TRUTHS Part 5

This is the last post on the truths Nancy Leigh DeMoss highlights in summary of the Bible study.

Truth #21 My suffering will not last forever
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
When we actually think with an eternal perspective this is a powerful truth to hang to. Life is hard. There's no way around it. All of creation groans, waiting to be redeemed. There will be war, famine, sickness and death until the end, which is actually the beginning. But my God is a purposeful God, and there are no such things as 'happenstances' or chance. Everything that He allows into my life (every hardship and sorrow) has been filtered through Him and is only there to achieve His purposes in my life.

Truth #22 It's not all about me; it's all about Him
Colossians 1:16-18 "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."
There is a basic obstacle I must overcome; the world does not revolve around me. What was I created for? If I was created to be happy and enjoy life, than anything that gets in the way of that is going to become my enemy. However, if I was created for God's purposes and His glory, than I can stop pursuing personal happiness (which isn't going to bring lasting fulfillment anyway) and focus on the person this universe is really all about, and that is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is a daily laying down of self, because I am evil. It comes naturally to be concerned about myself. To preserve my own life, to do all I can to make myself happy and comfortable.

I can't say enough good things about this Bible study and how it's brought light to so many areas in my life. This is one that will be revisited over and over again for sure, and probably passed along too. Initially, when I read over the 40 lies that Nancy decided to focus the book on, I kind of shrugged and said to myself, "Yeah, I know all that." What I didn't know, is how deep those lies actually run in my life, and how hidden they can be. Satan really is a trickster, He is the master of disguise. Even things that seem good and worth pursuing have been revealed to me as another one of Satan's tactics to get me off course.

I would say the number one thing that I've come away with after finishing this study, is realizing once again the importance of hiding God's word in my heart. I must saturate my mind in His truth, memorize the Scripture, and renew my thinking.

TRUTHS Part 4

More wonderful truths from God's Word. I hope you are encouraged by these ones, as I was this morning.

Truth #16 The greatest freedom I can experience is found through submission to God-ordained authority
Ephesians 5:21 "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

I struggle with this truth, and I see many women struggle with it in their marriages also. We are deceived into thinking we know better in a situation; and perhaps we have a pretty good idea, but it may not be our place to give that idea at that time. Too often, we belittle or strip our husbands of authority (unintentionally) by pushing our ideas on them when they are getting ready to make a decision. If I step back and look at the bigger picture, how often do we actually get in the way when we step out from underneath their authority? I believe that the more we are able to come under our husband's authority, the greater our faith in our Father. It may seem potentially scary or risky to allow our husbands to make those tough financial decisions, or even those small things like cleaning up something differently than we would have. As long as we're being obedient to what the Father is asking us to do, we are under His protective covering. He is going to use our lives powerfully. We may not see how in this life, but we certainly will the other side of heaven when He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Truth #17 In the will of God, there is no higher holier calling than being a wife and mother
Titus 2:4-5 "Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

This message is, of course, for those God calls to be wife and mothers, which is a wide majority of women. To stay and tend the home is quickly being abandoned by women in the church. We are being swept away by the world's messages and values and feeling less-important if we are just stay-at-home mothers. We may find more instant affirmation in a career, and temporarily feel more useful, stimulated and fulfilled, and have more material conveniences, but in the bigger picture we are abandoning the calling God has laid on our lives, those of us that are wives and mothers. I am actually telling God that His plan isn't for me and that I believe I can make a bigger impact outside the home in someone else's life. Or that I can do both! Oh, how we need to pray that women come back to realize how important their role is in the home. Life is too busy to try and mother part-time.

Truth #18 Personal holiness is more important than temporal happiness
Ephesians 5:26-27 "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."

Often we are deceived into thinking that personal happiness is the ultimate goal in life. The number one reason why people are leaving marriage (in the church even) is because they are no longer happy. People do all sorts of things in pursuit of happiness, and often times it means compromising holiness. God's plan for my life was not that I would be "happy" but that I would be holy.

Truth #19 God is more concerned about changing me and glorifying Himself than in fixing my problems
Romans 8:29 "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

Where did we ever come up with the idea that God was there to fix all of our problems? God is there to mold us into individuals that will bring Him glory. And if that means allowing us to go through circumstances that will challenge us change us, than we would be foolish to demand that He remove them before we have been refined and brought Him glory. The Apostle Paul rejoiced in hardships and realized he was becoming more and more like Christ in his sufferings. He also realized how God was changing him into the servant He ultimately had planned, and God received all glory for it. This isn't to say God doesn't care about our problems, but He wants to use them until His purposes have been fulfilled in our lives.

Truth #20 It is impossible to be godly without suffering
1 Peter 5:10 "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

European Peasant Bread in 5 Minutes a Day!

The only problem with this bread, is trying to stop yourself from eating the whole loaf!

With this recipe and method, you won't be able to say you can't make homemade bread anymore, or you don't have time. It is so yummy, and so worth it. :))

This recipe will make four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved if you prefer. Preparing the dough for the first time is the most time consuming part.

3 C lukewarm water (not hot! that will kill your yeast)
1 1/2 TB Yeast (instant or traditional)
1 1/2 TB Salt or coarse salt
1/2 C Rye Flour (subsititute for all purpose if you want)
1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour (again substitute if you wish)
5 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal for the pizza peel or cookie sheet

1) Mix yeast and salt with the water in a 5 litre bowl, or a lidded container (but not an airtight lid).

2) Mix remaining dry ingredients without kneading. Just stir using a wooden spoon until there are no more dry spots.

3) Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temp. until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours, but may take longer if your water was cold. You won't ruin it if you let it rise for hours.

This is what the dough looks like after it's risen and collapsed. Pretty wet. There's no way you could knead this with your hands, it's way too sticky.

4) The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, but it is a lot easier to work with if it has been refrigerated for at least 3 hours or overnight.

The "5 Minutes a Day" part:
5) On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) portion. Use a serrated knife. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides. You should only have to handle it for 30-60 seconds. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel, or an upside down cookie sheet, for about 40 minutes.

6) Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450, with a baking stone placed in the middle rack, and a broiler tray on a lower rack.

7) Sprinkle loaf liberally with flour and slash a cross or scallop pattern into the top using a serrated bread knife.

8) Slide loaf directly onto stone, and pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray to create steam in your oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top crust is deeply browned and very firm.

9) Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

10) Try not to eat the whole loaf yourself :)

The dough will keep in your refrigerator for the next 14 days. And as it ages it will take on sourdough-like characteristics. Your last loaf will taste even more flavourful than your first!

Check out Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for more recipes and variations on this simple technique.

TRUTH Part 3

I have found these truths to be foundational in Christian living. I think I will be revisiting this Bible study again in the coming months. I hope you have been encouraged or even challenged by some of them. If you are interested in some of the material I've posted from the Bible study, contact me, or visit Revive Our Hearts and have a look at all of Nancy Leigh DeMoss' resources.

Truth #11 God's word is sufficient to lead me, teach me, and heal me
Psalm 19:7 "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making the wise simple."
Psalm 107:20 "He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave."
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."

Whatever our need, whatever our circumstance, God's word is powerful enough to meet that need in that place. The Bible is widely viewed as just another resource among many to help people. But God's word is alive and powerful, able to lead heal and teach. People around us who are hurting or are confused, don't need to hear our opinions; they need to hear what Scripture says; His commands, His promises, His ways.

Truth #12 Through the power of His Holy Spirit, God will enable me to do anything He commands me to do.
1 Thes. 5:24 "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."
Phil. 2:13 "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purposes."

Truth #13 I am responsible before God for my behavior, responses, and choices
Ezekiel 18:19-22 "Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.
"But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live."

We do not have to be victims. We can stop blaming others for our sinful behavior and responses. We are not accountable for anyone elses actions except our own. Isn't that freeing?

Truth #14 I will reap whatever I sow
Gal. 6:7-8 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

Ever heard the phrase, "garbage in, garbage out"? Every choice I have made as a young person and an adult has lasting consequences, good or bad depending on the choice. Every act of selfish sinful behavior, reaps a multiplied harvest for me to experience and sometimes for others to be affected by. On the other hand, every act of selfless obedience to Christ also sows seeds that will reap a multiplied harvest of blessings for me and others to experience in my lifetime and sometimes even generations to come.

Truth #15 The pathway to true joy is to relinquish control
Matthew 16:25 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."
Luke 1:38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Every woman, especially, is plagued with the desire to control: their husbands, their circumstances, their children. Even the quietest "passive" woman desires to control. This control manifests itself in worrying about situations, becoming disappointed when others don't meet our expectations, or wanting to manipulate people, or to 'fix' our husbands. The only way to experience true freedom is give it over to God. To let God be God. He is in ultimate control of the universe, and when I am hanging on to this area, I am actually competing for His job.

TRUTH Part 2

As promised, here are some more of God's truths we find in Scripture to combat those lies that we too often believe.

Truth #6 God doesn't make mistakes
Isaiah 46:10 "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

It seems to me, in my life, not much goes the way I expect at first. I didn't expect that my first house would be a true fixer-upper and we would spend literally four years rebuilding it from the inside out. I didn't expect I would be considering going overseas to be on the mission field with small children and my husband, I didn't expect that my husband's father would die merely 6 months into our marriage, I didn't expect marriage or parenting would actually be as challenging as I've found it to be! Other people with more life experience can probably add to this minor list. I think I am learning that God purposes instances in our lives to change and mold us for His glory and purpose. We may not understand our circumstances, or why something is the way it is, but God has a purpose in it. Remember, He can be trusted? He is orchestrating things in our lives for a purpose, not to thwart our plans, or to make things difficult for us.

Truth #7 God's grace is sufficient for me
2 Cor. 12:9 "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

God gives me the power I need for today, today. Whatever is coming tomorrow or next or 10 years from, His grace will be sufficient to carry me through those times. God does not expect me to live my life alone and in my own strength. No. In fact, He desires me to rely on Him for strength, He desires to show me His grace and might in my life when I am weak.

Truth #8 The blood if Christ is sufficient to cover all my sins
1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

There is no sin too big to be covered by Christ's sacrifice. His sacrifice paid the price for ALL sin. I don't have to live with guilt from past failures and sins because Christ's sacrifice has freed me from it and allowed me to have fellowship with Him. The devil will try and remind me of past sins causing me to feel as though I have to 'do' something to find forgiveness, but the truth is Jesus' blood paid for it all, I am free; the debt is paid, that is that.

Truth #9 The cross of Christ is sufficient to cover my sinful flesh
Romans 6:6-7 "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

I am no longer controlled by sin or a slave to sin, but I can choose by the power of the Holy Spirit within me to do the right thing.

Truth #10 My past does not have to plague me
1 Cor. 6:9-11 "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

I have been washed clean of my past. I'll be honest here and say that I thought I haven't struggled too much with this lie and truth because I grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ at a really young age and didn't do the typical rebellious things one might expect teens to do. I "tried" to rebel, but the consequences of certain behaviors really scared me away from actually doing anything terrible. However, I'm not claiming self-righteousness here. Notice in the verse he names 'idolaters,' 'greedy,' 'slanderers,' and 'swindlers.' At first glance I read those words surrounded by the other more terrible-sounding ones like drunkards, homosexuals, wicked... and stop. I am guilty of idolatry! I have placed people or things, or even activities, higher than God at times in my life. Anything that replaces God as my head is an idol. I am guilty of being greedy or covetous. I have desired a bigger and better house, I have wished for more money to buy things, I have been covetous for experiences or vacations. I am guilty of slander. My tongue has been misused terribly. And I have cheated or swindled thinking it would be easier or benefit me somehow. Okay, so it doesn't matter that I accepted Christ when I was 4, it doesn't matter that I was raised in a Christian home. BUT, praise the Lord, my sins have been covered and I don't have to plagued by them. I am washed clean. I have the Holy Spirit within me to help me not be greedy or idolatrous or slanderous, or to swindle or cheat.

The Donut?

My daughter's donut bun this morning :)

Replace Those Lies With TRUTH!

My ladies Bible study is wrapping up now. We are on to the last lesson in the book, and it's basically a re-cap of key Scriptures proclaiming God's truth and exposing lies that we frequently believe.

I'm going to take the next few days this week to post these 20 foundational truths. We have been encouraged to commit these verses and the corresponding truths to memory, and I think that's a wonderful idea. God's word is a powerful weapon, and it stands above all.

Truth #1 God is Good
Psalm 119:68 "You are good and what you do is good: teach me your decrees."
Psalm 136:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

God's goodness does not depend upon our circumstances. It's easy to believe He is good when there's money in my bank account, or I'm feeling well physically. However, when things aren't going so well, when that layoff notice comes and the bills are pouring in, or that good friend moves away, or someone we love dearly finds out they are terminally ill, it's easy to doubt God's goodness. God IS goodness. He is not good because things are going well. His very nature is good.

Truth #2 God loves me and wants me to have His best
Romans 8:32, 38-39 "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? [...] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Again, God's love is not dependant upon my circumstances or my performance. His very nature is love, and there is absolutely nothing that I can do to gain worthiness for His love. He loves me, and sent His Son to die on the cross for my sin so we can have a relationship while I'm on earth and eternally in His kingdom.

Truth #3 I am complete and accepted in Christ
Ephesians 1:4-6 "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

We may get fired from that job, or rejected by our close friends, or even our adult children, but we can rest in knowing that we have been fully accepted by Christ. We are complete in him. I do not need a busy social life with dozens of friends buzzing around me to feel accepted or complete. God has completed me and has given me what truly matters eternally, His Son Jesus Christ.

Truth #4 God is Enough
Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."

I do not need those new clothes, that bigger house, to go on a date night once a week... I do not need anything because the Lord is enough. He has given me all I need, and that's His love and grace.

Truth #5 God can be trusted
Isaiah 28:16 "So this is what the sovereign Lord says, 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.'"

When we are in heaven and are able to have the same eternal perspective as God, we will understand that His will for our lives really was the best. When we have doubted His goodness, or whether to be obedient in a tough situation, or walked away from His Word, we will see that He really could be trusted. What we only know by faith now on earth, we will be able to see in heaven. God can be trusted, His ways are perfect, His statues really are what's best for our lives. I am reminded of that verse in Matthew when Jesus was talking to the crowds about not believing and judgment. "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30) When we stop resisting God's ways and submit our lives to His will and commands, we find rest. He can be trusted!

Another Day, Another Do

This is the hair do my daughter ended up with this morning. It took WAY too long to do... almost 2 full Magic School Bus episodes :)
She is wearing the same dress today as she did yesterday; it is still clean. I haven't been taking pictures of my hairdos and outfits, I'd feel too strange doing that, but my hair is up and is curled today too! I'll admit though, it's 10:15am, and I'm not dressed yet.......I just put my son down for his morning nap, so it's Bible study time for mommy, and getting dressed time!

After I was all done my daughter's hair, she asked me where we were going! I felt kind of bad telling her, "Nowhere." Perhaps we'll get out for a walk later today. The sun is shining, and it's looking to be a beautiful day!

Fruit of our Labor - PTL!

A little update on how the child training is going with my young son. I explained what we were doing in a previous post: Child Training.

It is Day 5, and yesterday we had an opportunity to put feet to what we've been learning at home. We went to the park and brought 'the blanket.' I was there for about an hour and a half with another friend and her two little girls. We watched our girls on the playground and sat by my son who occupied himself on the blanket with a couple of toys and his bottle. If you know him, you know he just goes! He crawls as quickly as he can and giggles just like any toddler does when they are running away from their mommy. But yesterday afternoon, he was very contented to sit on the blanket and keep occupied with what he knew he was allowed. A couple of times he ventured off, but he got the idea.

It was so nice to visit without chasing after him crawling everywhere on grass and dirt. I really do wish for him to be walking so he can join his sister on the playground and not have hands and knees in bark mulch and gravel.

Girl Hair!

This morning I did my daughter's hair up in a fancy, abstract, updo and thought to take a picture.

This week we are sort of following a little challenge called Modest Feminine Dress Challenge. Basically, the point of it is to wear modest feminine dress for a week (skirts/dresses) and to do our hair special every day. It may sound a bit silly, or over the top... but in our day of girls barely dressing themselves at all, or perhaps forgetting how they can look feminine without baring all, we are reminding ourselves that we can reflect Jesus' love and celebrate femininity by being modest and looking nice. (This, of course, is not to replace or distract ourselves away from working on inner beauty, but merely a reminder of it.)

To learn more about this challenge visit Stay-At-Home Missionary

It's Not Me, It's Him

I was encouraged in reading a favorite blog of mine, The Stay-at-Home Missionary, to stop and give all glory to God. My hopes in starting a blog was to encourage women to value their position in the home and to realize how important of a role it really is. Our society devalues mothering and families, and what stay-at-home mom out there hasn't ever said, "I'm 'just' a stay-at-home mom" when asked where they work!?

Anyways, I hope you have been encouraged in some way after visiting this blog, but please understand this: Anything good you see on these pages isn't me; it's all Him, my Lord and Savior. The bad you may see, the rants or complaints, or shortcomings, that's the true mommy in me.

I am so thankful for God's blessings, and His grace. It is only by His grace I live every day. Let's give all praise and honor and glory where it's due.

Praise the Lord!

Child Training Time: Day 2

So my good friend reminded me the other day of child training. She was given a child training book by another friend; which I also happen to own and have enjoyed it myself, and the fruits of its labor!



I realized it's time to get back into shape. After suffering from tiredness from early pregnancy, and plain old unmotivation to really get anything worthwhile done, well, you can imagine the behavior from the children has followed suit. The leash has been let out, and it's time to reel it back in!



Seeings how my dear son is approaching 10 months old, I decided it would be a good idea to blanket train him. This may sound silly; and I'll admit, I didn't have to be so intentional with my daughter, but he is a boy and more curious and more of a 'go-getter.' So we are starting YOUNG! And I have high hopes, as I do with my daughter. I believe if we expect our kids to misbehave and act out when we don't want them to, they will! On the other hand, if we train them to behave and act appropriately in certain situations, they will as well.



With summertime just around the corner, I've decided it would be worth my efforts to blanket train my son. By this I mean having 'blanket time' every day and teach him to stay on his blanket with a couple of toys for a time limit that mommy sets. When the weather is nicer, and our backyard lawn is drier, we will graduate the blanket to the grass and train him to stay on the blanket when we're on the grass for a bit. This is to get ready for those nice hot afternoons at the lake. I will train my son to stay near me now, without being attached to me, and hopefully have more relaxing times at the lake with less chasing after him.



He has already exceeded my expectations! Praise the Lord!



Day 1: I introduced him to the 'blanket.' Keeping if very fun, I wanted him to learn that it was fun to stay on his blanket with a couple of toys and watch mommy and big sister walk around doing their normal things. Twenty minutes went by very quickly, and dear son was proud of himself that he was so obedient.



Day 2: He seemed to recognize the blanket today. As I was wandering further away from him, he tended to want to follow me, and every now and then crawled off the blanket. He would place his hands very slowly off the blanket and wait for me to react. Today was harder, and he tested the boundaries. But I can see he understands the concept, and I know he will get more used to the idea as we practice everyday. Another twenty minutes was accomplished today, with a bit more crying, but he was proud and mommy was proud in the end nonetheless.



My daughter loved doing these training sessions when she was younger, and as she watches me now with her brother, she wants to be involved somehow. Mommy is thinking about the possibilities.



What are your training times like?

Lie: It's All About ME!

God's grace is sufficient for me. Lie: It's all about me. This is a lie that we have believed ever since the Garden of Eden. This was the lie that satan used to tempt Eve with the forbidden fruit. He deceived her into thinking that it was all about her, gaining knowledge and strength for herself and not relying on the resources God had given them.

Nancy deMoss uses the Apostle Paul as her prime biblical example of a person who used the horrific circumstances in his life to magnify God's grace and power in his life. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12:8a-10)

Sadly, thinking that life is all about me has indoctrinated the post-modern church and their entire mission. Instead of becoming self-sacrificing in offering ourselves in worship to God, people come to to church expecting it to heal them from their traumatic childhood, boost their self-esteem, somehow make them feel better about themselves.

I had to copy this excerpt from Dr. Larry Crabb's book, Finding God, because it so clearly emphasizes what this is looking like in the church today.
Helping people to feel loved and worthwhile has become the central mission of the church. We are learning not to worship God in self-denial and costly service, but to embrace our inner child, heal our memories, overcome addictions, lift our depressions, improve our self-images, establish self-preserving boundaries, substitue self-love for self-hatred, and replae shame with an affirming acceptance of who we are.
Recovering from pain is absorbing an increasing share of the church's energy. And that is alarming...
We have been committed to relieving the pain behind our problems rather than using our pain to wrestle more passionately with the character and purpose of God. Feeling better has become more important than finding God...

I think that sums it up right there. I don't want to go on a rampage about the seeker sensitive church. But whatever happened to the church that was committed to what the Bible says about self-sacrifice? About being a body that serves? Life is hard, once again, I'm not denying that. But we were not called to run from difficult circumstances on a quest to find happiness. The Apostle Paul embraced hardships knowing that his weaknesses would bring himself and others closer to the Father. Too often our mission is to find what is most comfortable for us. I know for myself, many times what dictates a decision I make is whether or not it will bring me fulfillment or happiness or comfort. Is there something wrong with that thinking? Scripture certainly says so.

Moving Along

We had our first formal interview with MAF this morning over SKYPE. The Canadian base is located in Ontario and they usually like to do the interviews in person or else by webcam. Because neither they nor we were not here nor there we opted for the webcam interview and it went very well. I can see how it would have been nicer and more personable to be in person, but I think the webcam was definitely superior to a phone call. The interview was 2 and 1/2 hours long! Which surprised me at first when I read the email and it said what they usually estimated for time. It went by surprisingly quickly, and because of all the things we talked about, and only briefly, it didn't take long to fill 2 and 1/2 hours. The interview went very well. Both Rob and I feel like this is actually moving along now. Even though we are still in early stages of this process, we were given the feeling that unless something comes in our lives to stop this from happening MAF saw no reason at this point to not continue with the process and with this direction. The application process ends with a 2 week training period in Ontario at the MAF headquarters and they do 2 of these training sessions per year: the first being in May, next week actually, and the second in October. Because I am due with our third child in early November we probably will not consider going this Fall. This gives us more time to finish up renovations on our house, take a couple of Bible courses, and also continue thinking and praying about this. This means if we continue on and end up attending the training, it wouldn't be until May of 2010, after such time Rob would quit his job and we would start raising support full time. Lord willing, we may be on the field as early as February or May of 2011.

Having the interview, and discussing different aspects of our backgrounds and how God has led us together as a couple and where He seems to be leading us now, has really brought a sense of reality to this idea. If this makes any sense, before it kind of felt like we were just talking about the idea and perhaps trying to get a sense of what other people we trusted thought about it. Now it feels more real, as though it's something God is really leading us in. Now we are being faced with the question, if God keeps opening doors are we going to be obedient and walk through them?

LIE: If My Circumstances Were Different, I'd Be Different!

"I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130.5
Your night of weeping may go on for months or even years. But if you are a child of God, it will not go on forever. God has determined the exact duration of your suffering, and it will not last one moment longer than He knows is necessary to achieve His holy, eternal purposes in and through your life." Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Lies Women Believe pg225)

The chapter our ladies Bible study has been studying this week looks at the lies women believe about their circumstances. She starts out explaining how we often say or think things like, "If only this were different..." and we use things to justify our sinful actions. Some of the things she lists are:
If only we didn't have to move
If only we didn't live so close to my parents
If only we had a bigger house (more closets or storage)
If only we had more money
If only my husband didn't have to work so many hours
If only I were married
If only I wasn't married
If only I were married to someone different
If only I had children
If only I hadn't lost that child
If only my husband would communicate
If only my husband were a spiritual leader

I'm sure the list goes on and on. One of the things I have thought over the past two weeks here was, "If only we'd get over these awful colds!" Or another, perhaps more silly one that I've used in my life, "If only I enjoyed exercising, it would be so much easier to stay in shape!" Or one that really gets me; every time I see this certain weight control formula television commercial I laugh because of their slogan. It goes something like: Just remember, it's not you, it's your metabolism. Human beings love to shift blame, not take responsibility, use anything except their own sinful and selfish desires to reason out why they behave a certain way. It's humorous sometimes, but mostly downright devastating, to our own lives, and how it affects others' lives around us.

Anyhow, back to the subject of this chapter. All throughout Scripture God uses circumstances, and usually painful or uncomfortable ones, to bring about His eternal purposes and to bring glory to Himself. When His people have obeyed Him and responded to those circumstances humbly and with courage, turning their eyes heavenward instead of inward, God has blessed those individuals and used their lives in many powerful ways! The first biblical example Nancy uses in her Bible study is Eve; the first woman! Would you agree the circumstances in the garden were perfect? No pain, no work, beautiful weather, no hurt feelings, no sickness or disease. Despite these perfect circumstances Eve still made a sinful choice. In the end, it didn't matter that her circumstances were perfect, she was still responsible for her actions.

I'm not denying that life's circumstances are difficult. I just finished telling my little sister that life is just hard. We can't base our happiness or unhappiness on what happens to us; if we did, we'd all be walking around pretty miserable. A challenge for me: wake up and realize how God is working in each of these tough circumstances! Where there's suffering, God is usually not far off. And we could look at it this way, without suffering I'd quickly forget I needed God in my life. When everything seems to be going great and I'm not dealing with anything difficult, suddenly my prayer life slows down, my Bible gets put on the shelf...

"Colds BE GONE! I've Had Enough"

This morning I woke up at 5:45 telling Rob that I will go to the doctor today. I was coughing like crazy and, being so conjested, I could hardly breath. Both children are slowly recovering... and I mean slowly. My daughter is now on Day 15, still has a runny nose. Now that I'm up and about, I don't think we will go to the doctor today. I do feel a bit better than yesterday. I think I went through an entire roll of toilet paper on my nose over the past 2 days. My poor son won't let me get near his nose. There are tiny little scrapes at the end of his nose from getting wiped so many times. Ah! Fortunately, my husband is still fine! That fever he had last Saturday night must have been it for him. Perhaps it burnt all the germs up inside.

Follow up - Let God Determine the Size of Our Family?

This is a little follow up to my posts about how many children should we have? Even if this video has slightly skewed numbers, the reality is, our culture is decreasing as couples decide to have less and less children.

Cold/Flu Season?

My daughter is going on day 11 of her cold, my son is coughing and has a horrible runny nose, my husband was up on Saturday night with a fever of 102, and I have now managed to contract this cold and was in bed most of yesterday. Today, I'm feeling a bit more human. I am thankful we're just dealing with head colds. I can wipe runny noses and nag my children to cover their mouths when they cough, but please don't ask me to wipe up vomit. AH! I am so thankful Rob has taken 2 weeks off of work. He took advantage of a slow period at work and has been working on getting our front deck built up and also cleaning up our front yard. With him being off, it has definitely helped with these illnesses! It couldn't have been planned better.

As well, with this Swine Flu, or H1 N1 Flu, whatever they've decided to call it, I have felt like maybe I should take my children into the walk in clinic. I really don't like to go there though, unless I'm feeling really desperate. Sitting in a doctor's office, with other germs floating around just to be told you have a cold, go home, is not worth it in my mind. It seems our colds tend to last a long time around here. My daughter had a runny nose for most of November last year! Anyway, one day at a time, I guess. We'll reassess how they're doing tomorrow.