Category: Faith

It’s Snowing In Our Living Room

4 Comments

I woke up at 4:15 this morning unable to sleep.  So I fixed a cup of hot chocolate and headed to the living room to sit in my favorite recliner.  As I sat in the quiet, I looked up and saw all of the snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. They were dancing and twirling in a peaceful, serene way.  The sight was a beautiful reminder of childhood dreams, like snow covered Christmas mornings or mom making snow ice cream.  For just a few moments I was brought back to days of waking up to see a white blanket of snow covering our yard, building snowmen, and sledding with my brother.

Living in south Mississippi, it is rare for my children to see a lot of snow.  And while they do not get to experience all that I did as a child, they do get to create memories of their own.  Memories like making snowflakes to hang in our living room.  Abigail and Andrew made them for our Christmas party for the church on Friday night.  They are beautiful and easy to make.  We went online and printed out the patterns.  All you need are some scissors and hands to help.  In a matter of minutes you can have snow in your living room as well.

I’ve shared before that I do not believe in Christmas decorations that have no meaning.  I do not put things in my house just because they are seasonal.  There is purpose behind it all.  So, as the children and I made snowflakes we talked about how God has made each one unique.  No two snowflakes are alike.  The Creator has designed each one to be special.  Likewise, God has made each one of us unique.  No two humans are alike.  We are all created special and the Lord has a plan for each of our lives.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (Psa 139:14-17)

We serve an amazing God!  Thank you Lord for snowflakes and how all of creation reminds us of Your greateness!

The Christ in Christmas

1 Comment

christ

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is approaching. It is the time Christian people have set aside to celebrate God’s greatest gift to mankind – His Son. It is a season of joy, peace, and love. It is a season of music, laughter, and festivity. It is a season to think of others, to give gifts, to send cards, and visit loved ones. But above all, it is a season of focusing upon Christ, The Incarnate God, dwelling among men.

I realize for some this may not be true. There are those who view this season as just another holiday filled with hustle and bustle, crowded shopping, credit card debt, parties, alcohol, over eating, stress, and more stress. Often the focus is on Santa Clause, elves, reindeer, and over-indulged children getting more stuff. I have never wanted this time of the year to build selfishness into my children. When they were little and others would make a “wish list” of gifts they wanted, I would encourage my children to make a list of things they would like to do or buy for others. It is not about self. To truly celebrate Christmas is to bring out the Christ in Christmas, lifting up His name, and pointing others to Him.

How does one go about doing that practically? How do we bring out Christ in Christmas when all of society has their eyes elsewhere? First of all, we must remember that regardless of what others may say Christmas is a Christian holiday. Christmas is about Christ. Society confirms this by their relentless effort to remove the true meaning of Christmas. If Christmas were a meaningless pagan holiday there would be no attack upon it by the enemy. But it is not. In the hearts of millions of believers all over the world, this is a special time of worship, a time of reflecting, a time of gratitude, a time of joy, a time of honor, and a time of praise.

These are the thing I want to instill in the hearts of my children. Every year after the Thanksgiving holiday our family pulls out Christmas music, the trees, lights, and decorations. This tradition is not merely habit. For our family there is meaning and purpose behind it. This week as we were putting up our Christmas tree, my eight-year-old said, “Mom, tell me again what the tree represents.” You see, every year their father and I explain to the children how in our hearts the tree symbolizes the tree that Christ was crucified upon. It is a reminder to us that the babe in a manger grew up, lived a perfect life, and died upon a tree for the sins of the world. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed,” 1Peter 2:24.

As we hang the ornaments upon the tree each one represents something. The angels are a reminder of the messengers of glad tidings. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” Luke 2:13-14.

The doves remind us of the Spirit of God. The bells remind us to ring out the Good News. Even the candy canes have significance. They, in the shape of a shepherd’s staff, remind us of the Great Shepherd. When turned upside down the “J” reminds us of Jesus. The white in the candy tells us Christ’s purity. The red stripes represent our Saviour’s stripes. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed,” Isaiah 53:5.

And the star that my husband places upon the top of the tree is a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem. “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him,” Matthew 2:2.

After we put up the tree, Abigail arranged the Nativity scene on top of our piano. As we gather around and sing songs this season it will be a constant visual of who we worship and sing praises to.

Even the Christmas balls remind us of the world and how, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…”

When we placed the candles on our table as a center piece we were able to remind the children that Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life,” John 8:12.

DSCI1102

As Dana hung the lights on the outside of the house we explain to the children that as children of God we are to let our light shine for all to see. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 5:16.

Each night between now and Christmas day Dana will read an Advent story to the children before bed. Advent – Adventus. Ecce advenit Dominator Dominus. Behold, the Lord, the Ruler is come. The tradition of advent is a threefold celebration of the birth of Jesus, His eventual second coming to earth, and His continued presence in our lives here and now. God in our past, God in our future, and God in our present.

Nothing is done without meaning. Everything is done with purpose.

What does this season mean to you and your family? Is Christ the center of all you do? Is there purpose behind your traditions? Are you building in your children a life of selfless giving to others? Is Christ in your Christmas?

May our Lord richly bless you this season but more importantly may you be a blessing to Him!

Tempus Fugit

1 Comment

I have never met a person who at the end of their life said, “I sure wish I had not wasted my life by spending so much time with my family.”  Sadly, when I speak with people the antithesis is always voiced.  With regret in their voices I hear phrases like,

  • “I’ve spent my entire life focusing on my work.  Now that work is gone so is my family.” 
  • “I’ve neglected my wife and children all these years.”
  • “We never did make time for that family vacation.”
  • “I was always too busy to tell my parents just how much I loved them, now it’s too late.”
  • “Life was hectic.  I never took the time to stop and talk with my children.  Now they won’t talk to me.”

Tempus Fugit.  In Latin it means, time flies.  Oh, how true it is.  Just yesterday I was holding my beloved’s hand and saying, “I do and I will till death do us part.”  Now, nearly 18 years and three children later I ask myself, where has the time gone? It seems as though just yesterday I was holding my first born in my arms, singing sweet songs, and rocking him to sleep.  Now, 14 years later and towering at 6 feet tall, he could rock me.  Where did the time go?  Just yesterday I was opening that first box of homeschool books as we began our journey to home educate our children.  Now, the path is well worn and I’m looking back over years of discipleship with my children.  There are just a few years left.  Again, where has the time gone?  And I know in my heart that years from now I will be looking back at even this season in my life and asking the all too familiar question of where did the time go?

The Lord answers our question.  In Psalms we are told why time files so quickly.  “My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass,” Psalm 102:11.  Life is short.  Therefore, I should be as the Psalmist and “remember how short my time is,”(Psalm 89:47).  In the book of James we are reminded again just how short life is.  “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away, (James 4:14).

When my children were younger, I would teach them during science about the three stages of water – liquid, solid, and gas.  We would put a cup of water in the freezer so it could freeze then we would put a cup of water on the stove to watch it evaporate.  As we watched the steam rise one reoccurring thought was that it vanishes so quickly.  And while that is true, when steam (vapour) is channeled properly it can be put to great work.  Consider the steam engine.    Steam engines were the first widespread engine type to be used.  They were the foundation of the industrial revolution.  They powered all early locomotives, steam boats, and factories.  Even today we see that steam is one of the most widely used commodities for conveying heat energy.  Because water is plentiful and inexpensive, steam is efficient and economic to generate. 

Now consider this.  Our lives are but a vapor.  They appear for a little while and then vanish away.  Therefore, our lives can be wasted and allowed to drift aimlessly like a vapor in the air until they are gone or, if allowed to, they can be channeled properly by the Holy Spirit and accomplish great things for God while here on earth.  

So, in reply to tempus fugit I will say to the Lord as the Psalmist did to, “teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” Psalm 90:12.  In answer to the question of where time has gone, I will say that it’s gone to afternoons of walking hand in hand with my husband.  It’s gone to playing a board game with my children.  It’s gone to holding my children on my lap and reading story after story.  It’s gone to baking cookies with my daughter to take to a lonely widow.  It’s gone to hours and hours of teaching my children math, science, and history.  It’s gone to daily Bible instruction as we all learn together the ways of God more perfectly.  It’s gone to smiling, laughing, and giggling with my family.  It’s gone to singing old hymns around the piano.  And so much more.

But, time has also been given to days of sadness, frustration, anger, and worry.  Time has gone to fighting and an unforgiving heart.  Time has been wasted on frivolous actions that will never matter in eternity.  Time has been given over to selfishness more times than I care to count.  Time has been wasted.  Life is short and we cannot afford to waste our life.  Lord, help me to invest my life in those things that are eternal, like my relationship with You and with others.  Help me to apply my heart to wisdom and teach me to number my days.

A Light in the Darkness

3 Comments

 A couple of weeks ago we were having some car trouble. Our suburban was running rough. Since our suburban is paid for we are very careful to keep the maintenance up. Let me correct that statement. My husband is very careful to keep the maintenance up. This thing is old. With over 250 thousand miles on it we are convinced that it is held together by angel dust. (But don’t get me wrong, we’re thankful to have this paid for vehicle and we give God all glory.)

So back to a few weeks ago…Because the suburban was running rough Dana spent a day working on it. At first he thought it was bad gas we picked up in Arkansas but after giving it gas treatment and running most of it out he figured it must be something else. He then replaced several parts. Forgive me if I get these wrong but I think he replaced a fuel filter, some kind of cap, and then cleaned the spark plugs. He probably did some other stuff because it took him most of the day. But at the end of the day there was no improvement and he was rather frustrated.

We had cottage prayer meeting that night. (Do any of you know what that is? I learned a couple of years ago.) While there my husband was sharing with the men his car troubles. A few of them went to look at it and right away they figured out the problem. You see, it was dark outside. Therefore, it was very easy to spot the short in the spark plug wires. They could see the flash of light that only the darkness could expose. So, the next day Dana took the spark plug wires (that thankfully have a life-time warranty) and in a matter of minutes replaced them with new ones. The suburban was as good as new! Okay, as good as new as a truck of its caliber could be.

There is a deep spiritual truth here that I learned one week later. It was during our revival services. The preacher preached from Isaiah 50. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” There are times in every Christian’s life of ordained darkness. These are times that we are walking with the Lord in obedience. We fear Him with a filial fear. Yet God in His perfect sovereignty chooses to conceal His light for a time. WHY? We ask. It is because there are some things that can only be learned in the dark! Think back to some of the darkest times in your life. Most believers will say looking back that those were times of unyielding spiritual growth. While the darkness is painful and hard, spiritually it can be the most profitable.

Perhaps you are going through that ordained darkness even now. You are in the will of God. You are serving Him. You are living in obedience. You fear Him in reverence but there is no light. What do you do? The scriptures say “let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” We LEARN to trust Him. We LEAN upon Him. We LEAVE it with Him. It is simple, just hard. The following verse also gives a warning to those during this time. “Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow,” (Isa 50:11). Often during these times we want to light our own fire and walk in it. After all, no Christian likes the dark times. But God warns us. Do not walk in your own light. Learn to trust Him. Lean upon Him and patiently leave it with Him.

I pray that if you are going through a dark time in your life that you will be blessed by God’s Words. Trust in Him, dear child. He loves you with an everlasting love!

Faith! Living Out the Word book give-a-way

13 Comments

You could summarize the book of James in one word, “FAITH”.  Just what does it mean to have faith?  Every day you demonstrate great faith.  Even now, wherever you are sitting you have placed faith in your chair to hold you up.  Chances are you sat down without a bit of fear or worry that you would be held up.  You are relaxed and confident in the ability of your seat.  We demonstrate faith when we ride in an elevator, when we get in a car, when we fly in a plane.  We demonstrate faith in our doctors and the medicines they give us.  We even demonstrate faith in our own bodies when we first place our feet on the floor each morning to take a walk.  We demonstrate faith in restaurants when we eat food someone else has prepared. We demonstrate faith in our husbands, in our children, in our friends and family. If you pay attention you will find yourself demonstrating great faith throughout any given day.  Faith means to believe in something or to have trust.  But, what does it mean to have faith in God?  Is it enough to just say, “I believe in God.”?  No, for we learn in the book of James that even the devils believe and they tremble.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  And in verse six it tells us that, “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  Jesus spoke of faith often.  He spoke of those with little faith and those who had great faith.  He said that it was because of their faith that many were healed, that they were made whole, and that they were saved.  Faith moves mountains.  In the book of James we will learn that faith endures trials, faith understands temptations, faith gives us wisdom to pass the tests given, faith obeys the Word, faith produces doers, faith harbors no prejudice, faith displays itself in works, faith controls the tongue, faith acts wisely and faith gives us the ability to resist the devil and draw nigh to God.  

So, what exactly is faith?  My husband often gives a very simple and easy definition of what faith is.  It is simply having confidence in the trustworthiness of God.   In other words, faith is having complete assurance that God will do what He says He will do.  So the only way to build our faith is to know God and His Word.  It is through His Word that we learn of His trustworthiness and through His Spirit working in our lives that our confidence is built. 

So pull out your Bible and dive into the precious Word, verse by verse and line by line.  There is no better way to know Him and by doing so your faith will be strengthened more and more. 

I will choose a winner (US Resident only) and mail out Living Out the Word, Faith.  A verse by verse study for women through James on Monday, November 8th.   You can take a look inside the book here at Amazon.com.

Mandatory to Enter: Leave a comment with your favorite verse from James. 

Additional entries:  TOS Crew members, Subscribe to this blog (rss or email), spread the word about this giveaway (blog, facebook, emails, etc) and leave link in comments.

Entrusted With Arrows

1 Comment

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.”  Psalm 127:3-5a

 Movie Makers has just released a new documentary which I recently had the privilege to review.  Entrusted with Arrows: Entrepreneurial Homeschool Fathers, is an hour long documentary challenging ordinary men to be extraordinary fathers.  Statistics show that the average father spends less than seven minutes of quality time with their children each week.  Perhaps just as alarming, statistics also show that children in Christian homes are being raised without a biblical worldview.  These children in turn reject the faith of their parents when they reach adulthood.  The film highlights fathers who have rejected the world’s standards.  They have embraced a more biblical model because they understand that they are called to disciple their children.   

 We get a glimpse into the lives of average men who have chosen to not just educate their children at home, but have chosen to come home and lead in the discipleship of their children.  The common denominator in all these families is their faith in God.  We see God open doors as they start home businesses.  They stay with their children on a regular basis and follow the commands of God to teach, train, and disciple.  As they follow in obedience, we see God bless these families.  This film is encouraging and uplifting, pointing us to God and His will for Christian homes.  It is a must see for those whose hearts desire is to follow God in every area of their life.

 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deu 6:6-7)

Sowing & Reaping

Leave a comment

Autumn is a wonderful time to be reminded of the sowing and reaping principle found in God’s Word. It works every time. You will reap what you sow. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7

God’s principle works in every area of life. What you sow into your marriage you will reap. What you sow into your children you will reap. It also works in our spiritual life. “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:8

It also works in conjunction with our tithes and offerings; “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6.

And it works hand in hand with the preaching of God’s Word; “And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow..” Matthew 13:3

My latest article in Home School Enrichment deals with Sowing and Reaping in our children. In it I mention my dear grandfather, who has been with the Lord for many years now, which makes it even more special to me. The article is available for free online. You can find it here in the Sept/Oct 2010 Issue. I hope you will read it and take the time to sow into your life principles from God’s Word so you can reap a little encouragement for your day!

Salty Enough?

1 Comment

Salt is a precious commodity. Without it life can be rather bland – literally! But it is not just for flavoring food. Salt also preserves. In fact, salt can be used for a number of things. The last few summers we have used salt in our pool. The salt creates natural chlorine which is safer, cleaner, and less expensive. All summer we have had a beautiful, clean, refreshing pool to swim in.

That is until last week.

This is what happens when you do not have enough salt in your pool water.

The water becomes a nasty green color. So even though it’s still hot outside, no one would dare enter. We figured that we would have one more month to swim so we really needed to clean up the pool. Dana and I had a decision to make. You see, it was very tempting to just put a cover on it, close it down, and call it good for the year. There was only one problem with that – the water underneath would still be green. As much as we would love to cover up the problem doing so wouldn’t make it go away.

This whole episode brought to mind our spiritual lives. Christ says that as His disciples we are the salt of the earth. But sometimes it can seem that we have lost our savour. I know it happens to me on occasion. I’m walking strong with my Lord and Master. I’m reading my Bible every day. I’m studying and memorizing Scripture. I’m praying as I should. Then a day or two will go by. I’ll get busy and I’ll realize that I haven’t been studying my Bible or praying. Out of the blue, I’m not walking with the Lord as I should. It is as though all of a sudden my pool water has become green and nasty. This is where the choice comes in. I can be tempted to throw the cover of busyness, good works, or hypocrisy over it. Or, I can deal with the problem.

Dana and I decided to deal with our pool water by buying some Shock It. It was simple, a few bags and already our pool is turning back to its beautiful blue color.

 The “Shock It” for the Christian is just as effortless. It’s a simple turning back to our Lord. It is running into his outstretched arms. It is slowing down and seeking His face. It is resting in Him and finding joy in His strength. It is feasting on His Word and hiding it in our hearts. So, dear Christian, how are you doing? If it seems as though you’re not salty enough, what are you waiting for?

The fountain of living water awaits.

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (Matthew 5:13)

Troubled? Discouraged? Needing Confidence?

Leave a comment

The signs of the times are ever before us. The news is depressing at best and down-right scary at worse. Many are left without hope. They have nowhere to turn, no answers, and merely an unwelcoming future. I can see why many are disheartened.

But the truth is that there is hope. There is hope when the financial market collapses. There is hope when the environment rages. There is hope when the political leaders fail. There is hope when your entire world crumbles. In a world full of despair it is refreshing to read a book that shines a light on that hope. That is just the type of book that Dr. David Jeremiah wrote in Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World.

In a striking contrast to his book, What in the World is Going on?, Dr. Jeremiah delivers a message of hope that is imperative for the troubled soul. In it he lays before us a plan of living the Christian life in this uneasy world. With the foundation of the Holy Scriptures, he inspires his readers to look beyond the immediate – that which is filled with concern, chaos, confusion, and commotion – and encourages us to lift our eyes to the eternal. Persuading the reader to stay calm, compassionate, constructive, challenged, connected, centered, consistent, committed, and convinced, Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World imparts a spirit of peace and confidence to the weary mind.

Do not be troubled; despite the darkness that surrounds us, there is hope in Jesus Christ. The light shines most brilliantly after the fiercest storm. And Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World paints that picture in a very straightforward way. It is a book that I will be recommending to friends this year.

Disclosure:  Thomas Nelson Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.  I am not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.

It’s getting GLORIOUSLY DARK!

Leave a comment

I’m always amazed at how few people care about what is going on in the world.  While I must admit, following the news can be rather depressing.  However, we should be responsible enough to stay up-to-date on what is going on in the world.  Why?  You ask.  Because, as believers in Christ, we have an obligation to warn those without of the coming judgment.  Am I gloom and doom today?   Reading the news, it would be easy to be so.   According to today’s Drudge Report, Israel has ‘8 Days’ to hit Iran nuclear site.    Why is it that a nation as small and insignificant as Israel is always in the forefront of the news?  I believe the scriptures bear out the answer.  Yes, the last days are here.  Second Timothy three gives a description of the last days.  Man will be…

-lovers of their own selves       -trucebreakers

-covetous                                 -false accusers

-boasters                                  -incontinent (without self-control)

-proud                                     -fierce

-blasphemers                           -despisers of those that are good

-disobedient to parents            -traitors

– unthankful                             -heady

-unholy                                    -highminded

-without natural affection                 -lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God

Does this sound like today’s society?  The passage goes on to say that people will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.  (Just how many American’s claim to be religious today and live ungodly lives?)  But this next attribute is what gets my attention.  Second Timothy 3:7 says, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  We live in the information age.  Technology is at its peak, yet still exceeding.  People are very smart and learning more and more everyday but very few know the truth.  Let me prove it.  Just ask someone if “truth is relative” and see what they say.  Statistics prove over and over again that very few “born again Christians” acknowledge that truth is absolute.  How sad!

 So, am I gloom and doom?  Yes and no. 

 Yes, the world is ending.  Read 2 Peter 3:4-7, 12, 11 Cor. 5:10-11, Rev. 20:11-15.

 No, because the ending of the world means for every believer the beginning of eternity.  Christ is coming soon.  The heavens will soon be mine.  My affections are already there.  How exciting!  It thrills me to see prophecy fulfilled. 

 If you do nothing else today, I pray that you will …

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. (2Co 13:5a)   For the times that we are living in are becoming gloriously dark!