When A Mother Chooses to Stay Home

Just finished reading this week's chapter in preparation for our Mom's Discussion Group this evening and want to share a bit with you from The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson. I can say from my own experience as a mother that Sally's assessment of the opportunities for stay-at-home moms and their children far outweigh the call to career.

If a woman chooses to stay at home with her children, she has the opportunity of nursing her baby in peacefulness of her own home, caressing her precious little one, singing sweet lullabies to comfort and please the child's deepest emotional desires. She can offer them the restfulness of long, quiet naps in their own bedrooms. She has time to enrich the home environment with beautiful sights and smells--from aromas of homemade soup bubbling on the stove to the beautiful pictures in books--and arrange outings that foster budding intellects and awaken curiosity. And she has the flexibility to change her schedule to respond to teachable moments--those times when children's natural curiosity leads them to question and learn.

Best of all, when a mother chooses to stay home, she has the time and opportunity to craft the kind of relationship with her young children that only extended time together can foster. And from such a relationship she has a much better chance of building a strong moral and spiritual foundation in the heart of her young child, teaching a system of truth and values without the constant challenge of authorities and peers whose lives are totally different. When these advantages are taken away from a child, how can we not count them as a loss to a whole generation of children who are hungry for direction, love, stability, and individual attention?

Painting ~ Mother and Daughter, George Goodwin Kilburne 1839-1924

Wikigallery public domain

On Pleasing God

Thinking today on pleasing God, a thought from 1 Thessalonians 4. In the first verse, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians to conduct their lives in a way that is pleasing to God, even to abound in it. Isn't that a splendid thought, that we can please God, that He finds pleasure in us? And what is it that pleases Him? What does our loving Father want to see in our lives? I've been thinking about that and looking more into the Scriptures to see what it is that pleases Him.

First and foremost is believing faith, a transformed heart fully devoted to Him. Without faith it's impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). That's where we all must start, or nothing else we do or think or feel will count.

Paul tells the Philippians that it is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). Amazing. God works in us for His own pleasure. It's that important to Him, and He even makes it possible. I don't have to do it by myself. It's the Holy Spirit living within me, but it's my cooperating with Him about it. 

I recall what pleasure it gave me for my daughters to actually want to do the things I had worked to instill in them when they were growing up, things like waiting for their mother to begin eating before they took that first bite at the dinner table. That was teaching them how to be a guest in someone's home, to honor the hostess. It pleased me when it naturally became a part of their dinner etiquette. God is pleased when we respond with a "want to" heart to His working within. He's pleased to do what is good for us.

Remember when God told Solomon that he would give him whatever he wanted, and Solomon asked for a discerning heart? God was pleased with that (I Kings 3). I wonder if that's what I would have asked for if God had told me that He would give me anything I wanted. I know something I want deep down in my heart right now. Would I choose a discerning heart instead? God is pleased with us when we want heart change, when we want a heart that discerns His will. It pleases Him to give us a heart for His ways.

What else pleases God? Psalm 147 tells us that He takes pleasure in those who fear him and those who hope in His mercy. Without His mercy where would we be? Without God's mercy we would all be in a pit of desolation. Before we can hope in His mercy, we must first fear His judgment of sin. If we fear that, God in His mercy takes pleasure in redeeming us from ourselves and our sin. He wants us to lie down in green pastures, to lead us beside still waters, to restore our soul, and to lead us in paths of righteousness--for His namesake. We have the blessed expectant hope that His goodness and His mercy will follow us all the days of our life! (Psalm 23)

I didn't exhaust my inquiry into this topic, but it's clear to me that pleasing God isn't a list of what to do and what not to do. It's a matter of faith, a matter of the heart, of being willing to work in tandem with Him. It's a matter of fearing Him and relying on His mercy to change me into the likeness of His Son, of being willing to let Him rescue me from my second greatest enemy--myself. It pleases Him for me to want that.

My meditations lead me to wonder--if God offered me anything, what would I choose?

Image ~ Sunflowers, via pixabay
CC0 Creative Commons

The Simple Woman's Daybook

On Saturdays I reflect on simple thoughts and simple pleasures. My leads are somewhat similar to others in The Simple Woman's Daybook group, yet a bit different as well.

Outside my window...
Darkness. Almost time for bed.

A Picture to Share...

My Apple Streusel Muffins

From the kitchen...
A friend gave me some fresh orchard apples from a day trip, and I made some apple streusel muffins with them. Yummm.... I've had this recipe in my notebook for a few years, and I can't remember which magazine I clipped it from to give proper credit. My guess is Taste of Home, but maybe not. Sharing the recipe with you.

I like the crunchy tops, so I don't glaze the muffins. These are especially good served warm. 
Apple Streusel Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped peeled tart apples

Streusel Topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold butter

Glaze
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1/4 vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

• In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk the eggs, butter and vanilla.
• Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be stiff).
• Fold in apples.
• Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full (I used silicone, no greasing).

• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
• Cut in butter until crumbly.
• Sprinkle over batter.

• Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (a few minutes longer for jumbos).
• Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

If desired, combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over muffins.

Yield: 1 dozen

Noticing the sound of... 
WVU ballgame while I sit with My Beloved.

Thankful...
That My Beloved is not a sports addict.
 
Thinking...
About the thousands of people in the stands.  America is mesmerized by entertainment. As fans chant and wave their towels, it's reminding me of the Coliseum, as some of you will understand. The frenzy of crowd psychology. Chilling at times.

From the sewing room...
More Little Dresses for Africa. As of today there are 68 dresses in my sewing room in various stages of completion. I certainly haven't made all of them! They were made by several ladies in the church at our sewing bee and in their homes, and some are still being stitched. They're due to be completed at the end of the month. Eager to see how many we make total.
 

Learning...
Adjusting to My Beloved going back to work for a short term project.

This coming week I'm looking forward to...
Finishing the Little Dresses

From the garden...  
Pulled up most of the zinnias this week. Hoping to get some chrysanthemums to replace them next week.

Around the house...
The upstairs bath is almost finished. Hooray! Bought towel rods, etc. today and picked up the vanity top yesterday. Just need to get some help to get it up the stairs. Too heavy for me to help.

A thought from my Quiet Time...

Reading through the book of Acts. Currently in chapter 8 and finding it interesting that Samaritans were the first non-Jew converts. Samaritans, who had been considered heretics by the Jews, now becoming brothers in Christ. People who once repelled each other now repenting with each other.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
will you this moment His grace receive? 

~ Julia H. Johnston

... for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, ... for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ~ Galatians 3:28

Currently reading...
The Book Tree: A Christian Reference for Children's Literature by mother and daughter team, Elizabeth McCallum & Jane Scott. Perusing more than reading. It's a list of recommended classic children's books by age-level and children's books by Christian authors. It's a good resource with brief overviews of the books, but I'd like for some specifics on why the books were chosen. Sharing some comments from the authors with you.

As you select books for your children, we strongly suggest that you avoid cartoon versions of classic children's stories that water down the story visually and verbally. We also recommend that readers read unabridged books, and we have therefore excluded all abridged editions.... We also warn parents that children's sections of bookstores and the local public libraries are no longer safe places for young children to browse unsupervised. The latest children's literature reflects a tendency to focus upon sordid themes.

The Blessing of Children

Thinking about the time with our Moms Group this evening. Discussion went to Genesis 1, when God blessed Adam and Eve. Part of that blessing was to be fruitful and multiply. Children are God's blessing to us. What an awesome privilege to be part of God's plan of procreating the earth!  He has put it in our hearts to receive this blessing, but because of the Fall and the sinful state of life, many have difficulty seeing children as anything but a hindrance or a nuisance. They're certainly work and responsibility, but God's blessings are always good for us.

Families are a good thing. Children bring life to ..... well, life!  Before I had children, I had no concept of what joy they would bring me. I had delayed blessings because of my own self-focus. Nine years of career-minded thinking, not knowing what joy and blessing I was missing. That's not to say that everything changed in the birthing room. I had to have a heart change, and that took some time. But when I got my focus off myself and onto these new little humans that God had placed in my life, my capacity for receiving the blessings greatly increased. I could have lived in those years forever.

Our group is meeting weekly here in my home to discuss The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson. Sharing something from this chapter that I hadn't considered before:

The fruitful family was even the foundational place in which the Son of God was placed in which to represent his Father in this world. When God chose to bring Jesus into the world, as a full reflection of his glory and being, he chose to bring him into a simple family with a mother and father and, eventually, siblings. It was within the context of this home that Jesus was trained and instructed and loved and nurtured, both protected and prepared for his ministry ahead.

Totally awesome.

Painting ~ The Family Picnic, Frederick Morgan 1856-1927

Wikigallery public domain

The Least of These

I've been making more Little Dresses for Africa the last couple of days. Actually, finishing some that were cut out and embellished at our Daughters of Grace meeting last week when we fellowshipped around piles of fabric, pillowcases, binding, and rick rack. Little dresses for a big cause, for two orphanages where our own missionaries serve—Faith Children's Village and New Hope Uganda.  It’s making a difference in the life of some of God’s children.

Not only are we ministering to the orphanages, we’re ministering to Jesus Christ Himself. We’re serving Him through serving others, specific others. Jesus says in Matthew 25:31-46 that when we’ve ministered to “one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (v.40). This verse is often quoted to support generally helping the needy of the world, and helping those in need is a right thing to do. But here Jesus makes it more specific. Who are the brethren? Jesus answers this question in Matthew 12, verses 48-50, “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."  While many of these children may not be followers of Jesus Christ yet, our missionaries who work with them are, and we serve Christ through serving them.

Little dresses, helping to change one life at a time.

 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. ~ Galatians 6:10

Thought you might like to see a video of little dresses being given out in Uganda. These dresses were made by a woman in NC, Lisa Ward, and her brother delivered them. She made 95 dresses and went through a program called Dress A Girl Around the World. You can find out more about that group here. I would have liked to have seen the little girl in the front of the line (about 50 secs into the video) get her dress. She reappears shortly and caught my eye. She's waiting expectantly.

Body Life Exercise

Not long ago while I was walking, I ran into a woman I hadn’t seen for about thirty years (we actually recognized one another, in spite of my gray hair and her red). We had once attended the same church, and when I asked her where she was attending now, she began to explain why she and her husband had chosen a particular church: (a) it’s close to Nautilus—she likes to exercise early in the day (every day), so she goes there right after church; (b) there’s an early morning service—she can get church done with and go on over to Nautilus early; and (c) the preaching is short—she’s developed a short attention span over the years and doesn’t like to sit very long.

 

Without comment as to her reasons for choosing her church, I began to consider my own reasons for going to my church. I don’t go to Nautilus, so it has nothing to do with that. However, it has everything to do with exercise and keeping spiritually healthy.

Ephesians 4:15-16 says, "We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

We’re body builders. The church is a body and should function as a body. Each of us, when we're joined together and working properly, helps others of us grow. I need to do more than merely attend and hurry out so I can get on to the next thing. Church isn’t just something else I add to my to-do list and make fit where it’s most convenient (if it’s convenient). It’s a vital part of my life. It’s where I receive and give nourishment.

Church is not something I do. It's not a social club that I belong to, and it’s not an organization. Yes, there is socializing and there are organized classes and activities and ways of doing things in a local church body. There may be organization to it, but my church is not an organization. The church is what we are—it’s the body of believers, with Jesus Christ as the Head.

It’s a body of relationships. Ephesians 2:19 says, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." That’s not to say that all the relationships in the church body are intimate relationships. In fact, a few people are hard to like. I’m hard for some people to like. But it’s a place where God uses us in each other's life. God sometimes uses someone who rubs me the wrong way just as much as he uses our pastor to teach me something about myself. Why do my feathers get ruffled? Why do I get offended? It’s good to consider those things, to examine myself. Not easy, but good for me. We choose to like one another. We choose to help one another. As a woman, for me it’s Titus2ing—women encouraging and teaching one another.

Church is also where I spend time in corporate worship. It’s part of my life of worship; it’s coming together with like-minded people, encouraging one another in our faith, expressing praise and glory and honor to Jesus Christ.

“Is the preaching long at your church?” she asked. I hesitated as I thought about it, because I really don’t think about it while I’m listening to our pastor’s message. Maybe it’s because he makes the truth of God’s Word so relevant to our lives. No, that’s not it because God’s Word is already relevant, whether or not I recognize it. Maybe it’s because our pastor is a good speaker. He is, but no, that’s not it because God has used poor speakers in the past (Jonathan Edwards, for one) to bring the truth of His Word to the hearts of the people, changing them in tremendous ways. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but I think some major reasons why I don’t think about our sermons being long is (a) they aren’t, (b) our pastor’s love for Jesus Christ and His Word is infectious, and (c) I want to ‘grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.’ With the church body is where I find myself growing.

Yes, it does have a lot to do with exercise, but not the Nautilus kind. It's body life.

Painting ~ The Church at Gloucester 1918, Frederick Childe Hassam 1859-1924

WikiArt public domain

Held In Our Hands

Home is the true wife's kingdom. There, first of all places, she must be strong and beautiful. She may touch life outside in many ways, if she can do it without slighting the duties that are hers within her own doors. But if any calls for her service must be declined, they should not be the duties of her home. These are hers, and no other one's. Very largely does the wife hold in her hands, as a sacred trust, the happiness and the highest good of the hearts that nestle there. The best husband—the truest, the noblest, the gentlest, the richest-hearted—cannot make his home happy if his wife be not, in every reasonable sense, a helpmate to him.

~ J.R. Miller, Secrets of Happy Home Life

Painting ~ A Ray of Sunshine, Carlton Alfred Smith 1853-1946

Wikipedia Commons public domain 

Constitution Day

"The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and his apostles...This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government."

~ Noah Webster, History of the United States, 1832
Revolution soldier; Judge; Legislator; Educator
"Schoolmaster to America"

Have you read our Constitution, or do you rely on what others tell you it says? Take some time this Constitution Week to read it for yourself. You may be surprised at what it actually says (and doesn't say). For example, most people believe separation of church and state is dictated by the Constitution, but you won't find it there. Understand where we are now in America because of the perpetuation of that falsehood.

The Constitution contains only about 4400 words and takes about a half hour to read. Surely worth your time! Educate yourself and be informed. Defend our Constitutional rights for our children and grandchildren.

Image ~ By Constitutional Convention 
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Little Attentions and Kindnesses

There is no place in the world where the amenities of courtesy should be so carefully maintained as in the home. There are no hearts that hunger so for expressions of affection as the hearts of which we are most sure. There is no love that so needs its daily bread as the love that is strongest and holiest. There is no place where rudeness or incivility is so unpardonable as inside our own doors and toward our best beloved. The tenderer the love and the truer, the more it craves the thousand little attentions and kindnesses which so satisfy the heart.  ~ J. R. Miller 

Painting ~ A Present for My Sister, Philippe F. Sauvage 

French 19th century

via I Am A Child In Art History

Our Primary Pleasure

Sharing a bit of my devotional reading with you today from 50 Days of Heaven: Reflections That Bring Eternity to Light by Randy Alcorn. These are daily meditations from his book, Heaven. A friend recommended the book to me, and it is helping me see heaven in a clearer light.

The anticipation of seeing God face-to-face is heartfelt and ancient.... In what form will we be when we see God? Will we be ghostly spirits, floating about? No, we will be resurrected human beings, standing and kneeling, walking and talking, praying and worshiping and laughing, eating and drinking in our new bodies. As Job cried out, "After my sin has been destroyed yet in my flesh I will see God."

Will the Christ we worship in Heaven as God also be human? Yes. According to Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday [when he lived on Earth] and today [when he lives in the present Heaven] and forever [when he will live on the New Earth, in the eternal Heaven]."

In Heaven, the barriers between redeemed human beings and God will be removed forever. We will look into God's eyes and see what we've always longed to see: the person who made us for his own good pleasure. Seeing God will be like seeing everything else for the first time. Why? Because not only will we see God, he will be the lens through which we see everything else--other people, ourselves, and the events of our earthly lives.

"The redeemed will indeed enjoy other things.... But that which they shall enjoy in the angels or each other, or in anything else whatsoever, that will yield them delight and happiness, will be what will be seen of God in them."  ~ Jonathan Edwards

Looking Out the Window

It seems that when God has His finger on an area of my life that I come up against it pretty consistently. I've been discouraged lately about something that I'd thought had been conquered. Not so. Disappointment struck again, and I've been dwelling on it far too much--which digs a deeper disappointment ditch.

I read Lost in the Middle / Midlife and the Grace of God by Paul David Tripp not long ago, and God used it to lift me to much higher ground. But I have much further to go.  He uses His Word over and over again to give me more understanding of His grace and comfort. How to respond to disappointments and deferred hope?

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,...  Proverbs 13:12a

How do we find encouragement in discouragement? How do we keep from turning inward and missing God's grace? First, we draw closer to God. Instead of pulling away because we don't feel His presence, we need to draw closer to Him so we can walk through trials with Him. We need to pursue Him. We also need to follow Paul's example in his distress. He turned his eyes away from his personal affliction and rejoiced in the evidence of the faith of those he loved.

But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you; for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; ....  For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account, as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you.      ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:6-11

As I heard it expressed some time ago, I need to stop looking in the mirror and start looking out the window. In other words, stop focusing on myself and look more intently on others, rejoicing in the evidence of their faith and love. Let them be reminders that God is actively working in the lives of His children. I may not see Him at work in my own situation at the moment, but that doesn't mean He isn't at work. It just means that I don't see it. My sight may be impaired for whatever reason--sin, discouragement, or God's choice. For whatever reason, He wants me to trust His heart even though I don't see His hand.

There's another phrase in this passage that strikes me as well-- that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you. We can encourage others by letting them know that we think kindly of them and long to see them, that there's something about them that we appreciate.

There's a third aspect of encouragement and joy here as well... "as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you."  It's important to be together, so much so that the Apostle Paul says he prays day and night for it--most earnestly prays. But hope deferred makes the heart sick. Yes, but Proverbs go on to say

... but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12b

So, I ask myself--Am I showing my care and concern about others? Do I let them know that I think kindly of them? (Just thinking it doesn't count.) Do I let them know what I appreciate about them? Do I let people know that I'm truly glad to see them? Do I let them know that I've missed them when they're gone? Do I even notice when they're gone? Am I allowing the evidence of their faith to encourage me in mine? Am I getting my care and concern off myself? Do I pray--day and night-- that we'll eventually be together? Which do I do more often--gaze in the mirror or look out the window?

Painting ~ Waiting By The Window, Carl Holsoe 1863-1935
via Wikimedia Commons public domain

The Simple Woman's Daybook

On Saturdays I reflect on simple thoughts and simple pleasures. My leads are somewhat similar to others in The Simple Woman's Daybook group, yet a bit different as well.

Outside my window...
A praying mantis on the window screen.

Some Pictures to Share...
I went out to get a picture of him.
















It's near dusk and I couldn't get very close to him over the bushes, but when I looked down, I saw his friend. I DID get a good picture of him or maybe her.

Noticing the sound of... 
The quietening of the birds as darkness falls.

Thinking...
That grandchildren need their grandparents and vicy versy. They're good for one another. If you have yours nearby, there are blessings all the way around--grandchildren, parents, grandparents. All can benefit.

Thankful...
That my mother's colonoscopy showed no cancer. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights. James 1:17

From the sewing room...
My latest Little Dress for Africa. #13

Learning...
To make bias tape from fat quarters for the Little Dresses to give more variety of fabric and colors. Then I can add pockets to match the binding, which I did for this one.

This coming week I'm looking forward to...
Our Daughters of Grace meeting on Monday when we'll be making Little Dresses for Africa at our sewing bee.

From the garden...  
Not much happening right now except for continued deadheading, but I do need to pull some wild morning glory vines from the azaleas. The chrysanthemums by the mailbox are about 3 feet in diameter, so they should provide lots and lots of blooms when they burst forth!

Around the house...
One thing leads to another as My Beloved continues the work on the upstairs bathroom. We're putting a new mirror and light fixture up, which means the wire needs raised a little higher. Seems that when the house was built an electrical box wasn't put in for the light. The wire was just sticking out of the wall. So...My Beloved had to attend to that and patch the wall.

From the kitchen...
Not much yummy happening there either this week with the start of our homeschool class at church and my attention given to the Little Dresses.

A thought from my Quiet Time...
I think the disciple Thomas is singled out a bit unfairly for doubting that Jesus had risen from the tomb. Not that he didn't doubt. He did. But so did the other disciples, even when Jesus appeared to them.

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!"  But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."  And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.~ Luke 24: 36-40

Jesus knew they needed to see that he was real, to see his hands and his side. So why is Thomas chided for voicing what Jesus knew they all needed? Jesus didn't chide him. He showed Thomas what he had shown the others.

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."  Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

Neither does Jesus chide us when we doubt. He knows we need to see that he is real. But he does something more. He points us to a blessed higher ground.

"Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." ~ John 20:29

Currently reading...
50 Days of Heaven: Reflections That Bring Eternity to Light by Randy Alcorn. These are meditations from his larger work, Heaven. Will share some of it with you today and along the way.

Our longing for Heaven is a longing for God--a longing that involves not only our inner selves but our bodies as well. Being with God is the heart and soul of Heaven. Every other heavenly pleasure will derive from and be secondary to his holy presence. God's greatest gift to us is, and always will be, himself. His presence brings satisfaction. His absence brings thirst and longing.

Dominion or Worship?

We began the American Government class today for some high school home schoolers at our church. My Beloved and I are co-teaching, and I think I'm going to enjoy the term! I'm doing the planning and assignments, and he's doing the lecture part. We're meeting for a 2-hour class once a week, and the students have out-of-class work to do independently the remainder of the days. This is a great way to get ready for college course work and independent study. I've taught this course a couple of other times, but with My Beloved now retired, this is the first time we'll have the opportunity to teach it together. He has a much broader grasp of government than I do (I don't really even like to watch the news), and besides that, I just like to be in his class! We have a little website for the class, if you'd like to peek in.

One of the topics of discussion today was man's creation/dominion mandate, that God intends for man to subdue and rule over the earth. We showed a brief 10-minute excerpt from Into the Amazon: One Lost World, 30 Men, Seven Mysteries, a collection of 4 DVDs published by Vision Forum.  Doug Phillips builds the case of the dominion mandate, that the Amazon awaits man's dominion over it, to harness it for the good of man.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. ~ Genesis 1:28

This is the antithesis of today's environmental determinism that replaces the worship of the creator with the worship of the creation. I've heard it couched in terms like "nature reclaiming the earth." This belief holds that man is the intruder into nature. But that's not biblical thinking. Nature as we know it is part of the Fall as described in Genesis 3.

... cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you (v. 17-18).

The thorns and thistles and weeds that proliferate and would invade every inch of ground without man's intervention are indicative of the defective state of nature after the Fall. Can you imagine what nature would have been like before the Fall?! Still, so much of it is absolutely beautiful--the breathtaking scenes of Into the Amazon are just a glimpse of the grandeur of nature as God originally intended it to be. (BTW, the scenery alone is worth watching the DVDs!) We can hardly imagine what nature will be like on the new earth!

But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. ~ 2 Peter 2:13

The Amazon itself is a controversial place. Those who worship the creation subjugate themselves to the Amazon. Those who worship the Creator seek to fulfill God's mandate to subdue the Amazon.

Antithesis of belief. Antithesis of sovereignty. Antithesis of worship.

More Little Dresses for Africa

I finished gathering up supplies and such today for our Daughters of Grace meeting on Monday when we'll be making the Little Dresses for Africa, made from pillowcases or fabric yardage. I've made three more since I last showed you. They're so fun and easy to make! Several of the ladies at church are busy making them as well, and I'm eager to see all the finished dresses when the group gets together on Monday and makes more at our sewing bee. We're making them for a couple of orphanages where there are missionaries from our church family--Faith Children's Village and New Hope Uganda.

The idea for the project began when I was poking around on a sewing site, Nancy's Notions, and came across an interview with the founder of Little Dresses for Africa. It all began when this lady took a birthday trip to Africa and saw the destitute conditions of the children there. Since then, her organization has sent 20,000-25,000 dresses. You can listen to the interview here.

We're making ours a little differently to make it a bit easier for us, but Nancy shows the basic idea here. Instead of using elastic in the casing and bringing the ties from the armhole binding, we're binding the armholes and putting the bias tape through the casing and tying that at the shoulders. That eliminates the need for elastic. Either way, the dresses are easy and cute.

Since I've been working on the project I've found that many churches and groups across the country have taken on the project.  As Rachel says, "Changing lives one little dress at a time." The dresses do help, but the greatest change comes where the girls see Jesus caring for them through the compassion of the people working in the orphanages. They are instruments in the hands of the Redeemer.

Here's a short video clip of another organization showing some African girls expressing thanks for the dresses they've received through another organization called Dress a Girl Around the World. Listen closely to the words.

For the Children's Sake

Sharing with you today some September book highlights that I added to our church Book Nook. School is back in session, and minds are being conformed or transformed, depending on the setting and the teacher. A couple of the books highlighted this month focus on the importance of educational choices for our children and how to give them a love for learning and living. Another calls us to examine how we lead our children to the truth of the gospel and the genuineness of their profession, that they might not put their trust in a simple act but rather in the Savior.

For the Children’s Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School 

Susan Shaeffer Macaulay knows that every parent wants the best education for their children. No matter what educational setting they might choose, parents play an important role in helping their children develop a love for learning and living. This is done through the authority structure within the home, freedom within boundaries, respect to the child’s own personality, and time…time to explore and think and read “living books” that breathe life into learning. As Susan says, it’s true education without the “twaddle.”

 How Important Are Educational Choices? CD 

As Christians, we know that educational choices can hold eternal consequences. Not only is what our children learning shaping their minds, but the environment in which they learn and the hearts of those who teach them are equally affecting them. Doug Phillips exams educational philosophies, their consequences, and what we should biblically look for regarding our choices.

 Your Child’s Profession of Faith 

A parent’s greatest concern is the salvation of the children, particularly the genuineness of their profession of faith. How do we bring children along in their understanding of the gospel? How can we know if our children have responded to God’s grace or to an outward pressure? Dennis Gundersen discusses how to recognize the essentials of a genuine profession—for the child’s  eternal welfare. One of the ways is to “fix your child’s eyes on Christ, not on his own profession.” This is a valuable book for all who work with children and desire for them to come to an understanding faith in Christ.

Gentleness Encourages

Thinking about a portion of 1 Thess. 2, where Paul is talking about being gentle among the Thessalonian believers in order to encourage them in a godly walk. 

Paul says in verse 7 that “we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.” It brought to mind my daughter Elizabeth, whose little Elijah is now two years old. I think of the tenderness she shows toward him as she cares for him, especially when he was just a new, tiny being. There was and is tenderness because there’s affection. Tenderness when he’s being a sweet little darling, and tenderness when his sinful nature comes to the front. I think it’s a beautiful analogy that Paul uses when he writes to the Thessalonians—the in-God's-image tenderness of a nursing mother, rooted in affection.

Then in verse 11, Paul goes on to say that he was “exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children.” Another analogy of the love of a father who disciples and trains his children—“so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (v. 12).

These are word pictures God gives us of how we are to relate to one another in the family of God. Paul says he was gentle among the people because he had an affection for them and wanted to encourage them toward godly living.

So I ask myself—Do I tenderly encourage fellow believers to walk worthy of their calling in Christ—for His glory and the sake of the gospel? Do I have an affection for them? Do I encourage, and when I do, do I do it gently? 

The fruit of the Spirit is .... gentleness.

"As God by His Spirit reveals new areas of my life into which He wishes to move and work, my responsibility is to allow Him to have His way without resistance or hindrance. As He steadily and surely takes over more and more ground in my daily experience, the crop will gradually yield increase.... There can be a bountiful harvest of divine fruit because of the Good Gardener's great skill and my simple, humble, hearty response to His work within."

--Phillip Keller in A Gardener Looks at the Fruit of the Spirit

Painting ~ Special Moments, George Goodwin Kilburne 1839-1924
via I Am A Child In Art History public domain

Sunday Ponderings ~ Fixed Hope

   

Therefore, prepare your minds for action,  

keep sober in spirit, 

fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you 

at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 1:13 

How am I preparing my mind?

Are my preparations keeping me sober in spirit?

Is my hope fixed on the grace of Jesus Christ?

I hope your hope is in Him, too.
If you're not sure, you can find out more here.

Painting ~ The Flower Girl, Alexei Alexeivich Harlamoff 1842-1923
Wikigallery public domain

Filled With Purpose

I just lost a half hour of blogging. Somehow what I had written just disappeared off the page and is irretrievable. I was writing about motherhood, with some thoughts borne from our Mom's discussion group last evening. We're discussing Sally Clarkson's book, The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity. I must go on to other things in my day right now, but I do want to leave you with a few overarching thoughts from Sally's book:

[Many women] don't know how to reconcile these conflicting messages [from our current culture] with the calling of God on their hearts and lives. What's the cure for this confusion? I believe it lies with a rediscovery of the traditional mission of motherhood, a rediscovery of what God had in mind when he first designed families.... My calling as a mother is the same as any other Christian's: to fulfill God's will for our lives and to glorify him.... The journey of discovering God's design for motherhood has filled me with purpose, peace, fulfillment, and excitement. In fact, I have come to believe that being a mother encompasses all that is best within me. I have come to believe that motherhood, while demanding, is one of the most meaningful roles a woman can fulfill. ~ Sally Clarkson

Welcome, September

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather
And autumn's best of cheer.
 
~Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

September is the doorway to my favorite season. Soon all of creation will glow with autumn blaze and a warm homey coziness will settle in. Hot, muggy days will soon be over, with cool mornings and chilly nights returning. 

September days are quiet here with neighborhood children off to school. I miss those days with the smell of new books and pencils, when we were busy settling into a routine of home schooling. We always began our school year in early August, and by September we were in full swing. So much to learn and do. An early August start gave us December to put away the school books and enjoy the Christmas season.

This school year My Beloved and I will be teaching a government class for the home schoolers in our church. We began teaching a few classes when our own girls were in their high school years, when we gathered a few friends together for a class that worked well as a group. We'll be actively involved at the Legislature come spring and doing some lobbying should our homeschooling freedoms be attacked, as they so often are. Someday, maybe we can help home school our grandchildren. What fun that would be! 
 

Painting ~ Autumn Scenery
Created by Photoangel - Freepik.com