Almost Indistinguishable

Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person,

they are almost indistinguishable.

- David W. Augsburger
Caring Enough to Hear and Be Heard

Painting ~ Afternoon Tea, Sir John Everett Millais, 1889
public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Our Part Is to Nurture

If you're a Christian parent, I'm sure your greatest desire is that your children come to faith in Jesus Christ. I was reminded of that this week in talking with a mom who has wisdom in waiting for God to work in her child's heart.

Wanting to share an article with you that I read this week: "How the Spirit Draws a Child."  If you have children still living at home, I think you'll appreciate the "graces" the author discusses to nurture them in their faith. 

A brief excerpt from the article that you can find here:

As a pastor for family discipleship and children's ministries, I see how open children's hearts often are, with a kind of eagerness to learn that is distinct to childhood. Our part as parents is to nurture their hearts toward Christ through prayer, God's word, and patient love, while trusting the Spirit to minister to them as only he can. We cannot change our children's hearts. But we can welcome the Spirit's work as we join him in exalting the name of Jesus Christ in our homes. 

Painting - A Game in the Park 

Victor-Gabriel Gilbert, 1847-1933

public domain, Wikigallery

What Part Does Forgiveness Play?

We're hosting a mid-week small group in our home, and this week the topic was on forgiveness. Talk turned to the MeToo movement and what part forgiveness plays. It seems that many are more bent on destruction than forgiveness. It appears that some use the movement as a political, positional maneuver, putting their own agenda ahead of any concern that might be possible for the person whom they condemn.

While there has certainly been some good coming from the movement, there are many shards that rip and ruin along the way. One of those slaughterous shards is that it assumes guilt until proven innocent. The burden of proof is placed on the accused, with the accuser simply believed because the words flow off the tongue or the ink spills from the pen. A striking characteristic of the movement is that some are reaching so far back that there is little memory of those days to prove innocence. Neither can guilt be proven in some cases, but character has been attacked and reputations ruined. For many, the goal is accomplished and much of it due to a vengeful spirit.

So, back to our group's question--what part does forgiveness play?  The prerequisite question: Is the accuser willing to forgive? Reconciliation is the goal of forgiveness. Is this the goal of the accuser?  Does the accuser seek reconciliation or ruination? Or is it all couched in 'justice'? And what about when we're on the side of the justice scale that tips toward our own guilt in a different area? Are we just as willing for justice then? Or is justice demanded only for the sins against us, not by us?

What is the goal of the accuser?

Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? (James 3:11)

Painting ~ Chatting, Eugen von Blaas, 1905

public domain via Wikimedia

More Than the Provisions

As life goes on and I'm Homeward bound, I'm continually thankful for God's provisions.  For one thing, I had an appointment this week with my hematologist and treatment for my blood clot has been very different than it was ten years ago. I haven't had to have shots every day for a week! Sooo thankful for that!

But beyond being thankful for God's myriad provisions, I'm simply thankful for Him. For it is He who provides for my needs. It is His presence that calms my heart in times of anxiety and fear. It is His strength that enables me to take the next step. It is His love that flows through me to love those that I find difficult to even like. It is His forgiveness of my own sins that take root in my heart and pull me away from fellowship with Him. It is His mercy that calls to me and draws me back to Himself. 

It is His creative work that My Beloved and I find so beautiful as we drive through the countryside where the wheat, the corn, the cotton grows, and we view the majestic mountains in the distance. 

It is His church in which we find sweet fellowship. And as our pastor reminded us last evening, it is His Word in which we find delight.

If Your law had not been my delight,

Then I would have perished in my affliction.

Psalm 119:92

In the Sewing Room ~ Kim Diehl Wall Quilt

I had an email earlier this week from my local quilt shop back home in West Virginia, reminding me about their upcoming shop hop across the state--WV Mountain Quest. It brought back some good memories of the shop and classes I took that were taught by my neighbor and good friend.

I was reminded about a quilt top that I pieced in one of the classes right before we moved, so I brought it out today to finish up with the quilting. It's 20" x 20", and as you can see by the quarter that's lying toward the bottom left of the center section, the pieces are pretty small.

That means lots of seams, which can be a bit tedious to hand quilt. I'm mostly stitching in the ditch since there's enough interest going on with the piecing, so if I stay on the downhill side, I should be okay. I like to do lap quilting. The rhythm of the stitching is relaxing, so I'll see how it's going this evening.

If you're a quilter, you might recognize Kim Diehl's pattern "Laundry Day." One of the things I like about Kim's fabric is that whatever she designs coordinates with anything she had designed in the past. This quilt pattern is part of her Simple Whatnots Club Collection 1. I think I've made a half dozen or so of her quilts and posted a few of them here. But look here at some images of Kim's quilts if you really want to see some quilted inspiration! And here's a brief bio about her.

I hope you're having some time to express some creativity in your home, too. Of course, it doesn't have to be sewing or anything "crafty" at all. It's just anything that shows a new idea, even just a new way of expressing something that has inspired your own imagination. There's nothing new under the sun, but there are lots of ideas to tweak for our own "creation."

It's one of the ways we're created in the image of God. Creativity!

A Simple, Solitary Act of Worship

You've probably had the experience when God often uses simple, solitary moments to encourage us in some aspect of our walk with Him. He did that for me yesterday when we were out for supper where we routinely stop for fish.

As we were waiting for our food, I noticed a man over My Beloved's shoulder who was also waiting for his meal. I shouldn't have been surprised, but when it arrived, the gentleman folded his hands, bowed his head, and I'm sure he was thanking God for it.

Here was a man eating dinner alone, yet who took a moment to acknowledge where this provision really came from. My Beloved and I had done the same a few minutes previous to that, but this gentleman's prayer got me to thinking....

Is my prayer at mealtimes just a habit? If I had to eat alone in a restaurant, would I pray as intentionally as this man did? I know that I would thank God for the food, but would I talk to Him just in my mind and get on with the meal?

Or would I be reverent enough to offer my gratitude for God's provision as a moment of worship, as I felt I was viewing that very moment? This gentleman had no one's hand to hold, no one to share the moment with, no one expecting him to bow his head and pray.

That spoke volumes to me. God used that moment to speak into my heart about this simple, solitary act of worship that expresses gratitude for our daily provision.

Image ~ Grace, Eric Enstrom, 1918

Deepen Our Home Affections

We thank You for this our earthly home. 

We thank You for the love that binds us together, 

For the refuge we find here from this world's enmities. 

Here we can trust each other, and are sure of each other's love. 

Deepen our home affections. 

Draw us closer together as a family. 

Make our home-life sweeter. 

Enable us to be more helpful to each other. 

Teach us patience in our family and in all our mingling together. 

Help us to find the best things in each other, 

And to give one to the other the best things of love we have in our hearts.

 ~ J. R. Miller, in Family Prayers for Thirteen Weeks

Image ~ Child at Prayer, Eastman Johnson 1873

public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Do You Really Know America's History?

Many of us who have some years behind us know that America today is not what it was even fifty years ago, and is far from where it was at its founding. Most children and young adults in the present generation haven't heard the true history of America, unless their parents or teachers have made a special effort to instruct them.

History is being rewritten by those who want to eradicate our Christian heritage. As George Orwell noted in his novel 1984, "Those who control the present control the past, and those who control the past control the future."

Many present-day writers are re-writing America's history, framing it as they want it presented. Books are now being written through their biased lens on history, extracting the Christian influence that America was founded upon. By controlling what people learn about America's past, re-writers are presenting a version of history that is shaping our future. They have an agenda that is playing out in America's falling away from truth, values and morality.

Older American history books will be of great value to those who want to know the true history. I think it would be prudent to scout out used book stores to find them. We have several from our homeschooling years, as well as our daughter's Civil War interest. That's another era that is being re-shaped. We'll surely hold on to the books we have for the next generation.

In the meantime, people like David Barton of Wallbuilders is "presenting America's forgotten history and heroes with an emphasis on our moral, religious, and constitutional heritage." We recently watched several videos in a series entitled The American Heritage Series on Amazon Prime Video. There are 25 videos in the series (we haven't watched them all yet!) that run about 25 minutes. They would be an excellent teaching resource for those of you with high schoolers or young adults still at home, particularly. If they're in the public schools, colleges or universities, they'll probably not learn the true story of America's founding and Christian heritage.

That's a very sad thought, not to know the facts of your own nation's history, to have it censored and hidden from you. Is that how it is with your children? Do you yourself really know the true story of America? The American Heritage Series just might be enlightening to the whole family.

Hardly a Romance Story

Continuing my study in the Book of  Esther and reflecting today on King Ahasuerus' advisors' counsel to

"let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she." 

The statement begs the question, what were the qualifications to be "more worthy" than Vashti? Her offense was refusing to come when the king beckoned. While this was an issue of compliance that put the king in a bad light, the basis for choosing a new queen was youth, virginity, and beauty. Hardly reflective of Vashti's offense.

How would the king know if he was getting a more compliant queen? Perhaps he conducted interviews in that regard prior to the night's activities, but I highly doubt it. Ahasuerus lived in excess and power, and the way he chose a new queen was the way he conducted his life and his empire. He took whatever he wanted, just as he took the young girls for his own harem (history tells us 400 of them). His passions were insatiable. If the next queen didn't suit him, she, too, was dispensable.

I suspect a question that continually lingered in Esther's mind was what is it that suits the king at the moment? Hardly a romance story, as it's typically depicted.

Image ~ Esther haram, Edwin Long 1829-1891

public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Slow Down and Rest

Sharing a thought with you on this Lord's Day from a devotional reading this week that reminded me why I like to rest on Sundays, my chosen Sabbath. While we aren't under the OT laws, it's still a good idea to stop for awhile. God thought so, too, and He didn't even need the rest.

Slow down and rest: God commands it. In fact, resting is so important that it is the fourth of the Ten Commandments. The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word for "ceasing" or "stopping." Have you ever wondered why God thinks that having a day of "stopping" is so important? The first instance of Sabbath features God himself resting. In the opening chapter of Genesis, God creates everything that exists in six days. And "God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done" (Gen. 2:3). In some ways this seems natural enough; after all, God had just created everything! But every act of creation required nothing more of God than a spoken word. God isn't toiling in sweat and anguish--just the opposite. Every creative act began with a word and ended with the pronouncement, "And God saw that it was good." God effortlessly creates and orders all things to be beautiful reflections of his glory and power. His day of rest is a demonstration of his absolute mastery and the happy obedience of his creation. God's rest isn't a picture of tiredness, but a display of his absolute sovereignty.

Winston T. Smith, in Heart of the Matter

June 13 entry

Image ~ Girl in the Hammock, Winslow Homer, 1873 
public domain via Wikimedia Commons