Today's Family Bible Time Snapshot

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children..." Deuteronomy 6:6

Our Bible lesson today was from 1 Samuel ch. 8 where Samuel warns the Israelites of the consequences that would come if they rejected God as their King. To help make the story 'come alive' the girls made little clay figures to represent the characters of the story. (The chubby, little blue fella on the right is Samuel. And I think the yellow guy lying flat on his back is one of the rebellious ones, weary of prophetic messages.) Hey...whatever it takes, right?

For more ideas on making family Bible time the highlight of your day see Thoughtful Bible Study for the Family.

Radical Sacrificial Living

"...and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

It's that time of year again...Lent. A season when many God fearing people choose to abstain from doing something they love as an act of sacrificial devotion to the Lord. For some it means giving up chocolate. For others it may involve walking away from the Internet or unplugging the television. These are all good things, and for those whose hearts are truly pure in such endeavors, I believe God imparts spiritual blessings.

But may I be so bold as to say that I think this temporary season of partial self denial falls painfully short of what God intended our lives to be? For God doesn't say, "He died for all, that those who live should give up one thing they love for 40 days." No, 2 Corinthians 5:15 implies that we are to yield every selfish desire we have over to God everyday. Sounds a bit more radical than the traditions of Lent wouldn't you say?

But this shouldn't surprise us. For we serve a God who radically loves us and therefore it is only natural that He would desire us to live lives radically given over to Him. For the believer, there is nothing part time about following Christ. Denying self is not a seasonal event, it is a privileged way of life.

I fear there are still some areas of my life that are not completely yielded over to Him, and I am convinced this is because I am not fully embracing the sacrificial love Christ has for me, nor am I consistently walking in the reverent fear of the Lord. I am prayerfully considering this, for I am weary of the meaningless fruit that my selfish living produces.

Praise the Lord for His living Word that convicts us and His Holy Spirit that enables us to change in order that we might experience fullness of life!

Blog Time Blues

"But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12b

Can I be honest with you about something? Sometimes blogs that are meant to be a source of encouragement...actually discourage to me. Oh, it's not their fault. The ladies who create these blogs do a beautiful job bringing some much needed refreshment into the world. It's my own weak mind that occasionally allows the light of their glory to cast a shadow over my day.

You see, most of the time when I look at these creative blogs, with their eloquent wording, soothing background music, and delightful photographs of children romping around the antique farmhouses in which they live, I am enlightened. I sit back and let their brilliance shine blessings into my soul.

But not today. Today these blissful blogs became a thorn in my side. It all started while our girls and I were making chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen. Everything was going just fine until I became painfully aware of my old, plastic sugar container sitting on the counter. It's cracked cover and vanilla stained masking tape label made me wince.

"I bet the Blog Ladies (that's what I affectionately call them) don't have sugar containers like this," I thought to myself, "I bet their sugar containers are beautifully, hand painted crocks handed down by their great, great grandmothers - crocks so lovely they are purposely left on the counter for others to admire. No, the Blog Ladies would never have an eyesore such as mine tainting their kitchens."

These thoughts prompted a strange sort of twinge in my heart. Not a twinge of jealousy per say, for my plastic sugar container has served me well over the years. And I suppose if I really wanted a beautiful antique sugar crock I could go out and get one. It was more of a twinge that my sugar container was a representation of my life in general and that maybe I had somehow fallen short.

You see, I'm not creative like the Blog Ladies, and we don't live on a rambling ranch with sheep and chickens and vineyards in my back yard. My children don't wear hand knit sweaters or sleep in iron post beds. We're just your typical suburban family with scooters in the driveway, Target brand clothing and yes, ugly, plastic sugar containers.

But the Lord reminded me that it's okay. Actually, its more than okay. For it doesn't matter what the sugar container looks like as long as it serves the purpose it was intended for...storing sugar. The same holds true for my life. I may never acquire the Better Homes and Garden lifestyles that I see on other ladies' blogs, but I will be faithful to serve the Lord (just as they do) in what He's called me to do - to love and care for my family. And the truth is, my children could care less what the sugar container looked like today, all that concerned them was that I was spending quality time with them. Oh Lord, please bless the Blog Ladies and help me never to unnecessarily compare myself to them again.

The Power of a Wife's Words

"And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." Genesis 16:2b

Sarai had waited long enough to have a baby (or so she thought). It had been 10 years since God promised her and her husband, Abram a child. Yet here it was a decade later, and she still remained barren. So in her desperation, Sarai did what any normal wife would do...she talked with her husband about the situation. Problem was, Sarai didn't just talk. Sarah controlled. She used calculated words that would convince her husband it was time to take action. Time to fix the problem. Time to take the bull by the horns and bring about the changes she so desperately wanted. As a result, Abram 'heeded the voice of Sarai' and agreed to take Hagar, her handmaid as his concubine. Hagar would conceive the promised child in Sarai’s stead.

Sarai’s plan came to fruition, but not without great cost. For God never intended Sarai to take matters into her own hands. He desired her to prayerfully wait on His timing. Unfortunately those involved suffered grievous consequences from Sarai’s lack of faith and controlling words to her husband.

We as wives have tremendous influence over our husbands decisions, and this is not to be taken lightly. Our words carry great power with these men who love us so dearly. Do you have a situation in your life that is troubling you, something you would like to see changed? And does that change require your husband’s leading or cooperation? If so, be careful with your words. Make sure your heart and motives are right with God before opening your mouth. I know Sarai wished she had.

Overcoming Homeschool Worries

“For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:32b-33

In my first few years of homeschooling, I found myself occasionally worrying that our children would not be academically equipped when it came time for them to leave the nest. Would they know how to add fractions that lacked a common denominator? Could they appropriately locate all 50 states and recall their capital cities? Would they remember that there's only one 'm' in 'tomorrow' and two in 'committed'? Or more important, what if a total stranger stopped them on the street and asked them to diagram a sentence, would they be able to do it? Oh, the needless worries that can plague the mind of a homeschool mom!

It was in the midst of one of these fretful sessions that the Lord graciously brought to mind Matthew 6:33, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Could it be that all these things went beyond food, clothing, and shelter and actually included math, science, and history? Could it be that if our family truly made seeking God's face the priority each day that He would be faithful in helping me teach our children all the other things they needed to live fruitful, productive lives?

The answer was a resounding yes! But claiming this promise required faith on my part. Faith to believe the Lord means what He says. Faith to believe that "the fear of the Lord truly is the beginning of wisdom." I had a choice to make. I could either take the Lord at His Word or I could spend the next 18 years fearfully spinning my academic wheels and wringing my hands, only hoping it would be sufficient.

Thankfully He gave me the ability to trust Him. It took awhile, but once I allowed the truths of Matthew 6:33 to sink deep into my heart, my fears regarding homeschooling were replaced with joy...the joy of knowing that if I loved God with all of my heart, He would take care of the details. Whew!

Love Covers All

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (NKJV)

For the past four years, our family has had the privilege of calling the Salvation Army Corps our church home. I probably need not tell you how many ways this ministry reaches out into our community to meet both the spiritual and physical needs of the people. My husband and I always say that being a part of this fellowship allows us to experience the blessings of being on the mission field, without having to leave the comforts of home!

And without a doubt, one of my favorite outreaches at our Corps is the children’s ministry. I along with many other adults have the opportunity each week to bless numerous children with meals, games, activities, and Bible lessons. And for the most part, the children are sincerely thankful for the blessings they receive from this ministry.

However, a few years ago, there was a certain young girl who seemed determined to test the limits of my patience. Home life for this child was extremely stressful, and therefore school and church became natural outlets for her aggression. Week after week, she seemed to exhibit her worst possible behavior accompanied with a gleam in her eye, as if to say, “Okay Miss Sherrie, let’s see if you really love me no matter what I do!”

And so week after week, I combated her unruly behavior with prayer - prayer that the Lord would allow me to see her through His eyes and not lose my cool. Thankfully He answered that prayer, and for three (long) years I was able to love her with the love of Christ. That’s not to say I didn’t collapse on the sofa from emotional exhaustion each evening afterwards, but the Lord did allow me to keep my mouth shut while with her! (Maybe this little girl had the same angel protecting her as Daniel did in the lion’s den!)

So last night at our annual Christmas Party for the children, I couldn’t help but stand amazed at the transformation that has taken place in my relationship with this child - all from “covering her sins with love”. Her fears have now been replaced with trust. Her selfishness has been replaced with generosity. And her outbursts of anger have been replaced with lovingkindness. And as I got down on my knees to hug her good bye and wish her a Merry Christmas, words cannot describe how wonderful it felt to have her tightly hugging me back.

Perseverance

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV)

It was almost two years ago that my husband and I were discussing the possibility of me starting a website ministry. I had recently returned from an out of state speaking engagement, and was contemplating accepting the invitation of another. However, our children were still quite young at the time, and I was feeling the need to remain close to the nest. Homeschooling was a top priority for our family and flying here and there on the weekends was not exactly conducive to that task! Yet the desire to continue teaching God’s Word was still quite strong in my heart. As a result, I prayerfully began working part time on the Standing in the Square website ministry which allowed me the opportunity to fulfill both desires.

In between math lessons and history projects, mopping floors and making meals, the Lord graciously allowed me to piecemeal the ministry together in a manner which would hopefully bring blessings to others. (Honestly, at this point, I would be happy if it at least made sense to others!) For even now as I write this, I have both daughters sitting beside me creating clay projects and singing litte made up tunes in their silliest voices ever! When I stop and think about it, it is truly a miracle that I am even able to compose complete sentences! (Or am I?)

Anyway, here we are two years later. The CDs have been recorded and produced, a family Bible study guide written and published, and a website designed to accommodate it all. Most important, I believe my family has remained confident of my love and concern for them throughout the process.

Looking back I must say that one of the greatest spiritual lessons I learned through this endeavor was perseverance. You know, I used to believe that if God called you to do something, all the doors would automatically swing wide open, and the path would be made easy. (I’m not sure why I believed this fallacy, but I did.) However, experience has now taught me that this is not always the case. For there have been many trials and obstacles over the past two years that have tempted me to give up - my computer hard drive crashing midway through the project, to name one! That event alone was enough to make me throw my hands up and say, “Forget it, it’s not worth it! I must have taken a wrong turn on this journey!”

But I am thankful for God’s Word and His Spirit which kept me going, as well as all the Christian biographies our family has read about great men and women of faith who persevered in the midst of much opposition and hardship. And while I certainly can’t compare my computer woes to having an entire mission headquarters washed away by torrential rains like Ecuador missionaries, Jim and Elizabeth Elliot did, or losing five children to deadly diseases like China trailblazers, Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth did, I do know what it feels like to be dangerously close to throwing in the ministry towel.

Yet it is in these moments when God seems to supernaturally lift our heads, refresh our vision, and strengthen us to move forward. And for this I am truly grateful. For now I can joyfully stand before Him and say that I have completed what I believe He has called me to do. I did not lose hope. I did not throw in the towel. And regardless of what the Lord chooses to do with this ministry, it is so good to know that at the end of my life I will not look back with regret and say, “Gee, I wonder what might have happened if only I had persevered and…”


New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.