Fallen: A Good Person in a Good World with Issues

Today, my favorite pastor preached a sermon entitled "Issues."

He read us Psalm 51:

A David Psalm, After He Was Confronted by Nathan About the Affair with Bathsheba

51 ^1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace!
    Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
    soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
    my sins are staring me down.

^4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
    it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
    whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
    in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

^7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
    scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
    set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
    give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
    or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
    put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
    so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
    and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
    I’ll let loose with your praise.

^16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
    a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
    when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

^18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,
    repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.
Then you’ll get real worship from us,
    acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
    they can heave onto your altar!

 He told us we were good people, because we are created in God's image, and He called us good. With issues.

We live in a good world-- that God created, and He called it good. With issues.

We live with other people; people God created, people God called good. With issues.

And He explained that God loves us, and His world, and His other people-- with our issues. It's not even something He has to tolerate. He sees our ashy issues as something that He can turn into beauty.

And it's those very issues-- those very inclinations, sin-cycles, personality traits that you try to change-- that He wants from you.

"Bring them to Me," He pleads. Only He can see the beauty in the broken pieces now... Only He can know how Only He can work.

But if you bring Him your issues, He'll let you in on it... He'll show you the picture too.
He might flip the canvas around every once in a while so you can watch His progress.
He might let you sit at the Potter's Wheel, seeing His whole artistic process.
He might let you read bits and pieces of the saga, leaving you guessing as to the end.
But someday, I believe, He'll show you the Big Picture... His masterpiece of you... His mosaic of your issues.

Shared with Michelle DeRusha.

More Than You Can Handle

Happy Belated Sunday!

For Every Season

Image derived from Fallen Leaves by Andrea_44 via Flickr

 

What season are you in?

 

Are you beginning something?

Are you in the middle of a storm?

Are you at the end?

 

 

As you delight in His seasons, in His grand design of life, for His planet-- remember that your life and your seasons are His delight.

 

Praise Him for your springs, for your beginnings, for your births, for your fresh leaves

Laze with Him through your summer, through your time of contentment, through your sunshine

Recognize Him with your autumn, with your reminiscing, with your harvest, with your golden-ness

Hide in Him through your winter, through your storms and snow, through the bite of frost

 

Be His delight.

 

 

 

This post is part of our 31 Days of Fall series from October 2013.

 

Shared with Time-Warp Wife

 

Falling Asleep

You brush your teeth and put on your PJs, turn down your bed, and climb in. You browse Pinterest & Twitter on your phone. You read a chapter or two of an ebook on your reader.



Image credit: Day 137: Bed Time by Tom Small via Flickr

11:00 turns into 11:30, then 12:00.

What are you doing? Are you so consumed by words that you can't go to sleep? Your eyes are heavy; your yawn stumble out on top of one another.

You make mental to-do lists-- one for home, one for your blog, one for work, one for homeschooling, one for Christmas, one for John's birthday-- until you lose focus. Your thoughts are floating around the room, dangerously close to evaporating. "Write them down," you think.

You pad into the kitchen, where the fluorescent light over your sink is blinking like it's starring in a horror movie, and search for paper and a pen. You draw lines on the paper to divide your categories, and start to list away... "1. Replace light over sink." You scoot your pen to the next category... "Finish post about music appre
c
i
a
t
i
o
n." The last letters slide sloppily down the edge of the envelope you'll need to mail the electric bill tomorrow because you're too exhausted to plan ahead.

What are you doing? Are you falling asleep? Are you falling?

You need some juice. You attempt to take the lid off of a full gallon of Mott's while holding a juice glass in the other hand and the refrigerator door open with your foot. You slosh juice everywhere. You're too tired to clean it up, and yet you aren't sleeping.

Why are you awake? What are doing?

Do you hear someone calling? Your bed? Your child? Your husband? Something else? Someone else?

Go to sleep, beloved. Fall into your bed, fall into your dreams-- your God-sized dreams, fall into Jesus.

Image credit: Bed by Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr

Read here Psalm 121; it's better than warm milk:

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

He's watching over you... and He won't succumb to sleep. Perhaps He has stationed angels at the corners of your home, keeping watch for what comes to steal and destroy, armed and ready. Perhaps they sing sweet praise to their King, and yours. Can you imagine their sweet lullabye? Perhaps His very hand is covering you-- shielding you, keeping you because you are His. So close you eyes, little one-- we are His little ones, His children-- and drift into His rest.

My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Isaiah 32:18

This post is part of 31 Days of Fall from October 2013. See all 31 posts here.

 

Shared with Time-Warp Wife

Being the Heart of the Home

Attention Ladies:



image derived from knitted heart by mararie via flickr

You are the heart of your home!

 

We all know that keeping our physical hearts healthy is important.
 

But what do we do to keep the heart of the home healthy?

The Mayo Clinic provides five great steps to keeping up our cardiac health. Let's use the same advice to keep our spiritual hearts, and thus us, as the heart of our homes, healthy.

 

1. Don't smoke or use tobacco.

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

Colossians 3:5

First things first: do away with the things that are hurting you. Flee from the things that drag you down. Just as tobacco clogs our lungs and constricts our blood flow, sin brings us down.

This is not a one-time step. Ever hear a former smoker say they still want a cigarette occasionally? Or a recovering addict say that they'll never be "cured?"

We need to die to flesh daily, making our commitment fresh everyday.

 

2. Exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week.

So that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:12

When we workout, our hearts get much needed exercise. Are you exercising daily?

Do you find yourself being stagnate, or are you looking for ways to grow, to improve? It's tempting to curl up on our hypothetical couches and become spiritual couch potatoes. It's tempting to become comfortable and lazy with where we are. But we need exercise! We need to challenge ourselves, to try new things, to constantly seek to grow and become more like our Lord.

Are you getting enough exercise?

 

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet.

Man does not live by bread alone...

Deuteronomy 8:3

Whole-grains, lean protein, fruits & vegetables, cut the fat: the heart diet.

Dear one, consume the things that are good for you. Listen to songs that uplift you. Pour over Scripture. Find friends who speak truth to you.

And cut your fat. You know what I'm talking about here... the fluff that you use to make yourself feel good, or those delicious time-wasters that end up sucking up hours of your time.

Please know that I'm not saying that we should never do things that make us feel good, or help us relax (refer back to point 2!). But as mature, Godly women, we know when there's something shrouding us from our true identity in Christ-- and we need to address it.

 

4. Maintain a healthy weight.

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.

Psalm 55:22

When we gain weight, our hearts have to work harder to pump. The added weight makes it difficult for your heart to send oxygen-rich blood to your lungs, causing shortness of breath.

When we allow the weight of anxiety, the drive to be perfect, fear, stress, self-doubt, self-pity, and shame to accumulate around our home and in our life, we make it hard for us, as the heart, to operate. Chris's grandfather recently passed away after being admitted to the hospital during an episode during which his heart was functioning as 10% capacity.

Just as our physical hearts begin to suffer and weaken under added weight, so too, do we, the heart of the home suffer and weaken under burdens.

And just as our heart can suffer long-term damage the longer we carry extra pounds, the same is true for us.

The good news? The Lord tells us we can put our burdens, our extra weight, on Him. He does not tire or weaken.

Put your weight on Him; see how easier it becomes to breathe.

 

5. Get regular health screenings.

Search me, O God, and know my heart.

Psalm 139:23

Are you keeping your appointments with the Great Physician? Are you allowing your Heavenly Father to examine your heart, and to make suggestions on what you might need to change? Has He prescribed a course of treatment for you? Are you following it?

When we visit our doctor, he or she listens to your heart with a stethoscope. What are they hoping to hear? A strong, steady heartbeat.

God listens to your heart, too. He longs to hear a strong, steady heart beating for Him.

Pray for the Lord to help you understand the condition of your heart. Ask Him to care for your heart.

 

Shared with My Daily Walk in His Grace for Winsome Wednesdays, Raising Homemakers, Raising Arrows, AWise Woman Builds Her Home, Deep Roots at Home, Mercy Ink, Abiding Woman, Growing Home, Live Called, Christian Mommy Blogger, and Walking Redeemed 

How to {Really} Help New Bloggers + and why you should want to...

In this series, I'll be offering a newbie perspective on what experienced bloggers can really do to help and encourage new bloggers. Although most of these posts will be useful for any niche, I'm talking specifically to faith bloggers.

Chances are, if you're even semi-successful at blogging, you've had help along the way. Someone pointed you in the right direction. Maybe you were lucky enough to have a mentor, a "big sister" blogger friend, or were invited into a group that helped and encouraged each other. And that's awesome!

That should be reason enough to pay-it-forward, as it were, to new bloggers who are coming along.

But just in case it's not, let's think about this.

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Luke 14:12-14 NIV

Jesus is at a Pharisee's home, eating at a banquet. There are probably several officials and politicians, church leaders, and other bigwigs at this party. The Bible says that Jesus was being "closely watched." It was another one of those, "Let's-trap-Jesus-by-asking-an-ambiguous-question" scenarios.

But he was closely watching the attendees of this dinner party as well.

He had some very good advice for them: (1) don't think more highly of yourself than you ought to... you'll only be embarrassed at the end, and (2) don't just hang with your clique, or the people who can repay or benefit you.

This is good advice for bloggers, too.

As successful bloggers, are you tempted to think more highly of yourself than you ought to? Are you just interacting with other successful bloggers, or those with even more readers, or Twitter followers, than you?

Or are you earnestly trying to help, and disciple, new bloggers?

New bloggers need training and encouragement just like new believers.

Of course Jesus followed his own advice:

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. -- Luke 22:14-20 NIV

He knew at this point, there was nothing the disciples could do for him. Eating the Last Supper with them wasn't about what Jesus would get out of it; it was about what he was doing for them.

The focus of blogging, especially in the faith arena, is to impact others. And while our missions are all different, we should ultimately be pointing to the Father.

Are you pointing your fellow bloggers to the Father, particularly the new ones? Are you encouraging them and teaching them how to point to the Father as well?

Come back Wednesday for Part Two of this series!

5 Ways to Incorporate Bible Stories into Homeschool Lessons



Image derived from photo by photo boy via flickr



 

It's not all reading, writing, and arithmetic, but the freedom to teach our children the most important lessons-- the lessons about our Heavenly Father. And also, you get to go on all the fieldtrips.

The first way most of us begin to teach our children about our faith is in the form of Bible stories. We buy My First Bibles with cute rhyming summations of stories like David & Goliath, and even the Christmas story. Some of us tell stories of Moses for bedtime stories or on long trips in the car.

The really cool thing is incorporating lessons about history, literature, science, and all the rest with those Bible stories. My child needs to know that my faith in Jesus pervades everything I do, that I hold a Biblical worldview, and all the ideas I hear, and books I read, and even the conversations I have are filtered through the scope of my faith. He needs to know that my prayer for him is that the same will be true for him, and in an even greater sense than for me.

So, here's a peek into how I put things together:

Daniel & the Lions' Den

Scripture: Daniel 6

Summary: Daniel is thrown into a den of lions, basically a death sentence, for continuing to pray to God. God delivers Daniel from being killed by lions, and Daniel emerges unharmed because he trusts God.

Connect: Children around age 4 & 5 will enjoy trips to the zoo or a wildlife preserve to see real-life lions. Talk about how God created lions, and point out different parts such the tail, the mane, and the sharp teeth and claws that God gave lions to hunt and eat with. Explain why we can't pet lions-- how wild animals like lions are dangerous to us. Tell the story of Daniel-- helping your child understand what a miracle it was that the lions did not harm Daniel!

As children grow older, you can revisit this teaching method as you begin to teach biological classification (species, class, etc.), anatomy of animals, and ecosystems (how lions are predators).

Act it out!: Take a fieldtrip to the zoo or wildlife preserve.
 

Moses in the Reeds

Scripture: Exodus 2

Summary: Moses' mother hides baby Moses among reeds in a basket to keep him from the Pharaoh who wants to hurt people like Moses. Moses is found by Pharaoh's daughter, and he is raised as part of Pharaoh's household. He grows up to play a big part in God's plan to free His people.

Connect: This story can be used when exploring water plants like reeds, or for older children, ecosystems. It's also a good story to illustrate social science themes like adoption and families, and for much older children, political science & history of slavery,  or genocide. Children of all ages will enjoy learning about Egypt, including architecture, art, climate, history, & archaeology.

Act it out!: Travel to Egypt (just kidding!) Visit a museum that has Egyptian artifacts on exhibit. Go play in a pond or near a stream to find reeds.

Bonus: Have your little ones write something that they want to trust to God on a rock, stick, or leaf (something biodegradable, please!) Leave it in the reeds!
 

The Burning Bush

Scripture: Exodus 3

Summary: God speaks to Moses through a bush that is on fire, but doesn't burn. He calls Moses to speak to Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites from Egypt.

Connect: This another great story for introducing science such as heat, fire, conversion of mass, & phases of matter (gas, solid, liquid). By demonstrating that when we set a bush on fire, it burns-- you'll again help your child understand that this "burning bush" is a miraculous event. This story is also a good illustration of why our sanctuaries and churches are treated with special respect (think "Take off your shoes, Moses.") Also, don't neglect to use this story when teaching kids about how our differences (speech impediments, autism, eye-glasses, Down syndrome, any number of special needs, red hair) make us special, and how God uses the things about us that are special and unique to glorify Him.

Act it out!: Set something on fire! (And then put it out...)
 

Noah's Ark

Scripture: Genesis 5:32-10:1

Summary: After seeing that men were becoming wicked, God tells Noah to build an ark & sends a flood over all the Earth. In the end, God protects Noah & his family, and all the animals with them, because Noah obeyed God. God makes a promise never to flood the Earth again.

Connect: I use this one even with our toddler to help him identify animals. Some other ways to connect this story include: prisms & rainbows, weather, and topography (think: sending out of the dove.)

Act it out!: Use prisms, or the sprinkler, to make rainbows. Bubbles work too. Go in search of a rainbow after a rain shower. Pull up and examine topographic maps. Some libraries and museums have touch-and-feel maps of various terrain. Go for a hike and talk about elevation.
 

The Good Samaritan

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Summary: Jesus tells the parable of a Jewish man who is robbed and beaten on the road. The man is cared for by a the Good Samaritan.

Connect: This story is an excellent way to teach children to be kind and to have empathy. But for older children (think 13+), it's an important illustration of political science/current events (Israel & Palestine, Syria) and civil rights.

Act it out!: Visit the a civil rights museum. More importantly, put the parable to action by finding a way to help someone else.

 

 

 

Shared with A Wise Woman Builds Her Home and Intentional By Grace for Fellowship Fridays