Test Yourself!

Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. Excerpt taken from Crazy Love by Francis Chan


Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith: examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5


I've been thinking about these quotes and this one too: Jesus said, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...I will be with you always even to the end of the age, from Matthew 28:19-20. The command in the middle of these verses is to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES. Am I playing it safe when it comes to making disciples? Hey, I made disciples of my children as they were growing up - I've done my duty. Right? What a poor excuse! It's not something to check off my list of things to do - it should be a way of life. Look what comes before the command : ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME and what comes after: I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS. Do I really believe this? Is my faith real in my life? Am I trusting the One who has authority and is with me? I have no excuses. The Lord commands it - it's His mission and there is nothing to fear as He goes with me.


I used to think that going door-to-door to talk to strangers, cold turkey, and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ was for certain people with a special kind of gift.  I would say that's not my thing. I was really saying that I didn't believe that my God would be with me as I met new folks. I wasn't acknowledging the command to go. It was fear of the unknown and imagining the worst that kept me from getting involved. I certainly don't have control over how someone will respond to me or what hard questions they might ask, but is that important? I know the One who has all control and has the answers, so there is no need to worry.  I don't want to be lukewarm; I want to be on fire for the Lord. I believe that means stepping outside my comfort zone and seeing what God will do. He wants to reach people to add more worshippers to His church. I'm certainly being selfish if I don't want to share Him with others. Praise the Lord that He works with me and nudges me along, as always, in His loving and patient way. No more playing it safe! Jesus said, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men."

Thanksgiving for 2011

About a year ago I thought to myself, and probably to the Lord, that everything was so calm in the family - we needed more action. I was thinking we hadn't had a wedding in 3 years or a new grandchild in 2 1/2 years. Weddings and babies were on my mind.

Providentially, not too long after, we found out that a new grandson was on the way. Then low and behold a few months later, on Christmas day, a son became engaged. I was thrilled! I thought this is more like it!!

Ezekiel was born in early summer becoming a book end to his older brother, with the two princesses in between. What joy spending time with the grandchildren - a promise fulfilled to gray-haired ones.

A twist in the mix came with my surgery in late summer - that wasn't exactly my idea of putting some action in the family - but then I'm not the story teller so I can't complain. I'm truly thankful for the Lord's amazing care for me!

Over the summer and into the fall another son jumped the fast moving train to start a whirlwind courtship. It culminated into an engagement in September. Wow! Now that's what I call some excitement!

For the beginning of 2012 we have 2 weddings coming up within a month of each other. Winter family reunions will be enjoyed by all - hopefully the weather will cooperate! We're gaining two new lovely daughters and what a blessing they will be! If this is the start of the new year I'm expectantly looking forward to what else the Lord has in store. As the Author of all authors continues to write our family story, it will to be a page-turner, I'm sure. God has blessed us greatly this past year and I am very thankful.

Will You Have This Dance, Anyone?!

Alright, all you Austen lovers, here's a new quote from Emma, Chapter 29:

It may be possible to do without dancing entirely. Instances have been known of young people passing many, many months successively without being at any ball of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind; but when a beginning is made-- when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, thought lightly, felt-- it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more.

Dancing is for old people too; it keeps them young! When we had our Resurrection Ball at a retirement home, it was a joy to see the residents sitting around the dance hall where families were taking part in the dance. I spoke with several elderly asking if they would like to dance, and they said no because they were participating while watching. Many reminisced about their younger days doing the swing or foxtrot. They seemed surprised that even the 6 yr olds (or younger) were getting into it. It gave them a few hours of reliving a happy time.

I enjoy watching couples that know how to dance well. They move together with fluid movements and unity, which amazes me. Knowing what the other is doing, they move simultaneously as one. The beat of the music drives them on. I have to be careful not to stare with my mouth open in awe! The Jane Austen books bring us back to that recreation and entertainment enjoyed for centuries; surely not only young people like a dance, but all ages enjoy the felicities of rapid motion!

I'm looking forward to the next ball and trying again some basic steps, hoping not to step on my husband's feet!

What is Your Faith In?

I've often heard comments like: "my faith helped me," "if you just have a little faith," or "faith will get you through." What do these phrases mean to the people saying them? My guess is that this kind of "faith" is a positive attitude that you can do whatever task is before you. Like The Little Train That Could was trying to get over the mountain saying, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can," you just might have the strength to get through your difficulty.

Most would agree that faith is believing in something you can't see---that seems unattainable, but faith is more than that. What is your faith in? If you believe you can do something like the Little Train, you are putting your faith in yourself and that is an enormous responsibility to carry. What happens when you mess up or when you are so weak you can't keep going? What happens to your faith then? Someone might say, "at that point I have to rely on my family and friends to pull me through." Certainly family and friends can give love and support; however, some time they will be weak also, what then? Maybe you can still "make a wish" that something good will happen, but who are you wishing to? A star? A birthday candle? Faith in self falls short and faith in others or things such as stars or birthday candles cannot assist you. All are finite.

Someone I know said---Faith is not stirring up something in ourselves; it's knowing that God is faithful.

This kind of faith is directed toward the infinite God of the universe who knows all things and gives lasting help. He is the faithful One who will never grow weary. He is always present and delights in those who put their trust in Him. His very Word, gives guidance in all situations.We might not always want to do what it says, but if we know the One who has said it we can't argue. He is the heavenly Father who specially cares for His children.

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Psalm 34:8-10

This is our God who loves to bless those who put their faith in Him!

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17

Faith isn't the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It's simply taking God at His Word and taking the next step. -Joni Erickson Tada

Respect for rulers

I've been reading about this subject in By this Standard by Greg Bahnsen. He has a lot of great words to say. To summarize, Rulers are to be respected because they were given their authority by God Himself. Yet our rulers are under obligation to keep the law of God as well, for they are our example. We are also obligated to not stand for injustice when clearly a ruler is not following the law of God. All of these points are prevalent to us today. Another important thing to remember is prayer. Our rulers and those in authority need our prayer, for they have been given a great privilege and awesome responsibility by our great God. We must remember to give them the respect they rightly deserve which includes pointing out the errors they make when they make wrong decisions which are contrary to the law of God. I pray that this will be more practiced and we will be better equipped to follow the law of our God in this aspect in these days.

The Next Generation

Why would we want to remember our history? Especially if holds bad or painful memories? That is a huge question but shouldn't be taken lightly. We have a responsibility to learn about our history so that we will learn from it. Last night our small group watched a movie called The league of grateful Sons put out by vision forum. It was a very educational film and its main message was that we should be learning about our history, so that we will not be doomed to repeat it.

This is so true. My generation needs to be willing to be taught by our parents and grandparents so that we will be able to make wiser decisions. Think about what a difference it would make if we would start to listen to our parents and ask them for counsel. Too often I think we are tempted to just assume we know enough to make our own choices. We should never jerk away from counsel and it is time for this next generation to rise up and learn from their parents and grandparents so that we will be better prepared to face the future.

Our History

Yesterday passed so fast and that can happen a lot, but do you know what the significance of yesterday was? Yesterday marked something that happened in our history. To learn more go here. I hope that we will remember our history and learn from it for our future.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
-Proverbs 3:5-6

God is Faithful

Today I have been looking at pictures from the last year of Church events, our family, and just any pictures we have from this last year. I am again going to attempt to make a slideshow of pictures of all of our church's events from this past year. It has been fun to look over some of these shots and see all the great things that God has done in this past year.

For example, we had a mystery dinner for all of the younger couples in our church this past November. It has been fun to go through those photos and remember how enjoyable the evening was.

We also have some pictures from a couple of our fellowship meals from the past year. We have one every month, so they all blend together, but the thing that stuck out here was how much our church just likes to spend time together. That is why we have this time of eating (some great food!) and talking, because we want to keep our relationships strong.

All of this has reminded me how much our church has grown this past year. This may not be in terms of numbers of people, but in terms of spiritual growth. We have learned much, and continue to learn, together.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" -Psalm 133:1

Prayer

I'm finishing up my research paper for my "Christian Doctrine 1" class and it has been a really neat thing for me to research. Can you guess the topic? Yep, it's prayer in view of God's Sovereignty. Here are some things that I bring out:

1. Prayer is primarily for the glory of God and we pray because He commands us to.
2. Prayer brings us into deeper relationship with God and is reflected in an obedient life.
3. By faith and from the Bible we can know that our prayers will be answered.
4. God uses our prayers as a means of accomplishing His will.

Thanks be to God that we can pray and know that He hears us.

More A.W. Pink

I have to share some more from The Sovereignty of God! I am on the last chapter and I have enjoyed a lot of it. What a great God we serve!

"Another example, equally striking, is seen in the life of Job. As is well known, Job was one that feared God eschewed evil. If ever there was one who might reasonably expect Divine providence to smile upon him-we speak as a man-it was Job. Yet, how fared it with him? For a time, the lines fell unto him in pleasant places. The Lord filled his quiver by giving him seven sons and three daughters. He prospered him in his temporal affairs until he owned great possessions. But of a sudden, the sun of life was hidden behind dark clouds. In a single day Job lost not only his flocks and herds, but his sons and daughters as well. News arrived that his cattle had been carried off by robbers, and his children slain by a cyclone. And how did he receive this intelligence? "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away." He bowed to the sovereign will of Jehovah. He traced his afflictions back to their First cause. He looked behind the Sabeans who had stolen his cattle, and beyond the winds that had destroyed his children, and saw the hand of God. But not only did Job recognise God's sovereignty, he rejoiced in it, too. To the words, "The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away," he added, "Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Again we say, sweet submission! Sublime resignation! A recognition of God's sovereignty causes us to hold our every plan in abeyance to God's will. "

Now remember, I'm only giving you bits and pieces. To put these together, you need to read this book for yourself! I hope you will if you haven't already. There are some great things to be found there. God Bless!

The Bible, God's Sovereignty, and the election

Last time I gave you a little taste of what my research paper, for my college class, was about. Well, this time I'm going to go a little farther and share a part of it with you dealing with the character of God.

To understand the inspiration of the Bible we need to understand the character of God. In God's words, J.I. Packer says "the core of the Bible is its story of God speaking to men" (p. 19). God is speaking to us through His word. Obviously, God is bigger and greater than we are, which points out God’s holiness. Later Packer goes on to say that "This is the deepest reason why the Biblical writings are 'holy' … because the Holy God is their author" (God's Words, p. 34). Because God is holy, He is incapable of inspiring falsehood which shows He is most reliable. Unfortunately, not everyone today has a high enough view of God's holiness to follow or take seriously His commands. God can be trusted above and beyond men. As the Bible says, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son" (1 John 5: 9). Knowledge of the character of God is important because it shows us that anything from God is reliable and accurate.

Now, yesterday I finished my paper and submitted my work for my first class. I was really happy and excited, and decided to start reading the introduction of my first book for my next class. This was "The Sovereignty of God" by A.W. Pink. From what I had already been studying and from what I read last night I began to see how I could apply these things today. First here is what Pink had to say:

"Who is regulating the affairs on this earth today-God or the Devil? What saith the scriptures? Ere we consider the direct reply to this query, let it be said that, the scriptures predicted just what we now see and hear.... Our is peculiarly an age of irreverence, and as the consequence, the the spirit of lawlessness, which brooks no restraint and which is desirous of casting off everything which interferes with the free course of self-will, is rapidly engulfing the earth like some giant tidal wave.... What saith the scriptures? If we believe their plain and positive declarations, no room is left uncertainty. They affirm, again and again, that God is on the throne of the universe; that the sceptre is in His hands; that He is directing all things "after the counsel of His own will".... It is in view of what we have briefly referred to above, that we say, Present-day conditions call loudly for a new examination and new presentation of God's omnipotence, God's sufficiency, God's sovereignty. From every pulpit in the land it needs to be thundered forth that God still lives, that God still observes, that God still reigns... Without a doubt a world crises is at hand, and everywhere men are alarmed. But God is not! He is never taken by surprise...'All things' are subject to His immediate control: 'all things' are moving in accord with His eternal purpose, and therefore, 'all things' are "working together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

I could go on. :-) But I won't. What comes to your mind, reading what Pink said? How could you apply it to today? I believe one of the best ways is through the election which just took place. Let that sink in. Some of us were very happy about how the election went and some of us were very disappointed. With both sides of this issue, though, this fact can be applied. God is still God. He is still watching you and knows the events of this world better than we ourselves do. After this was brought to my mind, I just sat back and felt an immense relief! I don't need to worry about what changes will be coming, God will take care of them and of me. We also can't place our trust in anyone but God. I'm sorry, but no mere man is going to save our country and restore our version of peace. I hope this fact has been impressed upon you. We are not in control of events, but God is, and we can rely on Him to accomplish what is best for our lives.

Transforming Broken Bits

Recently an article in the newspaper covered the story of a man from Spain who does trencadis art. He was here in Grants Pass and did a beautiful mural at our athletic club. Trencadis is similar to mosaic art, but with one difference; mosaics are made from perfectly shaped square tiles and trencadis uses irregularly shaped tiles. If you take a closer glance at this art it looks like a bunch of broken tiles glued together, but when you step back you don't see the individual broken bits anymore, just a gorgeous picture! The artist has a knack for placing each tile in the right place so that when he is done it has become something wonderful.

Just like trencadis, God the Father is taking broken sinful people of various backgrounds and personalities and working with them individually and corporately to build something beautiful. God the Son, being the "chief cornerstone," is the perfect foundation and God the Spirit is the glue that holds us all together. If we look at each other up close we can see the imperfections. As we live and worship together we often rub one another the wrong way. It can be difficult. Sometimes the Lord needs to break off areas of our lives that don't fit with the picture. Painful as it is, He holds us in His hands, all the while, never letting us go. But if we could step back far enough we might get a glimpse of the lovely scene that God is forming.

Let us be thankful for our brothers and sisters in Christ, rough edges and all. After all, they have to live with us! The Artist is at work and we mustn't doubt that He is doing something beautiful. Some day it will all become clear as we enter that heavenly rest, free of broken bits. Maybe we'll be able to look back and see what the Master Builder was doing throughout all of history. We'll see His compassion, mercy, patience, discipline, sovereignty, goodness and faithfulness as He diligently made His masterpiece-magnum opus-out of His Church. To God be all the glory!

Inspiration

For my Biblical interpretation class I'm writing a research paper on the inspiration of scripture. I've found it very challenging and refreshing to review facts about the Bible that I've known. One thing I did yesterday was to look up the words inspiration in websters dictionary. Here is what I found:

Inspiration, Noun
1. Arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity.

2. A product of your creative thinking and work; "he had little respect for the inspirations of other artists"; "after years of work his brainchild was a tangible reality".

3. A sudden intuition as part of solving a problem.

4. Arousing to a particular emotion or action.

5. The act of inhaling.

I found this a very interesting definition in light of the fact that 2 Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is God-breathed..." (NIV). What an amazing fact that we have the very words of God.

I'll let you know more as I finish my research and the paper. :)

Gift Suggestion

Just to say up front, this is not a paid advertisement! But since we are gathered in the parlor to chat about many things, I thought I would bring up a gift that is worth the money. Often while shopping I have stopped to drool over the digital picture frames, as I walked by the electronics section. Little did I know that my daughter was taking note, so she and her brothers bought me one for my birthday. It has been wonderful! You plug it into your computer (or plug in a memory card) and download pictures to the frame. Then you plug it into the wall, flip a switch and a slide show of all your pictures passes before your happy eyes (or you can adjust it to keep on one picture). There is also a video file so you can play video clips, a calendar with the picture slide show on the side and a music file. I have my picture frame on the kitchen counter, and no matter where my family members are I can see them and smile. It helps to ease the longing to be with each one of them and also reminds me of the Lord's kindness and faithfulness to our family.

A Must See...

I would highly recommend reading this post- "Abortion: The Strong Define the Rights of the Weak", but especially watch, at the bottom, the two part video clip of Gianna Jessen, who is an abortion survivor. It is a powerful talk and it will inspire you!

http://solofemininity.blogs.com/posts/

It's all yours, God

I walk the streets of London
And notice in the faces passing by
Something that makes me stop and listen
My heart grows heavy with the cry

Where is the hope for London?
You whisper and my heart begins to soar
As I'm reminded
That every street in London in Yours
Oh, yes it is

I walk the dirt roads of Uganda
I see the scars that war has left behind
Hope like the sun is fading
They're waiting for a cure no one can find

And I hear children's voices singing
Of a God who heals and rescues and restores
And I'm reminded
That every child in Africa is Yours

And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky
To the depths of the ocean floor
And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
You're the Maker and Keeper, Father and Ruler of everything
It's all Yours

And I walk the sidewalks of Nashville
Like Singapore, Manila and Shanghai
I rush by the beggar's hand and the wealthy man
And everywhere I look I realize

That just like the streets of London
For every man and woman, boy and girl
All of creation
This is our Father's world

And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky
To the depths of the ocean floor
And its all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
You're the Maker and Keeper, Father and Ruler of everything

The glory is Yours, God
All the honor is Yours, God
The power is Yours, God
The glory is Yours, God

You're the King of Kings
And Lord of Lords

It's all Yours, God
My life is Yours, my heart is Yours
My hands and my feet are Yours
Every song that I sing
It's all Yours, all is Yours
All belongs to You
Our gifts are Yours, God
All our dreams are Yours, God
All our plans are Yours, God
The whole earth is Yours, God
Everything is Yours

by Steven Curtis Chapman

This song has taken on great meaning for me recently. I graduated from high school 3 weeks ago, this week I finished my last class, and a week from Monday I leave for England with my Uncle and Aunt. I'm so excited about my future and what God has in store for me. There are uncertainties though. I know that there will be hard times, but I don't know when. I don't plan my life (thank the Lord!) and I'm glad that I don't, because I would do a horrible job. God is in charge of everything and what a joy it is to trust him with your life!

I hope you are trusting him with your life right now. It's a difficult thing, but if we do, tremendous blessings are the result, whether we see them or not.

Everything is yours God! Thank you so much!

Running the Race

I have been waking up a 6:00 a.m. every morning. Now you may ask, what are you, crazy?! The answer is yes. Mom and I have been getting up and either going to Club Northwest or to the Grants Pass high school track to run and work out. It has been good, but tough. The time is only one reason for this though. It's that I'm totally out of shape and really can't believe how little I can run before I'm exhausted.

Interestingly, I recently was encouraged by the verse chosen as my graduating class's verse. Isaiah 40:31:
"But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

When I am tired it is God who will help. When I am at my lowest it is God who gives me help and strength, physically and spiritually.

I love how Rebecca St. James says it in her song entitled All around Me

If I see my world come tumbling down
If I feel my heart touching the ground
You're all around me
If everything starts to fade away
And all I can do is call Your name
You're all around me

Now, with the Lord's strength, let's start running the race!

Life is a precious gift- Part 2

On the heels of the previous entry I thought this would be an appropriate place to rejoice in the memory of a precious life that is with the Lord & also rejoice in the knowledge that a precious life is alive and kicking. It doesn't matter at what stage of development; each baby is a valuable person and they shouldn't be destroyed through abortion just because there is a "possibility" of a defect (or whatever excuse). Here is an excerpt from son/brother Toby's blog:

Sing Louder
Many of you may have heard by now that a couple of weeks ago we found out that one of the twins had died. If you read this blog with any frequency you may remember that my wife was expecting twins (AKA: "Mark" and "Johnny"), but the ultrasound at her 20 week appointment revealed that one of the twins had died. We know that the remaining, living twin is a girl. She seems to be doing fine, though the doctors want to monitor her development and growth closely over the coming weeks and months. We would ask you to join us in prayer for this little girl that she would be preserved safe and healthy and that she would have no complications.Times like these are of course given to us by our faithful Father because he loves us and wants us to become more like him. Romans 5, in the midst of unpacking the doctrine of justification by faith, explains that because of justification, tribulations should produce perseverance, character, and even hope. One of the reasons God gives hardships is to make his people more hopeful. He wants us to have bigger hearts, deeper imaginations, and expect greater things from him. James begins his epistle with a similar statement, insisting that trials should make us joyful since we know that God intends to teach us patience so that we might be perfect and complete, not lacking anything. This can mean nothing less than God expects us to respond with praise and thanksgiving. In other words, he wants us to sing louder. As Christians, we hate death. It is the last enemy that will be destroyed, and therefore we will not make peace with that enemy. At the same time, we are not sentimentalists, and we will not act as though there is something unfair about God's dealings with us. We have seen a number of obvious blessings already in these days. God has been supremely kind and good to us; he has protected us from many dangers, and we are thoroughly thankful. We are very hopeful that we will soon meet our daughter and that she will be healthy and strong, and we know that we will meet her twin, Anastacia Ruth, her 'resurrection friend', later, in God's good timing.

Life is a precious gift

This month marks the 35th anniversary of abortion being made legal. Here in Grants Pass we participated in the annual march for life. Another great way for youth to get involved is to enter your local Right To Life contest. For info on Oregon Right to Life contests go to: http://www.ortl.org/

Let's stand fast in this area!

Sewing is Sanctifying

Sewing a dress is a lot like life. You stitch a seam wrong and then you have to tear it out. In life you sin and then you have to tear it out, by confessing and asking the Lord for forgiveness. Through Christ's sacrifice we have forgiveness. The Lord is the One who makes us new. He irons out all our wrinkles so that we are fit for the King. He knows how we are made and what we need to comform us to His image. He gives us instructions in His Word just as a dress pattern gives instructions for making a dress. If we don't follow the pattern correctly the dress is to tight or too loose or the shoulder straps end up on the wrong sides of the dress. So it is if we are not attentive to what the Bible says and obey it; we can be too selfish or too loose with our tongues or unforgiving. Ripping a zipper out of a dress at least four times, because it isn't in right, reveals that the seamstress needs more patience (and skill in sewing). Thank the Lord that He is always patient with us, never giving up, always at work in our lives... Sewing a dress is sanctifying!