I'm thinking about what a friend said - how it's difficult to trust when things don't match up and how children aren't yet jaded by experience and this world. I've been serving the Lord for some time now, so it's crazy and awful that I would doubt Him or His promises. It seems somewhat offensive, actually.
People call them stones or stakes or whatevers, but I've found that writing down answers to prayer
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Monday, September 09, 2013
Luke 18:6-8
Ever wait for something for a really long time - a husband, children, a promise of family coming to saving faith, dreams unfulfilled? I think most of us can write books on the waiting game. Waiting. If an unjust person (the judge) will act on behalf of a persistent someone, how much more will our Father, who looks on us with compassion, act on our behalf? The thing is
Friday, September 06, 2013
Luke 17:26-27
These people were eating, drinking, marrying - all normal everyday activities. It's what makes the world go round - we work from 9-5, take our kids to school, make our houses look better, etc. There's nothing wrong in and of those things,
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Luke 17:17-19
The obvious is remembering to give thanks. We are ungrateful people who thank God only when things are 'good.' I must continue to allow Him to develop a grateful attitude in spite of circumstances. I get that. Today He spoke more to me.
Only one came back. The others were eager to get back to normal life. I mean who wouldn't be? As lepers they had to live outside the village and stand at a distance. That kind of isolation is a sure way to depression. Having been made well, of course they were eager to get back to life - back to their families, jobs, communities.
But this one guy came back to Jesus instead of back to normal. This guy came to give thanks, and Jesus' response? "Your faith has made you well." A literal translation of, "your faith has saved you." Your faith has healed you, saved you, forgiven you. He was a foreigner made well. A foreigner saved. He didn't go back to normal.
We aren't told what happened afterwards, but we can imagine (I'm a type A but still such a dreamer) the kind of transformation that took place. It's the kind that shouts stuff like, "I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was sick, but now I'm healed!" I'm sure this guy didn't keep to himself how he'd been healed, how he'd been saved, Who had set him free.
When this kind of transformation takes place in our hearts, we are eager to give thanks and tell the world.
I don't know what he was saved from exactly (except the leprosy part), but I know what I've been saved from...so let me never forget or grow tired of giving thanks. And may that transformation ring loud because I never want to go back to normal.
Only one came back. The others were eager to get back to normal life. I mean who wouldn't be? As lepers they had to live outside the village and stand at a distance. That kind of isolation is a sure way to depression. Having been made well, of course they were eager to get back to life - back to their families, jobs, communities.
But this one guy came back to Jesus instead of back to normal. This guy came to give thanks, and Jesus' response? "Your faith has made you well." A literal translation of, "your faith has saved you." Your faith has healed you, saved you, forgiven you. He was a foreigner made well. A foreigner saved. He didn't go back to normal.
We aren't told what happened afterwards, but we can imagine (I'm a type A but still such a dreamer) the kind of transformation that took place. It's the kind that shouts stuff like, "I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was sick, but now I'm healed!" I'm sure this guy didn't keep to himself how he'd been healed, how he'd been saved, Who had set him free.
When this kind of transformation takes place in our hearts, we are eager to give thanks and tell the world.
I don't know what he was saved from exactly (except the leprosy part), but I know what I've been saved from...so let me never forget or grow tired of giving thanks. And may that transformation ring loud because I never want to go back to normal.
Live Him loud.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
About Being a "Good" Mom
Speaking of motherhood...I know people mean well. I really do. I need encouragement just like everyone else, but the statement, "You're such a good mom," makes me cringe a lot every single time I hear it, especially when it's connected to something extracurricular we do for our kids. This statement sets up a standard that neither I nor anyone else can keep for longer than 13 seconds. I can have my greatest victory as a mom and then feel like a complete failure only moments later.
We are hippie types. I do weird stuff like birth babies at home, breastfeed them until they're 2, we eat weird stuff a lot, cloth diaper, make our own baby food, hardly consume processed food, and basically live a holistic lifestyle. But none of that qualifies me to be a good mom. What if I dropped all of it? Would I then be a bad mom? What about people who don't do any of that stuff? Are they bad moms and parents?
What about when our kids do super amazing stuff or show super amazing character and want to give all their stuff and money away to the kids in Africa? We say it all the time - "Great job, parents!" I get it. We want to feel like we're not doing everything wrong and totally ruining our kids. But since when do we have the power to move in their hearts to be giving, selfless and lovers of Jesus? The last time I read, Philippians says that it is GOD who works in us to WILL and act according to His good pleasure and purpose. Yes, He uses our parenting sometimes. Yes, He uses our example other time, but not one single person can change the condition of the human heart, which is evil and wicked and selfish at best. Somehow we've come to believe that their salvation is up to us and that if we do this or miss that their opportunity at salvation is ruined. Gah, that's stressful and heretical actually :). I'm so thankful our Savior doesn't depend on me for my children's salvation; salvation is of the Lord. Period.
Elyse Fitzpatrick states it so clearly, "He is the perfect Parent and this record of perfection has been transferred to you, if you have put your trust in Him." HE is the perfect Father, and I can trust in His grace to enable me to humbly train my children to live for His purposes.
We are hippie types. I do weird stuff like birth babies at home, breastfeed them until they're 2, we eat weird stuff a lot, cloth diaper, make our own baby food, hardly consume processed food, and basically live a holistic lifestyle. But none of that qualifies me to be a good mom. What if I dropped all of it? Would I then be a bad mom? What about people who don't do any of that stuff? Are they bad moms and parents?
What about when our kids do super amazing stuff or show super amazing character and want to give all their stuff and money away to the kids in Africa? We say it all the time - "Great job, parents!" I get it. We want to feel like we're not doing everything wrong and totally ruining our kids. But since when do we have the power to move in their hearts to be giving, selfless and lovers of Jesus? The last time I read, Philippians says that it is GOD who works in us to WILL and act according to His good pleasure and purpose. Yes, He uses our parenting sometimes. Yes, He uses our example other time, but not one single person can change the condition of the human heart, which is evil and wicked and selfish at best. Somehow we've come to believe that their salvation is up to us and that if we do this or miss that their opportunity at salvation is ruined. Gah, that's stressful and heretical actually :). I'm so thankful our Savior doesn't depend on me for my children's salvation; salvation is of the Lord. Period.
Elyse Fitzpatrick states it so clearly, "He is the perfect Parent and this record of perfection has been transferred to you, if you have put your trust in Him." HE is the perfect Father, and I can trust in His grace to enable me to humbly train my children to live for His purposes.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
There's absolutely too much stuff stirring in my heart not to get it out so here I am again. I had attempted blogging with my phone while I didn't have a lappy with a working keyboard, but that's just plain wasting time, and I HATE wasting time. I do too much of that as it is, and thumb blogging just was not working out for me.
We have now been in Copperas Cove, Texas for 2 months. We're about 6 miles from Ft. Hood, where we'll be for probably the next 3 or 4 years. It seems the government has lengthened the amount of time soldiers spend at their assigned duty station. Something about money. Hmmm. That's a start, but so much more I could help them with when it comes to getting out of trillions of dollars of debt. Anyway, it seems we're in a family-oriented little town. Oh, our next door neighbors - CFNI grads. Wha???? Of all the places we could live, we end up next to people who 'get' where we came from in Dallas. We haven't yet spent much time with them since our schedules are all opposite, but it's nice to know that's who is there. Across the street just moved in an elderly couple who minister to military families. Nice folk who have offered us curtains, a desk and gave us sweet potato biscuits.
Nathan deploys for a year in September. It's coming up quickly, and I'm not quite sure what that year will look like for us. I do know I'll be taking some trips to spend time with family. We plan on getting planted in a church as much as possible because that's just so vital to survival, but trips will keep us looking forward to something until Nathan returns. I know it sounds weird, but I'm glad it'll be close to the holidays. Maybe time will go by just a little faster.
So the stirrings in my heart.
Sometime ago we decided that we (our family) had to live with eternity in mind because otherwise we're just wasting precious life. God began to convict us about living for ourselves and also began burdening our hearts more and more for what the book of James says true and undefiled religion is. We don't know how exactly all of that will keep playing out in our lives, but we want our lives to count. Really count. We don't want to again get caught up in American culture - the rat race, materialism, entitlement, selfishness, pride, the now, comfort, ease...the list goes on.
We were created for God's glory and pleasure. In America it's easy to get distracted, even by 'good' things, and forget what our purpose is. God, others. Period. We've been distracted too long, and I'm among a number of women who are done with comfort. This is going to document further our journey. It started 6 years ago, was renewed further 2 years ago, and here we are now - surrendering more and more to Jesus as He uses us to bring Him glory.
We have now been in Copperas Cove, Texas for 2 months. We're about 6 miles from Ft. Hood, where we'll be for probably the next 3 or 4 years. It seems the government has lengthened the amount of time soldiers spend at their assigned duty station. Something about money. Hmmm. That's a start, but so much more I could help them with when it comes to getting out of trillions of dollars of debt. Anyway, it seems we're in a family-oriented little town. Oh, our next door neighbors - CFNI grads. Wha???? Of all the places we could live, we end up next to people who 'get' where we came from in Dallas. We haven't yet spent much time with them since our schedules are all opposite, but it's nice to know that's who is there. Across the street just moved in an elderly couple who minister to military families. Nice folk who have offered us curtains, a desk and gave us sweet potato biscuits.
Nathan deploys for a year in September. It's coming up quickly, and I'm not quite sure what that year will look like for us. I do know I'll be taking some trips to spend time with family. We plan on getting planted in a church as much as possible because that's just so vital to survival, but trips will keep us looking forward to something until Nathan returns. I know it sounds weird, but I'm glad it'll be close to the holidays. Maybe time will go by just a little faster.
So the stirrings in my heart.
Sometime ago we decided that we (our family) had to live with eternity in mind because otherwise we're just wasting precious life. God began to convict us about living for ourselves and also began burdening our hearts more and more for what the book of James says true and undefiled religion is. We don't know how exactly all of that will keep playing out in our lives, but we want our lives to count. Really count. We don't want to again get caught up in American culture - the rat race, materialism, entitlement, selfishness, pride, the now, comfort, ease...the list goes on.
We were created for God's glory and pleasure. In America it's easy to get distracted, even by 'good' things, and forget what our purpose is. God, others. Period. We've been distracted too long, and I'm among a number of women who are done with comfort. This is going to document further our journey. It started 6 years ago, was renewed further 2 years ago, and here we are now - surrendering more and more to Jesus as He uses us to bring Him glory.
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