Noah still has to be one of my favourite characters in the Bible. This month in our Answers magazine that we receive every few months, there was a huge focus on Noah and the ark because of the new exhibit at the Creation Museum. They built a life-size ark in Kentucky, which we hope to see one day. It sounds incredible. Many of the articles in the magazine had to do with the workings out of how Noah could have possibly accomplished this.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I have 7 more kids to graduate from school and quite frankly, it feels like I'm building an ark. One of my sisters, who is homeschooling as well has just one in her "school" this year. I looked at her with my eyes wide open, "One?!" I envied. It can be quite overwhelming at times, especially because my oldest boy is in his last year and is looking to get into university. That means some serious planning, some serious getting down to work, some serious navigation of credits, transcripts....blah, blah, blah....it's enough to make my head explode. This is where I want to be one of those amazing moms who is super-dee-dooper organized and loves record keeping and takes it on as a challenge that she loooooves! Fortunately, I have a husband who is good at this and is helping me and I am a great encourager, so between the two of us, hopefully we'll get this kid into a school somewhere!
Back to Noah. In one of the articles in the magazine, it went through some big questions people have had over the years, such as, "Did Noah have the technology?" "Did Noah have the manpower?" "Did Noah have the time?" My favourite question was, "Did Noah have the abilities and the resources?" That question jumped out at me as both my son and myself have struggled this week with who we are, our abilities and our seeming lack of rescources. We are very similarly created beings. We love people, talking, "winging it", and having fun. We aren't particularly technologically-minded or organized by nature. Yet this week, he had to navigate all sorts of technology which revealed he didn't know as much as he should if he's going to be in a higher form of education. His sister has always done it for him or his dad. This week he was on his own and he didn't like it. Oh well. Talk about jumping in and sinking or swimming, but it was good for him and he got through it.
But it created a little panic in me. What if he can't make it? What if he can't do it? Oh no!!! Yet he is so clearly gifted in the sciences and in particular biology. He loves plants, animals, and bugs. He knows everything about everything when it comes to any one of those subjects. He boggles our mind with his knowledge of fish. He keeps our aquariums going as if he is a marine biologist. All from reading and extensive self-study since he was a young boy. He is going to be either a vet or a researcher or something to do with animals, that is clear. But, he has to know how to use a computer!!!!! That is not his passion. He'd rather have a root canal or, as my husband says, "I'd rather have my legs waxed."
This was when I read the article on Noah, "Did Noah have the abilities and resources?" The article said it so well, "The simple answer to this question is found in Genesis 6:22. 'Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.'" I was no longer afraid. First of all I always repeat my new life phrase to myelf, "No fear, no panic, no dread," and then I stopped and realized Noah was simply obedient. God told him what to do. Noah obeyed. God must have given him the abilities. I think it is that simple. If God is calling my son to higher education, then he and I must not panic. God will give him the abilities, the know-how, even the computer skills necessary.
The article went on and said, "The Lord often calls people whom He has already equipped to perform a task..." My son is clearly gifted in the biological sciences. If he is being called to this area of study, then he will be further equipped at the necessary time. If Noah wasn't equipped or an expert in shipbuilding, the article also said, "...he had plenty of time to learn the necessary skills." This is true of my son as well. Even, if for some reason, he isn't fully equipped to take on more schooling, there is still time to learn what he needs to.
What about the resources that my son needs to study? It will take money, more technology than we have now, and who knows what else?! The article again confirmed Noah, too, may have had that problem, yet, "Noah's task required vast resources to complete, and we can be confident (italics mine!) that God would have made these accessible to him in some way." Ok. I have to just rest. If God is in this, then He will make the resources available, somehow.
Because the Bible doesn't make it clear about all the details in the planning of feeding the animals or storing their food, we can only assume that God left some of that up to Noah. With God's wisdom he did it as we are here today and the animals survived the year long voyage! The article continued, "Much is implied in the words, 'Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him" (Genesis 7:5). His job was to obey God and trust Him to supply what He lacked, including wisdom to build a sturdy ship and finish the project on schedule." (italics mine again!) That's it! I lack and my son lack's certain skills I think are essential to life, but I must simply obey, he must simply obey. I see my son reading his Bible in the morning and because of that, I know he'll be ok. He is asking God for wisdom. I see it in his life, I hear it in his prayers. Both he and I must trust God to supply what we lack and to give us the necessary wisdom to "finish our project on schedule". Oddly enough, it will be a year's journey, too, if he is to go somewhere next fall. That would be the schedule if we were to "regular folk" and go right after high school.
The article finished with a fictional paragraph where Noah and his fictional wife, Emzara, stood in the finished ark. Emzara asked him, "When do we start loading?" Noah shrugged, "Soon, I guess. The Creator brought all of these animals here. I trust that He'll tell us when the next stage begins." I, too, wonder what is next, when will we know what to do? But He's brought me this far. And, like one of my favourite songs says, "He will make a way." He will show me what to do next and when to do it. I just have to relax! I have to trust. My ark will get built eventually. My son's ark will also get built. It's like we both have our own ark's to build. I'm sure Noah must have wondered how in the world, literally, his ark would get done, and yet it did. It took a long time to build, but it got done! So, I do have a few more in school, eventually all 8 will graduate, Lord willing, but not with my own strength. I'm leaning on God. My son is leaning on God and according to the article, that is enough to finish an ark.
Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Warnings from Heaven
Great passage studied on Sunday, Hebrews 12. Verse 25 says, "See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking." There is no question in that verse as to whether or not God talks to us. He does, plain and simple. He is speaking to us all the time. We either have our ears closed or we simply refuse to acknowledge, not unlike my children when I call them away from their fun, that God is speaking to us.
The second half of the verse is powerful, too as it says he "warns from heaven". When He is speaking to us He is often sending a warning. When Christ lived on earth He gave many warnings, but "they refused him". What does that look like, refusing Him? I can only think it meant that people just kept living the way they wanted, pretending He didn't exist, yet "they did not escape" the passage says.
There is going to be a time of "shaking" coming. The Bible says this will be a "removal of of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made - in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain." (vs. 27) In other words are we investing in the things of eternal worth, things that "cannot be shaken"? Will what we do on earth stand the test of that coming shaking? We, as a family, are often challenged by the decisions we make about our children as we aren't doing what everyone is doing by a long shot, but we are trying to keep a heavenly, eternal perspective. We realize the souls of our children are at stake! So we may approach life and parenting quite differently, but we actually think that is a good thing! Verse 28 assures me that this is good, to continue to live in a way that is pursuing things of eternal worth. By doing this we will receive a kingdom, it says, "that cannot be shaken". It says, "therefore let us be grateful". I need to be grateful for a husband who leads our family and has this eternal perspective. Living life differently can have its challenges as we appear to not be going with the flow. My daughter once heard us say to another child, "Just go with the flow!" She was so certain this was a fun place, she started saying over and over, "Can I go with the flow?! I want to go with the flow? Where is the flow?" She was only 2 or 3 at the time, so cute. But, in actuality, we need to not go with the flow. Things of eternal value are often against the flow.
Scripture gives us resolve.
The second half of the verse is powerful, too as it says he "warns from heaven". When He is speaking to us He is often sending a warning. When Christ lived on earth He gave many warnings, but "they refused him". What does that look like, refusing Him? I can only think it meant that people just kept living the way they wanted, pretending He didn't exist, yet "they did not escape" the passage says.
There is going to be a time of "shaking" coming. The Bible says this will be a "removal of of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made - in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain." (vs. 27) In other words are we investing in the things of eternal worth, things that "cannot be shaken"? Will what we do on earth stand the test of that coming shaking? We, as a family, are often challenged by the decisions we make about our children as we aren't doing what everyone is doing by a long shot, but we are trying to keep a heavenly, eternal perspective. We realize the souls of our children are at stake! So we may approach life and parenting quite differently, but we actually think that is a good thing! Verse 28 assures me that this is good, to continue to live in a way that is pursuing things of eternal worth. By doing this we will receive a kingdom, it says, "that cannot be shaken". It says, "therefore let us be grateful". I need to be grateful for a husband who leads our family and has this eternal perspective. Living life differently can have its challenges as we appear to not be going with the flow. My daughter once heard us say to another child, "Just go with the flow!" She was so certain this was a fun place, she started saying over and over, "Can I go with the flow?! I want to go with the flow? Where is the flow?" She was only 2 or 3 at the time, so cute. But, in actuality, we need to not go with the flow. Things of eternal value are often against the flow.
Scripture gives us resolve.
Monday, 25 July 2016
Hope Linked In
Last week we were feeling so hopeful. Every day of the week we had been given a small encouragement. Oddly enough, it had always been something of financial consequence, either an unexpected payment or gift, or something sold that had been for sale for a long time. This had led to the hopeful feeling that "Wow! We could really do this!" By Friday, I was getting really excited! I wondered if we were going to hear about the contract we'd been waiting on or something like that out of the blue.
But then, 5 pm came and went, and there was no news. Office hours were over. I knew we wouldn't be hearing anything anymore. Yet we hadn't checked the mail yet. When I saw the envelopes, to me, it just looked like statements that were of no consequence. It turns out, one of them gave an update on a small investment that had grown quite significantly over the years....another huge blessing! We had not received an update on that particular investment in such a long time that we had completely forgotten about it. I didn't even know about it because it had been started before I even knew RM. That's when it occurred to me - God doesn't keep office hours. He doesn't stop working at 5 pm. He doesn't take holidays. He works 24/7, overtime, all day, everyday. I should have known to not look at the clock and to depend on man's hours.
At some point during the day, RM came into the house and said, "You'll never guess who joined me on LinkedIn.....". "Who?" "Hope." At first, I didn't get it. I wondered who "Hope" was. He actually didn't know either. It was just an automatic person who was added, but then we saw the irony. Of all the people, with all the names, "Hope" linked in. We shook our heads as we thought about how Hope, HOPE, HOPE! had linked in. Hope was on our side. Hope was on our team. Hope had joined us. And not the person, Hope (whoever she is and wherever she is), but Hope, the character trait that comes only from God. Hope had linked in with us. Someone might say, "Coincidence", and yes, perhaps it was an unusual sequence of events, but we loved it because we had been feeling so hopeful. God was doing some really neat things. He was showing up everywhere this past week and that was just the icing on the cake. A small thing, yet again, but a little sign from God to stay hopeful.
I have to share a neat answer to prayer for my daughter. A couple of years ago she went to a Worldview Camp that she just loved. She came back on fire, excited about her faith, new friendships, and couldn't wait to go back. But then it was cancelled last year. She was so disappointed. Then, this year she was told it was back on, but the cost was too much. We couldn't justify it, neither could she. She knew it, we knew it. I kept telling her, "If God wants you there, He'll get you there." I had said that to her two years ago, too and she ended up getting a scholarship that paid for half of her fee. She ended up putting her name on the waiting list to go this year. It seemed impossible as it was full. We were glad that it filled up as that seemed to confirm that she wasn't meant to go! Then we got an email from the organizers asking for mentors. If she's accepted she will not only be able to go, but they'll pay her to be there!!! C'mon, talk about a miracle. She's barely old enough, but she applied anyway as a mentor and now she's working out the final details. It looks like it's going to happen and I just marvel at how God is answering her prayers. Why am I surprised???
This week ahead may be just a "regular" week. Perhaps God will be quiet this week. Maybe last week was just that, "last week", and this week will be a week full of concerns, no gifts of money out of the blue. But God filled my Hope Tank this past week. He filled my daughter's Hope Tank. We shouldn't need encouragement every single day of the week as that isn't faith, however, God knows our humanity. He knows that sometimes we need to see Him, as I've written before, in a tangible way. I'm convinced these little and big signs of encouragement are completely unnecessary and yet God gives them to us just because He can. He is kind, merciful, gracious and receiving these blessings is how I know because He so specifically cares for me, for my daughter, in a personal way. The Israelites were undeserving and yet He blessed them all the time. He performed miracles for them all the time. We don't deserve any of the gifts we've received this week either, yet He was so good to us. We are supposed to remember what He's done which is why I write about it, so I won't forget His faithfulness. There will be times ahead, maybe even as soon as this week, where I'll wonder where God is, if He even cares about me, and I'll be able to look back and remember what He's done, how faithful He's been. God used someone named Hope, to remind us, that He is there, to stay full of Hope, even if there aren't always those daily reminders. That's my prayer this week, to never lose Hope.
But then, 5 pm came and went, and there was no news. Office hours were over. I knew we wouldn't be hearing anything anymore. Yet we hadn't checked the mail yet. When I saw the envelopes, to me, it just looked like statements that were of no consequence. It turns out, one of them gave an update on a small investment that had grown quite significantly over the years....another huge blessing! We had not received an update on that particular investment in such a long time that we had completely forgotten about it. I didn't even know about it because it had been started before I even knew RM. That's when it occurred to me - God doesn't keep office hours. He doesn't stop working at 5 pm. He doesn't take holidays. He works 24/7, overtime, all day, everyday. I should have known to not look at the clock and to depend on man's hours.
At some point during the day, RM came into the house and said, "You'll never guess who joined me on LinkedIn.....". "Who?" "Hope." At first, I didn't get it. I wondered who "Hope" was. He actually didn't know either. It was just an automatic person who was added, but then we saw the irony. Of all the people, with all the names, "Hope" linked in. We shook our heads as we thought about how Hope, HOPE, HOPE! had linked in. Hope was on our side. Hope was on our team. Hope had joined us. And not the person, Hope (whoever she is and wherever she is), but Hope, the character trait that comes only from God. Hope had linked in with us. Someone might say, "Coincidence", and yes, perhaps it was an unusual sequence of events, but we loved it because we had been feeling so hopeful. God was doing some really neat things. He was showing up everywhere this past week and that was just the icing on the cake. A small thing, yet again, but a little sign from God to stay hopeful.
I have to share a neat answer to prayer for my daughter. A couple of years ago she went to a Worldview Camp that she just loved. She came back on fire, excited about her faith, new friendships, and couldn't wait to go back. But then it was cancelled last year. She was so disappointed. Then, this year she was told it was back on, but the cost was too much. We couldn't justify it, neither could she. She knew it, we knew it. I kept telling her, "If God wants you there, He'll get you there." I had said that to her two years ago, too and she ended up getting a scholarship that paid for half of her fee. She ended up putting her name on the waiting list to go this year. It seemed impossible as it was full. We were glad that it filled up as that seemed to confirm that she wasn't meant to go! Then we got an email from the organizers asking for mentors. If she's accepted she will not only be able to go, but they'll pay her to be there!!! C'mon, talk about a miracle. She's barely old enough, but she applied anyway as a mentor and now she's working out the final details. It looks like it's going to happen and I just marvel at how God is answering her prayers. Why am I surprised???
This week ahead may be just a "regular" week. Perhaps God will be quiet this week. Maybe last week was just that, "last week", and this week will be a week full of concerns, no gifts of money out of the blue. But God filled my Hope Tank this past week. He filled my daughter's Hope Tank. We shouldn't need encouragement every single day of the week as that isn't faith, however, God knows our humanity. He knows that sometimes we need to see Him, as I've written before, in a tangible way. I'm convinced these little and big signs of encouragement are completely unnecessary and yet God gives them to us just because He can. He is kind, merciful, gracious and receiving these blessings is how I know because He so specifically cares for me, for my daughter, in a personal way. The Israelites were undeserving and yet He blessed them all the time. He performed miracles for them all the time. We don't deserve any of the gifts we've received this week either, yet He was so good to us. We are supposed to remember what He's done which is why I write about it, so I won't forget His faithfulness. There will be times ahead, maybe even as soon as this week, where I'll wonder where God is, if He even cares about me, and I'll be able to look back and remember what He's done, how faithful He's been. God used someone named Hope, to remind us, that He is there, to stay full of Hope, even if there aren't always those daily reminders. That's my prayer this week, to never lose Hope.
Friday, 22 July 2016
Hope Renewed, Restored
This has been a week full of blessings. First of all, I love the heat. I never in my life thought I would be able to go without air-conditioning, but we are in our official second year of "no air" and I am loving it. Anyone who has visited our farm knows why. The breeze/wind is pretty much non-stop, so even on the hottest nights, we're completely fine. When there really is a lull on the wind, which rarely happens, we have overhead fans and floor fans. The heat doesn't seem to bother the kids. Now, of course, if we enter a place with air my kids are "FREEZING", as they say. This is a huge savings for us, too, so big bonus!
I think it has also made me love and appreciate the changes in the seasons, too. With air, I was stuck inside more, didn't really appreciate summer as much. Without air, we are outside all day long. Our house still seems oddly cooler than outdoors, so it is still a place for shelter if we need it. We leave the windows open all day long and I just love the smells of summer, the warm breezes....things we wait all winter for. I don't dare shut it out. It almost makes me dread the coming cold seasons.....
We are also enjoying the fruit of our garden now. Yesterday we officially picked green beans and peas! I never thought I would have a garden, but there it is, the only green thing out there in the field as everything else is so dry and yellow from lack of rain. It is such a thrill for the kids to run out and pick something and then actually be able to eat it. I only wish we'd done this sooner. Another savings for us and so rewarding in so many other ways as the kids put a lot of work into it this summer. The payback is tangible, something you can pick and see and hold in your hands. Love that.
We were also able to sell a big ticket item we'd been holding on to for several years on ebay this week. I am so grateful, the timing is perfect. At first we didn't think we'd see the money from the buyer as he admitted he'd kind of acted on impulse when he bought it, but sure enough, the money came through this week. Yeah!
We had other unexpected sources of income this week which I found amazingly "coincidental" as we've been seeking the Lord so specifically and with great intensity for over a week now. I took that as the Lord gently reminding us of His faithfulness, reminding us, "I'm here. I hear you. I'm going to show you that I'm taking care of you."
I was also in the car a lot this week driving back and forth to my sister's house as my other sister was in town visiting. When she comes, we all drop everything and do whatever it takes to get the cousins together. Because my sister has a pool, that's usually where we hang out, especially given the heat. I used to dread the drive, but no more. I feel like that is a gift of time now from God where He calls me to Himself to pray. On one of the drives up, I was praying and focusing so intently, calling out to Him, that I missed my exit! My daughter looks at me, "Uh.....?" Sorry, just praying?!
I also used that time to listen to worship music which so often is based right on Scripture, so I would sing along, worshiping, praising God, crying out. It was like being in a prayer closet, a war room, every single day for several hours a day as we were often stuck in traffic coming home. In addition to that I heard many sermons this week. It was so fantastic. I was reminded of what Christ did on the cross and how that must affect how we live. The preacher was saying since we know this, our affections must change. Immediately I thought, "My affections have changed!" I never used to care about debt or how I spent my money. I started to realized this was a direct result of God working in my life. Longing to get out of debt isn't something I just came up with on my own. It's a desire directly from God. Knowing this, I'm encouraged to think if He gave me the desire, the change in my affections, then He's the one who can make it happen. That same preacher went on to say as we draw near to Christ, He promises to draw near to us. I can speak to that! As I read and write about what I'm learning, I actually receive more spiritual insight and revelations as a direct result. It will not necessarily show up out of the blue, but when I spend time with Him, I learn more, receive more, benefit more. So amazing.
The next preacher was speaking on Revelation. The good news and the bad news. Knowing about prophecy and the future things to come, he said, should impact how we live as well. We should live in a constant state of anticipation. This is what I find is happening to me! I wake up and wonder regularly, "What is going to happen today?!" It is a much more exciting way to live. As I do draw near to Him, a sense of hope rises up, not dread. Hope is from the Lord. Dread is from the devil.
Being more prayerful together with my husband, and eating healthily on a whole new level, has had the two of us on the same page in a great way. Both of us dropped a few pounds right away which inspires you to keep going. Doing this together is very helpful as we are keeping one another strong. We are becoming aware of areas in our life where we slacked off, as usual, and where we can tighten up the reigns in our finances yet again, areas where we can be more disciplined, where we don't like being disciplined. We are a people of self-indulgence. I love being self-indulgent!!!!! But we can't be, not if we want to make serious tracks in our race for being debt-free. We know God might make it be the next generation that benefits, but we sure hope that it is our generation. So for the past week and half, all self-indulgence is gone. We thought we would see a health benefit, which we did, as we lost pounds right away, but then yesterday we started to see the spiritual benefit. Our eyes were being opened to so many things. Our discussions became full of excitement as we were starting to see what God was showing us. We also experience a renewed sense of drive and hope in our dragging on debt-reduction journey. We had started feeling this would just never happen in our lifetime, but yesterday we thought, "This COULD happen!" Where does that hope come from? It isn't something you can manufacture out of the blue! I can only think it is a direct result of us seeking Him.
So, a powerful week. The Lord was in every moment. I read this week, "...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) The verses go on to say that His "eyes will be open" and His ears "attentive to the prayer" from those who seek Him. I'm encouraged to persevere, to press on, to run this very long race with endurance. He has given me hope.
I think it has also made me love and appreciate the changes in the seasons, too. With air, I was stuck inside more, didn't really appreciate summer as much. Without air, we are outside all day long. Our house still seems oddly cooler than outdoors, so it is still a place for shelter if we need it. We leave the windows open all day long and I just love the smells of summer, the warm breezes....things we wait all winter for. I don't dare shut it out. It almost makes me dread the coming cold seasons.....
We are also enjoying the fruit of our garden now. Yesterday we officially picked green beans and peas! I never thought I would have a garden, but there it is, the only green thing out there in the field as everything else is so dry and yellow from lack of rain. It is such a thrill for the kids to run out and pick something and then actually be able to eat it. I only wish we'd done this sooner. Another savings for us and so rewarding in so many other ways as the kids put a lot of work into it this summer. The payback is tangible, something you can pick and see and hold in your hands. Love that.
We were also able to sell a big ticket item we'd been holding on to for several years on ebay this week. I am so grateful, the timing is perfect. At first we didn't think we'd see the money from the buyer as he admitted he'd kind of acted on impulse when he bought it, but sure enough, the money came through this week. Yeah!
We had other unexpected sources of income this week which I found amazingly "coincidental" as we've been seeking the Lord so specifically and with great intensity for over a week now. I took that as the Lord gently reminding us of His faithfulness, reminding us, "I'm here. I hear you. I'm going to show you that I'm taking care of you."
I was also in the car a lot this week driving back and forth to my sister's house as my other sister was in town visiting. When she comes, we all drop everything and do whatever it takes to get the cousins together. Because my sister has a pool, that's usually where we hang out, especially given the heat. I used to dread the drive, but no more. I feel like that is a gift of time now from God where He calls me to Himself to pray. On one of the drives up, I was praying and focusing so intently, calling out to Him, that I missed my exit! My daughter looks at me, "Uh.....?" Sorry, just praying?!
I also used that time to listen to worship music which so often is based right on Scripture, so I would sing along, worshiping, praising God, crying out. It was like being in a prayer closet, a war room, every single day for several hours a day as we were often stuck in traffic coming home. In addition to that I heard many sermons this week. It was so fantastic. I was reminded of what Christ did on the cross and how that must affect how we live. The preacher was saying since we know this, our affections must change. Immediately I thought, "My affections have changed!" I never used to care about debt or how I spent my money. I started to realized this was a direct result of God working in my life. Longing to get out of debt isn't something I just came up with on my own. It's a desire directly from God. Knowing this, I'm encouraged to think if He gave me the desire, the change in my affections, then He's the one who can make it happen. That same preacher went on to say as we draw near to Christ, He promises to draw near to us. I can speak to that! As I read and write about what I'm learning, I actually receive more spiritual insight and revelations as a direct result. It will not necessarily show up out of the blue, but when I spend time with Him, I learn more, receive more, benefit more. So amazing.
The next preacher was speaking on Revelation. The good news and the bad news. Knowing about prophecy and the future things to come, he said, should impact how we live as well. We should live in a constant state of anticipation. This is what I find is happening to me! I wake up and wonder regularly, "What is going to happen today?!" It is a much more exciting way to live. As I do draw near to Him, a sense of hope rises up, not dread. Hope is from the Lord. Dread is from the devil.
Being more prayerful together with my husband, and eating healthily on a whole new level, has had the two of us on the same page in a great way. Both of us dropped a few pounds right away which inspires you to keep going. Doing this together is very helpful as we are keeping one another strong. We are becoming aware of areas in our life where we slacked off, as usual, and where we can tighten up the reigns in our finances yet again, areas where we can be more disciplined, where we don't like being disciplined. We are a people of self-indulgence. I love being self-indulgent!!!!! But we can't be, not if we want to make serious tracks in our race for being debt-free. We know God might make it be the next generation that benefits, but we sure hope that it is our generation. So for the past week and half, all self-indulgence is gone. We thought we would see a health benefit, which we did, as we lost pounds right away, but then yesterday we started to see the spiritual benefit. Our eyes were being opened to so many things. Our discussions became full of excitement as we were starting to see what God was showing us. We also experience a renewed sense of drive and hope in our dragging on debt-reduction journey. We had started feeling this would just never happen in our lifetime, but yesterday we thought, "This COULD happen!" Where does that hope come from? It isn't something you can manufacture out of the blue! I can only think it is a direct result of us seeking Him.
So, a powerful week. The Lord was in every moment. I read this week, "...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) The verses go on to say that His "eyes will be open" and His ears "attentive to the prayer" from those who seek Him. I'm encouraged to persevere, to press on, to run this very long race with endurance. He has given me hope.
Monday, 18 July 2016
Still Running the Race
Our anniversary is coming up in September. I love that time of year so much! I look so forward to it all summer as we usually try to get away for at least one night. Last year, we took our whole family away to the Outer Banks for our 20th anniversary. As much as I would looooove to do that again, it probably won't be happening for a long time. Maybe our 40th! But, we are going to try to at least go away just the two of us.
For the last few years, the time before our anniversary is a time of reflection. Recently, we've begun to be quite deliberate about it. We count back 40 days and dedicate that time to the Lord. Both of us knew we had become a little more sloppy with our eating and in the name of picking something, we chose to ramp up our food choices to the "healthy eating" level and maybe even lose a few of those extra pounds we'd gained. During this time, we pray together and commit all aspects of our marriage to him - including work, our children, friends, and, of course, debt reduction, then anything we know that needs concentrated prayer. It is an exciting time and we never know what God is going to do during these 40 days.
On day 1, I was meeting with a friend who I rarely connect with. We were going to pick berries together. I don't really know this lady extremely well and so sometimes I'll pray that God will use the time together and that we'll talk about things that are meaningful. I didn't know what we had in common so I wondered what we would talk about.
Almost 2 minutes into berry picking she made a comment about renovations on their house. I asked how they made decisions on what to do each time they renovated, as it was a pricey reno. She calmly, matter-of-factly, said, "Well, our mortgage is paid off....." I stopped dead in my berry-picking tracks. I couldn't believe it. Now I knew why I was meeting with her and why we were berry picking together. God had set the whole thing up. He even had us meet on day 1 of our 40 day journey. She didn't know that. We stood there picking in the blazing hot sun for another 30 minutes or so as I interrogated her on how she did it. I felt like crying the whole time we were talking.
She and her husband had started on their journey very near to the time my husband and I had started on ours. Why had she had success and we hadn't???!!! There was a spiritual battle beginning for me. I sensed it right away. On the one hand, I wanted to run away and not hear her story. I was green with envy that she and her husband were able to do what we longed for. I also felt like such a failure. In my mind, I instantly felt like we were doing something wrong (enter bad thoughts towards husband....maybe its his fault...) Do you see how Satan works?! But then, instead, I tried very hard to let the Lord win. Instead of running away, I asked more questions. What did they do? I tried to get her to be very specific. That can be humbling as you can prefer to put up a wall and pretend to not care. Not me. I decided to be more open with her than I've been even with others.
I told her how it was day one of praying about this very thing. Turns out, that prompted her to consider doing something like that in her life. She told me about an app that Dave Ramsey (the financial guru) puts out that is very similar to the "envelope system" he encourages. I found that and also found another one since then that I will try as well. She and her husband did several things to get out of debt. The number one thing she kept saying was that they were intentional and deliberate. She had a budget she followed and she used the envelope system where she had a set amount of money in each envelope for each category of her budget - gas, groceries, entertainment, etc.
They also paid down their mortgage with twice a month payments which means you pay more more often. It helped, of course, that her husband had a well-paying regular income. She, too, had a part-time income that paid well. They also only had 2 kids which I'm sure made a difference. However, I still listened with eagerness to all that they did even though their situation was quite different. Knowing how different it was helped to relieve me of the comparison factor I was feeling actually.
After we left one another, I prayed and prayed the whole way home that the Lord would eventually bless us with a paid-off mortgage, too. I came home and shared all that we had talked about with my husband and it was a confirmation that we were definitely supposed to continue praying aggressively during this time, to continue on the path of frugality, to make hard choices, to remember the end goal.
To further remind us that we need to stay strong, we studied Hebrews 12 this past Sunday. We had studied this 2 years ago. A lot of the notes in my Bible were reflective of the fact not much had changed in the last little while. However, the Bible speaks to all the same issues.....running the race with ENDURANCE. It is not a short sprint, but a marathon. I must keep my eyes focused on Christ, not on my pathetic little situation, otherwise I quickly fall off the rails. I must "not grow weary or fainthearted". I still have a great life! I have a full life! I am experiencing many blessings along the way. It is hardly something I have to endure if I really think about it.
Yet, God is still disciplining us. He is not lifting His hand off us yet. He is sanctifying us more and more in the process and I must not resist this "training" that the Bible calls it. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (vs 11) Waiting on God doesn't have to be entirely unpleasant though. The Bible gives some suggestions on how to embrace the process instead of just enduring it. I'm learning to "lift my drooping hands", "strengthen my weak knees" and "make straight paths for my feet". vs 12) This time of prayer actually strengthens our knees as we are on them all the time! The verse is full of imperatives, commands that tell us to lift, strengthen and make straight. Action words. There is nothing passive going on in this verse. The rest of verse 12 is perfect - "so that WHAT IS LAME may not be put out of joint but rather BE HEALED." This is what I long for, a "healed" bank account. And always, we're praying for a plan. Not unlike Esther who knew her people were in jeopardy, she had herself and her people pray and fast for a plan on how to save her people.
The end result will be the "peaceful fruit of righteousness" IF I've allowed myself to "be trained by it." Note, it does not guarantee we will be debt-free, though I still pray for that. Ultimately I must trust God that the fruit of righteousness will be seen in my life. That has to be enough. This leaves me in a place of hopeful anticipation.
For the last few years, the time before our anniversary is a time of reflection. Recently, we've begun to be quite deliberate about it. We count back 40 days and dedicate that time to the Lord. Both of us knew we had become a little more sloppy with our eating and in the name of picking something, we chose to ramp up our food choices to the "healthy eating" level and maybe even lose a few of those extra pounds we'd gained. During this time, we pray together and commit all aspects of our marriage to him - including work, our children, friends, and, of course, debt reduction, then anything we know that needs concentrated prayer. It is an exciting time and we never know what God is going to do during these 40 days.
On day 1, I was meeting with a friend who I rarely connect with. We were going to pick berries together. I don't really know this lady extremely well and so sometimes I'll pray that God will use the time together and that we'll talk about things that are meaningful. I didn't know what we had in common so I wondered what we would talk about.
Almost 2 minutes into berry picking she made a comment about renovations on their house. I asked how they made decisions on what to do each time they renovated, as it was a pricey reno. She calmly, matter-of-factly, said, "Well, our mortgage is paid off....." I stopped dead in my berry-picking tracks. I couldn't believe it. Now I knew why I was meeting with her and why we were berry picking together. God had set the whole thing up. He even had us meet on day 1 of our 40 day journey. She didn't know that. We stood there picking in the blazing hot sun for another 30 minutes or so as I interrogated her on how she did it. I felt like crying the whole time we were talking.
She and her husband had started on their journey very near to the time my husband and I had started on ours. Why had she had success and we hadn't???!!! There was a spiritual battle beginning for me. I sensed it right away. On the one hand, I wanted to run away and not hear her story. I was green with envy that she and her husband were able to do what we longed for. I also felt like such a failure. In my mind, I instantly felt like we were doing something wrong (enter bad thoughts towards husband....maybe its his fault...) Do you see how Satan works?! But then, instead, I tried very hard to let the Lord win. Instead of running away, I asked more questions. What did they do? I tried to get her to be very specific. That can be humbling as you can prefer to put up a wall and pretend to not care. Not me. I decided to be more open with her than I've been even with others.
I told her how it was day one of praying about this very thing. Turns out, that prompted her to consider doing something like that in her life. She told me about an app that Dave Ramsey (the financial guru) puts out that is very similar to the "envelope system" he encourages. I found that and also found another one since then that I will try as well. She and her husband did several things to get out of debt. The number one thing she kept saying was that they were intentional and deliberate. She had a budget she followed and she used the envelope system where she had a set amount of money in each envelope for each category of her budget - gas, groceries, entertainment, etc.
They also paid down their mortgage with twice a month payments which means you pay more more often. It helped, of course, that her husband had a well-paying regular income. She, too, had a part-time income that paid well. They also only had 2 kids which I'm sure made a difference. However, I still listened with eagerness to all that they did even though their situation was quite different. Knowing how different it was helped to relieve me of the comparison factor I was feeling actually.
After we left one another, I prayed and prayed the whole way home that the Lord would eventually bless us with a paid-off mortgage, too. I came home and shared all that we had talked about with my husband and it was a confirmation that we were definitely supposed to continue praying aggressively during this time, to continue on the path of frugality, to make hard choices, to remember the end goal.
To further remind us that we need to stay strong, we studied Hebrews 12 this past Sunday. We had studied this 2 years ago. A lot of the notes in my Bible were reflective of the fact not much had changed in the last little while. However, the Bible speaks to all the same issues.....running the race with ENDURANCE. It is not a short sprint, but a marathon. I must keep my eyes focused on Christ, not on my pathetic little situation, otherwise I quickly fall off the rails. I must "not grow weary or fainthearted". I still have a great life! I have a full life! I am experiencing many blessings along the way. It is hardly something I have to endure if I really think about it.
Yet, God is still disciplining us. He is not lifting His hand off us yet. He is sanctifying us more and more in the process and I must not resist this "training" that the Bible calls it. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (vs 11) Waiting on God doesn't have to be entirely unpleasant though. The Bible gives some suggestions on how to embrace the process instead of just enduring it. I'm learning to "lift my drooping hands", "strengthen my weak knees" and "make straight paths for my feet". vs 12) This time of prayer actually strengthens our knees as we are on them all the time! The verse is full of imperatives, commands that tell us to lift, strengthen and make straight. Action words. There is nothing passive going on in this verse. The rest of verse 12 is perfect - "so that WHAT IS LAME may not be put out of joint but rather BE HEALED." This is what I long for, a "healed" bank account. And always, we're praying for a plan. Not unlike Esther who knew her people were in jeopardy, she had herself and her people pray and fast for a plan on how to save her people.
The end result will be the "peaceful fruit of righteousness" IF I've allowed myself to "be trained by it." Note, it does not guarantee we will be debt-free, though I still pray for that. Ultimately I must trust God that the fruit of righteousness will be seen in my life. That has to be enough. This leaves me in a place of hopeful anticipation.
Tuesday, 12 July 2016
It's a Win-Win
This week and next will be crucial for us. There is a potential contract pending which we are hopeful about, but we also know it might not come through - what then? Will we stay hopeful? Can we trust God if we don't get the contract? I've tried to walk myself through the disappointment already. I've tried to anticipate drawing on all my supernatural resources and imagined myself responding with 100% complete faith. Yet, I know, if we don't get the contract that my first response might not be so faith-filled.
RM is also busy working away at his other business. He longs for a sales team that could go out and sell his wares, but for now....he is it. So, he takes off his farmer hat, puts on his sales hat and is busy trying to make contacts, set up appointments and become his own "Employee of the Month" with the "Top Sales Award"! This is not his natural bent, so again, faith is involved.
We've been praying so long now for the direction his work should go that we believe even if we don't get the potential contract, that even that is God answering us. Closing doors is often how God works. It just means another will open somewhere else. As we studied Hebrews 11 last Sunday, we were reminded that faith is simply not being afraid. Moses' parents "were not afraid" when the king said all the baby boys were to be killed. Then, as Moses grew up, he left the comfort of the palace and "not being afraid of the anger of the king" trusted God "who is invisible".
Our future is literally "invisible". We don't know what the next day will hold, particularly with respect to my husband's work. Yet the model in that famous chapter is no fear. All the people named in the rest of the passage all had good reason to be afraid. The Israelites had no hope as they came to the Red Sea and the walls of Jericho. Fortunately, for us, we know how those two stories ended. We are at the edge of the Red Sea and we feel like we've gone around the walls of Jericho 7 days. I have to keep asking myself, "Do I have enough faith to believe God will help me get across dry land? Will my Jericho walls fall down?"
I always want to stop reading Hebrews 11 around those verses because initially I leave the first part of that chapter encouraged. It doesn't go so well for the rest of the people mentioned in the last part. They "did not receive what was promised". No, no, no......don't like that phrase. However, it goes on......"since God had provided something better". That simply means for me, even if my walls don't come down and I don't walk on dry ground, that even that is part of the "something better". That is not easy to take. I prefer dry ground and crumbling walls, i.e......gimme the contract. Now. I'm just an adult toddler! But adult toddlers and regular toddlers don't always get their way, nor should they. God, as parent, and me, as parent, do not give the whiny toddler what they want because God knows and I know it is not always best, even if the screaming child is on the floor begging for it.
It comes down to surrender.....sigh....as usual.....trusting Him for our future, for our provision. So much easier to write about then actually live it. Yet, I know we can do this as we always tell our children, "You've never missed a meal." One day we will write our own faith chapter as we look back at how God answered this prayer. Either way, contract or no contract, it's win-win situation when you're walking by faith.
RM is also busy working away at his other business. He longs for a sales team that could go out and sell his wares, but for now....he is it. So, he takes off his farmer hat, puts on his sales hat and is busy trying to make contacts, set up appointments and become his own "Employee of the Month" with the "Top Sales Award"! This is not his natural bent, so again, faith is involved.
We've been praying so long now for the direction his work should go that we believe even if we don't get the potential contract, that even that is God answering us. Closing doors is often how God works. It just means another will open somewhere else. As we studied Hebrews 11 last Sunday, we were reminded that faith is simply not being afraid. Moses' parents "were not afraid" when the king said all the baby boys were to be killed. Then, as Moses grew up, he left the comfort of the palace and "not being afraid of the anger of the king" trusted God "who is invisible".
Our future is literally "invisible". We don't know what the next day will hold, particularly with respect to my husband's work. Yet the model in that famous chapter is no fear. All the people named in the rest of the passage all had good reason to be afraid. The Israelites had no hope as they came to the Red Sea and the walls of Jericho. Fortunately, for us, we know how those two stories ended. We are at the edge of the Red Sea and we feel like we've gone around the walls of Jericho 7 days. I have to keep asking myself, "Do I have enough faith to believe God will help me get across dry land? Will my Jericho walls fall down?"
I always want to stop reading Hebrews 11 around those verses because initially I leave the first part of that chapter encouraged. It doesn't go so well for the rest of the people mentioned in the last part. They "did not receive what was promised". No, no, no......don't like that phrase. However, it goes on......"since God had provided something better". That simply means for me, even if my walls don't come down and I don't walk on dry ground, that even that is part of the "something better". That is not easy to take. I prefer dry ground and crumbling walls, i.e......gimme the contract. Now. I'm just an adult toddler! But adult toddlers and regular toddlers don't always get their way, nor should they. God, as parent, and me, as parent, do not give the whiny toddler what they want because God knows and I know it is not always best, even if the screaming child is on the floor begging for it.
It comes down to surrender.....sigh....as usual.....trusting Him for our future, for our provision. So much easier to write about then actually live it. Yet, I know we can do this as we always tell our children, "You've never missed a meal." One day we will write our own faith chapter as we look back at how God answered this prayer. Either way, contract or no contract, it's win-win situation when you're walking by faith.
Monday, 11 July 2016
We're In!
A few weeks ago we got a huge blow - our new favourite pastor was quitting, off to a new church on the east coast. How could this be? We had finally settled on a church after a massive disintegration of our last church. It took months before we had found this church that was situated close to us. It seemed ideal and had everything we hoped we would find in a church. This pastor, in a very short amount of time, had become a friend, a confidant for my husband and an ally in the Lord.
Our first reaction, besides shock, was a mix of frustration and sadness. However, we kept meeting with him, keeping the dialogue open, sharing our feelings and he was helping us through the process. Moving out east with him was not an option, though I did mention I was considering it! We started to get excited for him as we began to see how the Lord was working in his family's life.
But, what about us......our kids said, in not so many words, "We're outta here." We, too, wanted to run. We wanted to escape the world of church. We wanted to go where there were no pastors anymore, no congregations, no problems, nobody up and leaving, no more change, heartbreak....heaven I guess! We considered home church (and have for some time actually). We did consider going to another church, but I joked with the kids, "If we did that the pastor there would leave, too!" You just know it will go badly if you start to follow a man instead of God's Church.
Then, once more, we chatted with our pastor long and hard a little while ago. We asked hard questions. I even asked him what his thoughts were on home churches. He just kept encouraging us to be a part of the change, the transition time at the church, to trust God for the future, even if we didn't know what was ahead. Would we believe He was working even if we had no proof yet? Or would we wait until we knew for sure who they were hiring as the new pastor and then decide to commit? That isn't faith.
After he left that night, my husband and I stayed up late talking and talking.....what were we going to do? We had both been praying, individually and as a family. Suddenly, almost at the same time, it occurred to us the next Sunday was going to be the pastor's last Sunday. Wouldn't it be neat if we went way out on a limb and became members on his final Sunday? Wouldn't it be something to show we were committing despite the fact he was leaving? Instead of running away, which was our natural response, to instead run by faith towards a place that appears unstable? We wanted the pastor who was leaving to be the one who would welcome us into fellowship as he was the main reason we'd been drawn to the church in the first place. Yet, at the same time, we wanted to show we trusted God for the future at this church. We also wanted to show this pastor was leaving a legacy. The work and the short time he had been there was not in vain. God had used him, even just to draw us to the church in the first place. We thank God for him. Could our family, nor for our glory, but for God's, be an visible demonstration of what walking by faith looks like? We got excited and then really scared? What if we were making a mistake?
The next morning I found myself still in still in 1 Chronicles. Again, not the place you would think to go and read about church and what you should do when confronted with a situation like we found ourselves in, but believe it or not, that is where I got my confirmation and our answer as to what we should do.
David had assembled, as usual, his leaders and officials. Then he had a charge for Solomon. I started to read it as the charge God was giving to us and our family as he was speaking about the temple that Solomon was going to build. I started to see it as the church God was going to build at our little local community church. This is what David said to Solomon, "....know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you...Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it." (1 Chron. 28:9, 10) Maybe that's where Nike got its famous slogan, "Just do it." That's what we needed to think, too. Just do it. Nike should've added the first part though - be strong. It would take strength to do this as our natural man living inside us was fighting against this idea.
We needed a whole heart and a willing mind like Solomon. Perhaps God was choosing us to help build His Sanctuary in our town. To go in half-hearted was never going to help Solomon build the temple. Same with us. But we had plans! We had thoughts of our future! They all had included the pastor who was now leaving! How dare things get changed up on us! God reminded me He knew our thoughts and plans and He wanted us to find Him in the new situation we were in.
Then David gave Solomon a "game plan". It actually says that, "Then David gave Solomon his son the plan...." He showed him every detail of the temple. God cares about details. It must have been very overwhelming for Solomon who was so "young and inexperienced". But it wasn't a plan made up by David. God had made the plan. "All this He made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord, all the work to be done according to the plan." (28:19) How can you doubt the plan when it is from God, in writing, by His hand?! I love these verses. It tell me God gives us plans, in writing, in His Word. He doesn't leave any detail out. It was becoming "clear to me", too, what we needed to do.
So, why be afraid? Just in case Solomon was, David says, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished." (28:20) As soon as we decided to become members, we felt fear. It will require courage as we have no idea what we are getting into in some ways. Yet we felt complete peace and direction as we were both on the same page.
But the work ahead for Solomon and for us was going to be great. No pastor. Slowly getting to know others, yes, but no lifelong friends....yet. David said to Solomon, "Solomon, my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the place will not be for man but for the Lord God." Hmmmm.....the work is great. It will be for sure, IF we think that it is all about us or all about Solomon. But the temple that Solomon was going to build was the Lord's, it wasn't for man. This church is also the Lord's, not our's.
David then goes on to tell Solomon about all the provisions he's giving him to lessen the load. Solomon really didn't have to acquire a thing. David had done all the prep work and had included "precious stones". When I thought of the phrase "precious stones" I began to think about a place in the Bible where precious stones were also talked about. Aaron had 12 precious stones put in his outfit representing the 12 tribes of Israel. I have 8 precious stones. Was I willing to offer my precious stones to the church? David offered his stones from his personal treasury for the house of God. Shouldn't I, too, be willing to offer my precious stones? At that very moment of thinking there is a question, posed by David to the leaders gathered, "Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?" I had to stop in my tracks. God was asking me, asking us, "Were we willing to offer - key word: willingly - ourselves, our children, our plans, dreams, thoughts, all our precious stones, skills, talents.....to the Lord?"
Then, an amazing thing happened, "Then the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings...." (29:6) I can almost picture the scene. First one leader, one father, then the next, and the next. One by one, the families, represented by the fathers, came forward to offer themselves, their offerings to the Lord. Soon, "the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king's work", all came forward. It must have been a powerful moment. We began to see coming together in a difficult time like this for the church will potentially motivate others to also come forward. One by one, the leaders of families will come forward. This can end up being a very exciting time for the church. Sure enough, the response to seeing all this is joy, "Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly (WILLINGLY), for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly." (29:9) When people obey the Lord's leading, it brings joy to others and to the king. God is our king. I can only think if we didn't obey His prompting that it would bring Him sadness, not joy.
So, that is what we did only yesterday. We became official members of our church. Our oldest daughter who is 18 also became a member. She struggled at first. She didn't really want to commit initially. She longs to be at the more hip hop happening church a little further away. Yet, it is too far for our family to go and we want to be a part of a local church. She decided to commit in the name of the family and out of obedience to the Lord's leading in her life. A really big faith step for her. I trust that God will bless her specifically for her decision.
Already we've felt a confirmation by the choice we made. Oddly enough, the spiritual battles that took place immediately after we decided was one way we knew we were doing the right thing. Satan was so mad. He was quite happy with our indecision. He would have loved it if we had regularly attended for years without committing. As soon as we committed, whoa, that got him really upset and for days after we made the decision it was one thing after another.
It was a great morning. We rejoiced as a family and hopefully it was an encouragement to others. I will tell one funny story though. After the pastor said his final words, which were fantastic, "Run the race", the elders did a little goodbye/roast/presentation. Then, again, our pastor took the mike and said something like, "I know you are now going to be in the search process for another pastor, but I think I've already found the guy for you. And it just so happens he is in the church today." We weren't sure if he was serious! He points to the man sitting in the front row with his wife and asks him to stand up. The man stood up and turned around, waving to the congregation - it was the identical twin of the pastor! It was so funny! Of course he was just joking, but we all laughed and laughed. I needed that as I wanted to cry and cry all morning.
Final thing....a few shared how the pastor had touched their lives in his short time at the church. One woman described how she had found tears streaming down her face after the announcement he was leaving. I, too, had gone up to the pastor and I just couldn't talk to him....tears were flowing for me, too. What was wrong with us? Then, this woman found a verse that explained what it was that was going on, Acts 20:36. Paul is about to leave and gathers the Ephesian elders to say goodbye, "And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again." That's it. I cry because he touched our lives in the short time I knew him not unlike Paul the apostle touched those men in Ephesus. Paul, too, was there for only a short time and yet the impact was so great they wept and felt great sorrow. He spoke many words to us, personally and from the pulpit and that leaves us sorrowful, too, as we know we won't hear from him anymore. Will we see his face ever again? We don't know. We know it is pushing us to take a trip out east!
Ok....a long enough post. I continue to thank God for how He worked in our life this past week and how He always confirms what He is doing through His Word, even about the tears.
Our first reaction, besides shock, was a mix of frustration and sadness. However, we kept meeting with him, keeping the dialogue open, sharing our feelings and he was helping us through the process. Moving out east with him was not an option, though I did mention I was considering it! We started to get excited for him as we began to see how the Lord was working in his family's life.
But, what about us......our kids said, in not so many words, "We're outta here." We, too, wanted to run. We wanted to escape the world of church. We wanted to go where there were no pastors anymore, no congregations, no problems, nobody up and leaving, no more change, heartbreak....heaven I guess! We considered home church (and have for some time actually). We did consider going to another church, but I joked with the kids, "If we did that the pastor there would leave, too!" You just know it will go badly if you start to follow a man instead of God's Church.
Then, once more, we chatted with our pastor long and hard a little while ago. We asked hard questions. I even asked him what his thoughts were on home churches. He just kept encouraging us to be a part of the change, the transition time at the church, to trust God for the future, even if we didn't know what was ahead. Would we believe He was working even if we had no proof yet? Or would we wait until we knew for sure who they were hiring as the new pastor and then decide to commit? That isn't faith.
After he left that night, my husband and I stayed up late talking and talking.....what were we going to do? We had both been praying, individually and as a family. Suddenly, almost at the same time, it occurred to us the next Sunday was going to be the pastor's last Sunday. Wouldn't it be neat if we went way out on a limb and became members on his final Sunday? Wouldn't it be something to show we were committing despite the fact he was leaving? Instead of running away, which was our natural response, to instead run by faith towards a place that appears unstable? We wanted the pastor who was leaving to be the one who would welcome us into fellowship as he was the main reason we'd been drawn to the church in the first place. Yet, at the same time, we wanted to show we trusted God for the future at this church. We also wanted to show this pastor was leaving a legacy. The work and the short time he had been there was not in vain. God had used him, even just to draw us to the church in the first place. We thank God for him. Could our family, nor for our glory, but for God's, be an visible demonstration of what walking by faith looks like? We got excited and then really scared? What if we were making a mistake?
The next morning I found myself still in still in 1 Chronicles. Again, not the place you would think to go and read about church and what you should do when confronted with a situation like we found ourselves in, but believe it or not, that is where I got my confirmation and our answer as to what we should do.
David had assembled, as usual, his leaders and officials. Then he had a charge for Solomon. I started to read it as the charge God was giving to us and our family as he was speaking about the temple that Solomon was going to build. I started to see it as the church God was going to build at our little local community church. This is what David said to Solomon, "....know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you...Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it." (1 Chron. 28:9, 10) Maybe that's where Nike got its famous slogan, "Just do it." That's what we needed to think, too. Just do it. Nike should've added the first part though - be strong. It would take strength to do this as our natural man living inside us was fighting against this idea.
We needed a whole heart and a willing mind like Solomon. Perhaps God was choosing us to help build His Sanctuary in our town. To go in half-hearted was never going to help Solomon build the temple. Same with us. But we had plans! We had thoughts of our future! They all had included the pastor who was now leaving! How dare things get changed up on us! God reminded me He knew our thoughts and plans and He wanted us to find Him in the new situation we were in.
Then David gave Solomon a "game plan". It actually says that, "Then David gave Solomon his son the plan...." He showed him every detail of the temple. God cares about details. It must have been very overwhelming for Solomon who was so "young and inexperienced". But it wasn't a plan made up by David. God had made the plan. "All this He made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord, all the work to be done according to the plan." (28:19) How can you doubt the plan when it is from God, in writing, by His hand?! I love these verses. It tell me God gives us plans, in writing, in His Word. He doesn't leave any detail out. It was becoming "clear to me", too, what we needed to do.
So, why be afraid? Just in case Solomon was, David says, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished." (28:20) As soon as we decided to become members, we felt fear. It will require courage as we have no idea what we are getting into in some ways. Yet we felt complete peace and direction as we were both on the same page.
But the work ahead for Solomon and for us was going to be great. No pastor. Slowly getting to know others, yes, but no lifelong friends....yet. David said to Solomon, "Solomon, my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the place will not be for man but for the Lord God." Hmmmm.....the work is great. It will be for sure, IF we think that it is all about us or all about Solomon. But the temple that Solomon was going to build was the Lord's, it wasn't for man. This church is also the Lord's, not our's.
David then goes on to tell Solomon about all the provisions he's giving him to lessen the load. Solomon really didn't have to acquire a thing. David had done all the prep work and had included "precious stones". When I thought of the phrase "precious stones" I began to think about a place in the Bible where precious stones were also talked about. Aaron had 12 precious stones put in his outfit representing the 12 tribes of Israel. I have 8 precious stones. Was I willing to offer my precious stones to the church? David offered his stones from his personal treasury for the house of God. Shouldn't I, too, be willing to offer my precious stones? At that very moment of thinking there is a question, posed by David to the leaders gathered, "Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?" I had to stop in my tracks. God was asking me, asking us, "Were we willing to offer - key word: willingly - ourselves, our children, our plans, dreams, thoughts, all our precious stones, skills, talents.....to the Lord?"
Then, an amazing thing happened, "Then the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings...." (29:6) I can almost picture the scene. First one leader, one father, then the next, and the next. One by one, the families, represented by the fathers, came forward to offer themselves, their offerings to the Lord. Soon, "the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king's work", all came forward. It must have been a powerful moment. We began to see coming together in a difficult time like this for the church will potentially motivate others to also come forward. One by one, the leaders of families will come forward. This can end up being a very exciting time for the church. Sure enough, the response to seeing all this is joy, "Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly (WILLINGLY), for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly." (29:9) When people obey the Lord's leading, it brings joy to others and to the king. God is our king. I can only think if we didn't obey His prompting that it would bring Him sadness, not joy.
So, that is what we did only yesterday. We became official members of our church. Our oldest daughter who is 18 also became a member. She struggled at first. She didn't really want to commit initially. She longs to be at the more hip hop happening church a little further away. Yet, it is too far for our family to go and we want to be a part of a local church. She decided to commit in the name of the family and out of obedience to the Lord's leading in her life. A really big faith step for her. I trust that God will bless her specifically for her decision.
Already we've felt a confirmation by the choice we made. Oddly enough, the spiritual battles that took place immediately after we decided was one way we knew we were doing the right thing. Satan was so mad. He was quite happy with our indecision. He would have loved it if we had regularly attended for years without committing. As soon as we committed, whoa, that got him really upset and for days after we made the decision it was one thing after another.
It was a great morning. We rejoiced as a family and hopefully it was an encouragement to others. I will tell one funny story though. After the pastor said his final words, which were fantastic, "Run the race", the elders did a little goodbye/roast/presentation. Then, again, our pastor took the mike and said something like, "I know you are now going to be in the search process for another pastor, but I think I've already found the guy for you. And it just so happens he is in the church today." We weren't sure if he was serious! He points to the man sitting in the front row with his wife and asks him to stand up. The man stood up and turned around, waving to the congregation - it was the identical twin of the pastor! It was so funny! Of course he was just joking, but we all laughed and laughed. I needed that as I wanted to cry and cry all morning.
Final thing....a few shared how the pastor had touched their lives in his short time at the church. One woman described how she had found tears streaming down her face after the announcement he was leaving. I, too, had gone up to the pastor and I just couldn't talk to him....tears were flowing for me, too. What was wrong with us? Then, this woman found a verse that explained what it was that was going on, Acts 20:36. Paul is about to leave and gathers the Ephesian elders to say goodbye, "And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again." That's it. I cry because he touched our lives in the short time I knew him not unlike Paul the apostle touched those men in Ephesus. Paul, too, was there for only a short time and yet the impact was so great they wept and felt great sorrow. He spoke many words to us, personally and from the pulpit and that leaves us sorrowful, too, as we know we won't hear from him anymore. Will we see his face ever again? We don't know. We know it is pushing us to take a trip out east!
Ok....a long enough post. I continue to thank God for how He worked in our life this past week and how He always confirms what He is doing through His Word, even about the tears.
Friday, 8 July 2016
Country Mom Meets Country Mom
Can my life be used even if I'm on a farm somewhat in the middle of nowhere? Does my life have any meaning even if I'm just "home" everyday? (I hardly drive anymore as my older daughter does a lot of the errands for me now....yeah!) Will I have any impact on the lives of others outside my home if I don't regularly interact with a crowd of people in an office of workplace? Once in awhile I struggle with these questions. Then, God sends someone into my life to remind me of how He can use me, even though I hardly move from my house.
Last summer I was cleaning the basement of the house as we had had months of flooding. I had to go through every single bin and determine what needed to be thrown out and what needed to be kept and then transfer it to the barn, never to ever be put back in the basement in case of flooding again. It took me two solid weeks. While in the middle of it, a young mom with a couple of kids came walking up the street with bikes and a stroller in tow. I always get excited to see a mom on the street, especially someone I haven't met before, and instead of pretending she didn't exist, I walked over to her at the street and said something like, "Hi! Another mom! I never see moms and strollers on our street!" It turns out she lived a country block away and had specifically come on the walk to meet me.
Our farm is situated like a "city on a hill". It is at the top of a little hill with lovely rolling hills behind it, so as you drive around the countryside you can see it from many directions. I have met many people who knew of us before I knew of them. "Oh you're the people who live in that farm! I saw all the kids and wondered who lived there!" I hear that a lot. The yard is full of sandboxes, playgrounds, trampolines, always-full clotheslines, not to mention animals everywhere that didn't exist a few years ago. There's often a field of boys doing hay with their dad and just kids running everywhere, all the time. So when you drive by, it's hard not to be noticed. Lots is going on. She had been one of those people who had noticed.
Country moms are drawn to other country moms because there aren't a lot of us! So I invited her into the yard and immediately her kids were playing with my kids. We had an instant connection. I told her a bit of my story and she told me her's. I wondered in my head, "Why is she so nice?!" She was one of the friendliest people I had ever met. After a short visit she continued her walk and went home, but we were exchanging numbers and said we'd love to meet again. A whole year went by before we talked again. Life just happened, I guess.
This week she popped in again. Just like last time we connected again very easily and and I gave her kids a tour of the farm with the new animals we had. We had just acquired bunnies for our son's birthday and we showed them off. I told them about this one bunny who had been called "Houdini" by me as he regularly escaped. My son interrupted and told her, "He doesn't escape anymore because he became a Christian!" Uh....well....that's what I had joked with my kids knowing full well that bunnies can't get saved! My new friend didn't skip a beat, "Isn't that what the Lord does?" My eyebrows were raised...she was talking like a Christian herself! I explained we had prayed that God would help us find the missing bunny and He had, so our kids were excited. She again said something about God answering prayers. Hmmmmm.....
Back at the kiddie pool, I had to ask her about her Christian background. Sure enough, she had been saved at 16 years old by spending time with a family whose lives emmulated Christ. She knew they had the kind of life she longed for. I shared my story with her, too, and now I understood why we had such an instant connection. Now I knew why she was so friendly. Struggles were shared and I now knew why God had brought her into my life. I was able to give her Biblical encouragement. We even talked about fasting in the short time we talked! I'm not sure if she has other Christian friends in her life, but I'm excited to be one of them. I made a commitment to pray for her. We hugged when she left as we both realized God was orchestrating something. We've only known each other for minutes!
Sometimes, you can feel isolated as a mom and can wonder how you can be used but God has this way of reminding us that He can use us right where we are. And for me, He doesn't send hundreds of people, it's often just one mom at a time. It's also not a one-sided thing. He knows I need the encouragement of a female friend as much as she needs it. I've written this before, but He sends us Himself, but with skin on. Women need friendships. It's what makes us tick. Our husbands are great and my husband is undoubtedly my best friend, but He would be bored silly if he heard me talk the way I do with my girlfriends. He would cover his ears and want to run away I think. Hens cackling. So I look forward to this new friendship. I didn't orchestrate it, God did.
Last summer I was cleaning the basement of the house as we had had months of flooding. I had to go through every single bin and determine what needed to be thrown out and what needed to be kept and then transfer it to the barn, never to ever be put back in the basement in case of flooding again. It took me two solid weeks. While in the middle of it, a young mom with a couple of kids came walking up the street with bikes and a stroller in tow. I always get excited to see a mom on the street, especially someone I haven't met before, and instead of pretending she didn't exist, I walked over to her at the street and said something like, "Hi! Another mom! I never see moms and strollers on our street!" It turns out she lived a country block away and had specifically come on the walk to meet me.
Our farm is situated like a "city on a hill". It is at the top of a little hill with lovely rolling hills behind it, so as you drive around the countryside you can see it from many directions. I have met many people who knew of us before I knew of them. "Oh you're the people who live in that farm! I saw all the kids and wondered who lived there!" I hear that a lot. The yard is full of sandboxes, playgrounds, trampolines, always-full clotheslines, not to mention animals everywhere that didn't exist a few years ago. There's often a field of boys doing hay with their dad and just kids running everywhere, all the time. So when you drive by, it's hard not to be noticed. Lots is going on. She had been one of those people who had noticed.
Country moms are drawn to other country moms because there aren't a lot of us! So I invited her into the yard and immediately her kids were playing with my kids. We had an instant connection. I told her a bit of my story and she told me her's. I wondered in my head, "Why is she so nice?!" She was one of the friendliest people I had ever met. After a short visit she continued her walk and went home, but we were exchanging numbers and said we'd love to meet again. A whole year went by before we talked again. Life just happened, I guess.
This week she popped in again. Just like last time we connected again very easily and and I gave her kids a tour of the farm with the new animals we had. We had just acquired bunnies for our son's birthday and we showed them off. I told them about this one bunny who had been called "Houdini" by me as he regularly escaped. My son interrupted and told her, "He doesn't escape anymore because he became a Christian!" Uh....well....that's what I had joked with my kids knowing full well that bunnies can't get saved! My new friend didn't skip a beat, "Isn't that what the Lord does?" My eyebrows were raised...she was talking like a Christian herself! I explained we had prayed that God would help us find the missing bunny and He had, so our kids were excited. She again said something about God answering prayers. Hmmmmm.....
Back at the kiddie pool, I had to ask her about her Christian background. Sure enough, she had been saved at 16 years old by spending time with a family whose lives emmulated Christ. She knew they had the kind of life she longed for. I shared my story with her, too, and now I understood why we had such an instant connection. Now I knew why she was so friendly. Struggles were shared and I now knew why God had brought her into my life. I was able to give her Biblical encouragement. We even talked about fasting in the short time we talked! I'm not sure if she has other Christian friends in her life, but I'm excited to be one of them. I made a commitment to pray for her. We hugged when she left as we both realized God was orchestrating something. We've only known each other for minutes!
Sometimes, you can feel isolated as a mom and can wonder how you can be used but God has this way of reminding us that He can use us right where we are. And for me, He doesn't send hundreds of people, it's often just one mom at a time. It's also not a one-sided thing. He knows I need the encouragement of a female friend as much as she needs it. I've written this before, but He sends us Himself, but with skin on. Women need friendships. It's what makes us tick. Our husbands are great and my husband is undoubtedly my best friend, but He would be bored silly if he heard me talk the way I do with my girlfriends. He would cover his ears and want to run away I think. Hens cackling. So I look forward to this new friendship. I didn't orchestrate it, God did.
Thursday, 7 July 2016
What Fish Taught Me - A Movie Review
Ok, generally I am not a fan of all children's movies. Sometimes there is so much inuendo, clearly intended for the adult watcher, that it turns us off and we will end up avoiding what seems like an "ok" film to the kids. Then, the are other films out there that are super cute and really have a good message to both children and adults. Finding Dory is one of those films. (I don't think I'm ruining the movie if I describe a few scenes!)
We recently were given the privilege of a semi-private showing, thanks to a few strings my dad was able to pull, and the whole family went off to see the film. I was quite taken aback by how it moved me.
Of course the kids probably didn't notice the deeper themes that the film was trying to portray. The disability in Finding Dory is the fact that Dory struggles with "remembery loss", as the little Dory calls it. I do not have a disabled child, per se, but I have children who have been either late readers or just more work discipline-wise. Still, the film made me think of my own children and how beautifully the "fish parents" in the film handled their child's disability.
All througout the film Dory is looking for her parents. She somehow lost them along the way in her little blue fish life. As she starts to look for them she gets flashbacks, little memories of something they did for her. Each one shows how they realized she had a condition that could never be taken away, but how they could work with her, train her, create synapses in her brain. Each flashback demonstrates how they gave her little tools, memory joggers, just in case they ever get separated (ahhh...foreshadowing). What was so moving in the flashbacks was listening to little Dory apologize over and over for "not getting it" or for forgetting all the time. Without fail, the parents would immediately surround her with their loving fins and assure her over and over of their never ending love for her. Many a tear-jerking scene.
I think the scene that most confused my youngest children was when Dory's parents think she's either "in bed" (do fish go to bed?) or not around and you see the Mommy fish crying and crying with her husband (do they have husbands?). Suddenly, they weren't fish anymore to me. All I could see was me and my husband crying over a child, "Will she be ok? Do you think she's going to survive? Are we doing the right things for her?" Dory's mom never cried in front of her. She always had to be strong, but when she was out of sight, she lost it. She really was worried about her child's condition. She really was worried that she wouldn't survive or make it through life. But her husband lovingly reassured her, as all husbands do even if they are worried, too. It was another terrible scene for me as I've worried over children before. I felt her pain and could barely keep back the tears. My younger ones asked me later, "Why was the mommy crying in the movie?" They didn't understand and will not understand until they have children of their own.
I left the film quite solemn, thinking to myself, unbelievably, how much I loved it. I know there were ridiculously funny scenes and that perhaps the creators never meant it to even be so moving, but it was. I had to google it and find out......sure enough, the writer, Andrew Stanton, is a Christian. I don't know that he has a disabled child, but he is married with children and is responsible for many, many Pixar films that have Biblical themes. I knew it!!!!!!
I have had frustrations that may seem so petty with certain children here at home. For example, one of my sons, tends to argue with me, who knows why, about everything. If I ask him to do something in school or with his chores, I tend to get an argument. It is hard not to want to pull my hair out. When I look at my husband with eyes to say, "HELP!!!" he always says, "Be patient. Give him time. He'll get it. He'll come around." So I do. I try to be patient. I always try to remember to have a big picture focus, looking at the months and years, not the daily struggles. When I look back over months, I see progress. If I look back from one day to the next, I feel frustration and tend to see no progress. I've been trying to teach him simple things like sweeping the floor and cleaning the kitchen. How he fought me on these things, but I persevered and just this week I asked him again to help me clean up the kitchen. Within minutes, he had done the whole kitchen and with a good attitude. When did that happen? When did he learn that? I can't even tell you the date or time, but I am sure it is because little by little, precept by precept, the training eventually worked only because I didn't give up. Same with my little girl. Wasn't reading at the ages of my other children, but there was this voice in my head that just kept saying, "Don't give up. Don't give up. It'll come.'' One day, sure enough, it happened. She just started reading like she had been reading for years. I don't know how it happened except that it was the same thing as with my son. Over and over, reminding her of the sounds, the fact she didn't need to worry, that it would come, I would be patient. Disabled children? No, hardly, but still for a parent, a real challenge. The movie reminded me of how important love is, unconditional, unrelenting, always patient, always encouraging, using tools, little tricks that can help a child learn.
Music was a minor theme in the movie, too. The mom and dad created a song to help her remember what to do when she ever got into trouble, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." Songs and music are a way to help our kids, too. We've used it their whole lives to learn Scripture and other funny things like manners, days of the week, etc. It works!
So there you have it - a movie review....about a silly fish named Dory and how it moved me to remember how to be a good parent especially with those children who need a little extra help in remembering.
We recently were given the privilege of a semi-private showing, thanks to a few strings my dad was able to pull, and the whole family went off to see the film. I was quite taken aback by how it moved me.
Of course the kids probably didn't notice the deeper themes that the film was trying to portray. The disability in Finding Dory is the fact that Dory struggles with "remembery loss", as the little Dory calls it. I do not have a disabled child, per se, but I have children who have been either late readers or just more work discipline-wise. Still, the film made me think of my own children and how beautifully the "fish parents" in the film handled their child's disability.
All througout the film Dory is looking for her parents. She somehow lost them along the way in her little blue fish life. As she starts to look for them she gets flashbacks, little memories of something they did for her. Each one shows how they realized she had a condition that could never be taken away, but how they could work with her, train her, create synapses in her brain. Each flashback demonstrates how they gave her little tools, memory joggers, just in case they ever get separated (ahhh...foreshadowing). What was so moving in the flashbacks was listening to little Dory apologize over and over for "not getting it" or for forgetting all the time. Without fail, the parents would immediately surround her with their loving fins and assure her over and over of their never ending love for her. Many a tear-jerking scene.
I think the scene that most confused my youngest children was when Dory's parents think she's either "in bed" (do fish go to bed?) or not around and you see the Mommy fish crying and crying with her husband (do they have husbands?). Suddenly, they weren't fish anymore to me. All I could see was me and my husband crying over a child, "Will she be ok? Do you think she's going to survive? Are we doing the right things for her?" Dory's mom never cried in front of her. She always had to be strong, but when she was out of sight, she lost it. She really was worried about her child's condition. She really was worried that she wouldn't survive or make it through life. But her husband lovingly reassured her, as all husbands do even if they are worried, too. It was another terrible scene for me as I've worried over children before. I felt her pain and could barely keep back the tears. My younger ones asked me later, "Why was the mommy crying in the movie?" They didn't understand and will not understand until they have children of their own.
I left the film quite solemn, thinking to myself, unbelievably, how much I loved it. I know there were ridiculously funny scenes and that perhaps the creators never meant it to even be so moving, but it was. I had to google it and find out......sure enough, the writer, Andrew Stanton, is a Christian. I don't know that he has a disabled child, but he is married with children and is responsible for many, many Pixar films that have Biblical themes. I knew it!!!!!!
I have had frustrations that may seem so petty with certain children here at home. For example, one of my sons, tends to argue with me, who knows why, about everything. If I ask him to do something in school or with his chores, I tend to get an argument. It is hard not to want to pull my hair out. When I look at my husband with eyes to say, "HELP!!!" he always says, "Be patient. Give him time. He'll get it. He'll come around." So I do. I try to be patient. I always try to remember to have a big picture focus, looking at the months and years, not the daily struggles. When I look back over months, I see progress. If I look back from one day to the next, I feel frustration and tend to see no progress. I've been trying to teach him simple things like sweeping the floor and cleaning the kitchen. How he fought me on these things, but I persevered and just this week I asked him again to help me clean up the kitchen. Within minutes, he had done the whole kitchen and with a good attitude. When did that happen? When did he learn that? I can't even tell you the date or time, but I am sure it is because little by little, precept by precept, the training eventually worked only because I didn't give up. Same with my little girl. Wasn't reading at the ages of my other children, but there was this voice in my head that just kept saying, "Don't give up. Don't give up. It'll come.'' One day, sure enough, it happened. She just started reading like she had been reading for years. I don't know how it happened except that it was the same thing as with my son. Over and over, reminding her of the sounds, the fact she didn't need to worry, that it would come, I would be patient. Disabled children? No, hardly, but still for a parent, a real challenge. The movie reminded me of how important love is, unconditional, unrelenting, always patient, always encouraging, using tools, little tricks that can help a child learn.
Music was a minor theme in the movie, too. The mom and dad created a song to help her remember what to do when she ever got into trouble, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." Songs and music are a way to help our kids, too. We've used it their whole lives to learn Scripture and other funny things like manners, days of the week, etc. It works!
So there you have it - a movie review....about a silly fish named Dory and how it moved me to remember how to be a good parent especially with those children who need a little extra help in remembering.
Monday, 4 July 2016
David Runs a Tight Ship!
We enjoyed a Canada Day party at our home over the weekend. Hosting events like this is always a good opportunity to get some things done around the house, clean up, move equipment, make the lawn neat (though it is yellow from no rain, so not so pretty!). Everyone has a task to do, no one is allowed to sit around. How can God get the glory in menial tasks like mowing the lawn or moving heavy boards or mopping a floor? It just so happened the whole week before the party I had been reading in 1 Chronicles and the last few chapters were all about menial tasks. Tasks that make no sense to be included in the Bible. I've always wondered why they are included at all, but it is clear that this is how God gets the glory - in details that are small, in work that doesn't seem to matter.
1 Chronicles 23 begins with David assembling all the leaders, particularly the Levites. We assemble our family all the time. This is when the tasks are handed out. David assessed how old each one was and if they were over 30, they were given different assignments. We do that, too. If you are over a certain age you can do this, but can't do that. Some "have charge of the work of the house of the Lord", some are "gatekeepers", some "shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise". He made instruments! I think that is an interesting point to include as my husband has made instruments, too. We play a guitar that he made years ago. It goes on to explain how some are to "assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measure of quantity or size." God cares about flour and baking! Some of my kids are musical, some are too young to even know if they are. Some are definitely future gatekeepers of their families, some are definitely interested in baking, too interested in fact.
But the reminder of having a morning and evening worship time, even in the midst of taking care of the house of God, was emphasized again, "And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening.....regularly before the Lord. (23:30) It doesn't matter what task is being done, regular worship of God is required.
Chapter 24 is when he organizes the priests, "according to their appointed duties in their service". It's ok to give appointed duties to our children. This is how work gets done efficiently and effectively. Each priest is named. This means they matter. Names matter. Each of our children get called by name and a task is given to them. I'll make a list and put the names of each child beside the task.
Chapter 25 is all about the musicians. He describes one man, "Heman". He had 17 children. "They were all under the direction of their father in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. The number of them along with their brothers who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skillful, was 288. And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike." This is a cool passage as it talks about a musical family! Under the direction of their father. Some of the kids were good at singing, others at musical instruments. It even includes the idea that they were trained by teachers in their musical abilities! Some were "small", others were "great", so clearly some were younger, some were older, some were probably very early learners, some very talented for years. We're so privileged to have had some fantastic musical training from great piano teachers over the years. We've never had voice training, but have had opportunities to sing. My one son longed to learn guitar, but alas, lessons were a little out of reach financially so he opted for an internet teacher who has been fantastic! He is now very adept at guitar and has inspired his other brother to learn as well. We never thought of drumming, but nowadays the box drum has made it so that just about anyone can sit and play the box drum and sound good without lessons as well, so my other son is doing that. Put it all together and my husband, along with a couple of other church members, and four of our children are now on the church stage a couple of times a month and it is wonderful! The chapter in the Bible may has well have said, "King David organized the worship teams, got them their music, made sure they practiced and then put them on a monthly schedule." Reading that chapter is inspiring to see how important worship and music is to the Lord.
Chapter 26 is all about gatekeepers. This chapter doesn't seem to be very profound yet it is as each gatekeeper is described as sons "who were rulers in their fathers' houses, for they were men of great ability". Nowadays I consider gatekeepers being the men of the house, watching for anything that could try to come in to our homes that could potentially pollute them, that could be dangerous, that could tear our families apart. We need to be raising men of "great ability" and discernment, "able men" as the chapter describes them. They aren't just any men, but men "qualified for the service". My 9 year old son said yesterday how he hates being 9. He's too young to do anything important, but too old to be doing the little kid stuff. I explained to him how these are the training years. He immediately went on and said, "So I guess I have to learn things now so that when I'm old I'll be able to do more things and then when I learn those things I'll be able to do other things and then when I learn those things I'll be able to do other things.....?" "Yes! That's it! You don't get qualified right away! So being 9 is so important!" He got it. We must make our sons able and qualified. "Watch corresponded to watch," the Bible says. We must train them to never let up so that there is never a time when their families, their homes, their churches are not being guarded from the enemy.
Even the maintenance of the church is mentioned. God wanted His house to look good! He wanted it to have a maintained look. I had my son mow in areas that no one even walks the other day. Why? Because then our house looks lived in, maintained, kept. Once the grass grows tall, even in areas that don't matter, it starts to look like we are in a deserted "who cares what it looks like" type of home. If you let one thing get away on you then you stop caring about other areas and pretty soon, the house and property look awful. Every summer we try to clean up more and more areas of the farm so we don't look like that. It is hard work and no one enjoys it, but this verse tells me it is important!
Enough for now.....there's more to describe....but I will keep these ideas in my mind today knowing I don't need to feel bad when I give my children work. I'm helping to create qualified children who will ultimately be in the service of the Lord in some way in the future be it in their homes, their professions or even in ministry.
1 Chronicles 23 begins with David assembling all the leaders, particularly the Levites. We assemble our family all the time. This is when the tasks are handed out. David assessed how old each one was and if they were over 30, they were given different assignments. We do that, too. If you are over a certain age you can do this, but can't do that. Some "have charge of the work of the house of the Lord", some are "gatekeepers", some "shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise". He made instruments! I think that is an interesting point to include as my husband has made instruments, too. We play a guitar that he made years ago. It goes on to explain how some are to "assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measure of quantity or size." God cares about flour and baking! Some of my kids are musical, some are too young to even know if they are. Some are definitely future gatekeepers of their families, some are definitely interested in baking, too interested in fact.
But the reminder of having a morning and evening worship time, even in the midst of taking care of the house of God, was emphasized again, "And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening.....regularly before the Lord. (23:30) It doesn't matter what task is being done, regular worship of God is required.
Chapter 24 is when he organizes the priests, "according to their appointed duties in their service". It's ok to give appointed duties to our children. This is how work gets done efficiently and effectively. Each priest is named. This means they matter. Names matter. Each of our children get called by name and a task is given to them. I'll make a list and put the names of each child beside the task.
Chapter 25 is all about the musicians. He describes one man, "Heman". He had 17 children. "They were all under the direction of their father in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. The number of them along with their brothers who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skillful, was 288. And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike." This is a cool passage as it talks about a musical family! Under the direction of their father. Some of the kids were good at singing, others at musical instruments. It even includes the idea that they were trained by teachers in their musical abilities! Some were "small", others were "great", so clearly some were younger, some were older, some were probably very early learners, some very talented for years. We're so privileged to have had some fantastic musical training from great piano teachers over the years. We've never had voice training, but have had opportunities to sing. My one son longed to learn guitar, but alas, lessons were a little out of reach financially so he opted for an internet teacher who has been fantastic! He is now very adept at guitar and has inspired his other brother to learn as well. We never thought of drumming, but nowadays the box drum has made it so that just about anyone can sit and play the box drum and sound good without lessons as well, so my other son is doing that. Put it all together and my husband, along with a couple of other church members, and four of our children are now on the church stage a couple of times a month and it is wonderful! The chapter in the Bible may has well have said, "King David organized the worship teams, got them their music, made sure they practiced and then put them on a monthly schedule." Reading that chapter is inspiring to see how important worship and music is to the Lord.
Chapter 26 is all about gatekeepers. This chapter doesn't seem to be very profound yet it is as each gatekeeper is described as sons "who were rulers in their fathers' houses, for they were men of great ability". Nowadays I consider gatekeepers being the men of the house, watching for anything that could try to come in to our homes that could potentially pollute them, that could be dangerous, that could tear our families apart. We need to be raising men of "great ability" and discernment, "able men" as the chapter describes them. They aren't just any men, but men "qualified for the service". My 9 year old son said yesterday how he hates being 9. He's too young to do anything important, but too old to be doing the little kid stuff. I explained to him how these are the training years. He immediately went on and said, "So I guess I have to learn things now so that when I'm old I'll be able to do more things and then when I learn those things I'll be able to do other things and then when I learn those things I'll be able to do other things.....?" "Yes! That's it! You don't get qualified right away! So being 9 is so important!" He got it. We must make our sons able and qualified. "Watch corresponded to watch," the Bible says. We must train them to never let up so that there is never a time when their families, their homes, their churches are not being guarded from the enemy.
Even the maintenance of the church is mentioned. God wanted His house to look good! He wanted it to have a maintained look. I had my son mow in areas that no one even walks the other day. Why? Because then our house looks lived in, maintained, kept. Once the grass grows tall, even in areas that don't matter, it starts to look like we are in a deserted "who cares what it looks like" type of home. If you let one thing get away on you then you stop caring about other areas and pretty soon, the house and property look awful. Every summer we try to clean up more and more areas of the farm so we don't look like that. It is hard work and no one enjoys it, but this verse tells me it is important!
Enough for now.....there's more to describe....but I will keep these ideas in my mind today knowing I don't need to feel bad when I give my children work. I'm helping to create qualified children who will ultimately be in the service of the Lord in some way in the future be it in their homes, their professions or even in ministry.
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