked up as I was thinking about this topic are:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." I Timothy 6:6

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

We started a new tradition tonight by have a Jesus birthday cake. The kids loved it! (Well, duh, I guess that's a given, considering it's CAKE!)

As I head off to bed, I'm thinking of a song we've sung in church.

How deep the Father's love for us!
How vast beyond all measure!
That He would give His only Son
to make a wretch His treasure.

How awesome to remember that Jesus came to live with and rescue those who were His enemies (Romans 5:10). The truth of Christmas makes God's gracious gift so much more meaningful.

Thirty-Five

There's a whole lotta birthday blogging going on this week, but I have to squeeze one more in. Last Sunday I celebrated my thirty-fifth birthday, and it turned out to be the nicest one yet. (But then, I always think each year gets better.) I was serenaded by most of my family, as Matt was part of a small group singing in the morning church service and Joe and Ellie were in a kids' Christmas program that evening. In between those times, we ate at a pizza place I really like, and I got to open some gifts. Matt and the kids got me a couple movies, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (which I was probably a little too excited about...for someone who's 35). They also got me a new Elizabeth George book which I'd really wanted called A Woman's Walk With God. When the Christmas season is done and I'm walking again, instead of running, I'll enjoy that a lot. I think Matt did pretty great considering he has to buy me birthday and Christmas gifts all in the same week. The best thing he did for me was that on Saturday he made me my favorite dessert, which we call Lush. It's a chocolate pudding layer thing, and it's awesome for any meal of the day. Although, now that I think of it, I didn't have it for breakfast at all this week...I really must be getting older.

My favorite birthday moment came on Friday night when I was out to dinner with my extended family. As soon as our food came, Erin needed to go to the bathroom, so I took her. Then as soon as we got back to the table, Ellie needed to go. When we finally got back to the table after that one, everyone else was pretty much done eating, and I hadn't even taken my first bite. The great thing about it, though, was that I didn't feel frustrated or upset. God really gave me some grace to be able to do all things as unto Him, including taking my girls to the potty. Thinking about it, I don't think I could've done that with such a servant's heart even a year ago, so I just got overwhelmed at His faithfulness to teach us year by year and to give us what He commands us to have. With that in mind, I'm ready to move ahead to 36.

Something new I want to try this year is to look for one passage of Scripture to focus on throughout the year, then to be able to testify regarding that passage on my next birthday. I haven't chosen the passage yet, but I'll put it here when I do.

There! Now the normal people birthday blogs are done, and we can start to focus on the biggie coming up on Monday!

My Favourite Christmas Music

I got cybertagged by my cousin, Julia, to write about my favourite Christmas music. It was a game of tag which came from her friend in Malaysia where they spell "favorite" with a "u" which makes it look so classy, don't ya think? Anyway, I've never been cybertagged before, and I've had a lot of fun thinking about the topic.

My first thought is to go with Drew Barrymore's line in Ever After, "I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens." I love almost all Christmas music as long as they don't take a traditional carol and make it way too groovy. Amy Grant, Martina McBride, and Point of Grace are my main Christmas staples, but there are many others I enjoy. What makes a good song to me is the lyrics, so I love it when the words of a song are clever and make you think about truth in a new way, like Point of Grace's One King..."One king held the frankincense; one king held the myrrh; one king held the purest gold; and one King held the hope of the world." It seems like a lot of my Christmas favorites deal with the idea of Christ being our hope. Love Has Come by Amy Grant, and Let There be Light and Hope is Born Again by Point of Grace are good ones in this department. Our church choir is singing an old hymn as part of our Christmas worship service tomorrow night, and I think it fits all categories of a good song. The message is profound and stated in a poetic way, and the harmonies are gorgeous, so it's probably going down as my new favorite for this year.

Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
all for love's sake becamest poor;
thrones for a manger didst surrender,
sapphire paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
all for love's sake becamest poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
all for love's sake becamest man;
stooping so low, but sinners raising,
heav'nward by thine eternal plan.
Thou who wast God beyond all praising,
all for love's sake becamest man.

Thou who art Love beyond all telling,
Savior and King, we worship Thee.
Emmanuel within us dwelling,
make us what Thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art Love beyond all telling,
Savior and King, we worship Thee.

Now I tag Team Smith in Africa (hopefully, they'll be able to connect sometime soon) and Bridget, who seems sort of musical. Hope they have as much fun as I had thinking about this topic.

For Mothers

I've been reading A Mom After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George. The title refers to the mother who views her job as mother as an appointment from the Lord and seeks Him and His will as revealed through Scripture, in that role. I came across an inspiring quote this evening in the chapter entitled "Train Your Children in God's Ways".

"God has entrusted you with a new generation. And He's also given you all of the grace and strength and power and wisdom and love you will need for every step and second along the way. Believe it and own it. Never forget - you are a mom after God's heart. For this you were born."

That is so reassuring!

The author also shares what she calls "the most frightening 'mom' verse in the Bible", Prov. 23:6: "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways."

There's my dose of conviction for the day!