Reforamtion Day

I've been reading about what happened on October 31 in 1517 and found some good links to share...

What is Reformation Day All About? (Good overview)

The History of the Reformation: How Christ Restored the Gospel to His Church
(This reads like a narrative and might be good to read to the kids)

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences by Dr. Martin Luther (1517) (The 95 Thesis in translation)

Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor (sermon by John Piper)

Reformation Day Resources

I love this short description about Luther's choice to become a monk... God is the God of restoration and reformation! and our mistakes and bad choices are not beyond His sovereignty or out of reach of His providence...

In 1502 at the age of 19 he [Luther] received his Bachelors degree, ranking, impressively, 30th of 57 in his class. In January, 1505 he received his Master of Arts at Erfurt and ranked second among 17 candidates. That summer the providential Damascus-like experience happened. On July 2, on the way home from law school, he was caught in a thunderstorm and hurled to the ground by lightening. He cried out, "Help me, St. Anne; I will become a monk." He feared for his soul and did not know how to find safety in the gospel. So he took the next best thing, the monastery.

Fifteen days later, to his father's dismay, he kept his vow. On July 17, 1505 he knocked at the gate of the Augustinian Hermits in Erfurt and asked the prior to accept him into the order. Later he said this choice was a flagrant sin--"not worth a farthing" because it was made against his father and out of fear. Then he added, "But how much good the merciful Lord has allowed to come of it!" We see this kind of merciful providence over and over again in the history of the church, and it should protect us from the paralyzing effects of bad decisions in our past. God is not hindered in his sovereign designs from leading us, as he did Luther, out of blunders into fruitful lives of joy.

Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor by John Piper

inactively active

As a followup to my last post, some teaching on the unbelief of envy by John Piper from Psalm 37:

Battling the Unbelief of Envy

I have been studying Psalm 32 and found this a good followup to Pastor's sermon on Sunday regarding sin:

How Not to be a Mule

And a scripture I cling to, because it seems to be my way to race ahead of God... 

Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 

Isaiah 64:4

In my waiting, my inactivity is not to do nothing, but rather to get to work being obedient right here, right now. 

And He works on my behalf for all of those other things I long for and cry out for, He works His perfect will.

And who is better equipped for this work? 

little, old me? 

or 

an infinity wise, all-powerful, and all-knowing God who stands outside of time, who sees all of me, and pours out His lovingkindness on little, old me?

Help me to be always devoted, confident, obedient, 

resigned, childlike in my trust of thee, 

to love thee with soul, body, mind, strength, 

to love my fellow-man as I love myself, 

to be saved from unregenerate temper, hard thoughts, 

slanderous words, meanness, unkind manners, 

to master my tongue and keep the door of my lips. 

(from A Cry for Deliverance, Valley of Vision)

here

From a biography of Theodore Roosevelt I read this simple description of his mother:

She had "an unbound delight in being where she was and who she was."

delight, unbound

with where and who she was

I  have looked outside my domain and coveted other ministries, even the size and makeup of other families. Is that a weird thing to covet? 

I have battled the little voice that whispers, "it's not enough." 

I have divided my time to the point where I'm not really doing anything well. And when put all back together, I start dividing again.

Mary and Martha. One said, "Jesus is enough."

The other said, "why aren't you doing?"

Me being who I am and where I am. It's not random. God placed me here. He gave me a calling to die to my desires and pour out the love of the gospel here. Where I am. Who I am. Today. To this man and these babies and whoever else comes along.

here is where I learn to love Him more

here is where He teaches me to pour out that love

Jesus is enough, here

And we know that the death of a seed does not make the end of the life. A new life grows. Could the seed even imagine it? Could the seed even desire it?

lose your life to find it

This a daily prayer, a daily giving over.

The world is artful to entrap, 

approaches in fascinating guise,

extends many a gilded bait,

presents many a charming face.

Let my faith scan every painted bauble,

and escape every bewitching snare

in a victory that overcomes all things.

In my duties give me firmness, energy, zeal,

devotion to they cause,

courage in thy name,

love as a working grace,

and all commensurate with my trust.

Let faith stride forth in giant power,

and love respond with energy in every act. 

(from Valley of Vision, Faith and the World)

I slept and dreamt life was JOY,

I awoke and saw life was SERVICE,

I acted and, behold,

service was joy.

-Rabindranath Tagore

Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!

Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift  them  up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah.

Psalm 24:7-10

i am grateful

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me . . .

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

An excellent wife, who can find?

From Matthew Henry's definition of a virtuous woman:

" . . . pious and prudent, ingenious and industrious, that is active for the good of her household, that makes conscience of her duty in every relation, a woman of spirit, that can bear crosses without disturbance . . . "

Pious: godly, reverencing and honoring God in heart and in practice of duties He has enjoined.

Prudent: cautious; practically wise; careful of the consequences of enterprises, measures or actions; frugal; economical.

Ingenious: possessed of the faculty of invention; skillful or prompt to invent; having an aptitude to contrive, or to form new combinations of ideas.

Active for the good of her family.

Looks well to the ways of her household.

A woman of spirit.

Can bear crosses without disturbance.

Conscience of her duty in every relation.

" . . . such a one owns her husband for her head, and therefore she is a crown to him, not only a credit and honor to him, as a crown is an ornament, but supports and keeps up his authority in his family,  as a crown is an ensign of power. She is submissive and faithful to him and by her example teaches his children and servants to be so too."

"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown." Proverbs 12:4

(Definitions from the 1928 dictionary.)

"Love is an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object." V. Baucham

"we are beggars! this is true."

one:

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance. --martin luther

Trick or Treat? It's Martin Luther - Desiring God

love is patient

"There are really no loopholes here. We are to be patient with people, pain, evil, and God." Read more here.

stepping heavenward

A friend lent me Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E. Printess published in 1880. It is written in diary format, chronicling the narrator's life between the ages of 16 and 43. I am but halfway but it looks like one I may buy for each of the girls. Maybe for their 13th birthday.

"Suppose then you content yourself for the present with doing in a faithful, quiet persistent way all the little, homely tasks that return with each returning day, each one as unto God, and perhaps by and by you will thus have gained strength for a more heroic life."

I feel like Katherine. I want to do something grand and extraordinary. When really its the thousand little everyday things He has set before I am to do, to faithfully attend to the business that is mine to complete. Oh, that I would be faithful with what He has put before me. Everyday. All day.

heed not thy feelings: do thy work

"[God] changes not because thou changest. Nay, He has an especial tenderness of love towards thee for that thou art in the dark and hast no light, and His heart is glad when thou dost arise and say, 'I will go to my Father.' . . . Fold the arms of thy faith, and wait in the quietness until light goes up in thy darkness. Fold the arms of thy Faith I say, but not of thy Action: bethink thee of something that thou oughtest to do, and go to do it, if it be but the sweeping of a room, or the preparing of a meal or a visit to a friend. Heed not thy feelings: Do thy work." -george macdonald

the deeps

I've shared before from the little book of puritan prayers and devotions called Valley of Vision. I love the language, the use of scripture and their total dependence on God's mercy and grace. This is one of my favorites.

Lord Jesus, Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach;

Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge or thyself as Savior, Master, Lord, and King.

Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord,
heavenly Husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no Master but thee,
no law but thy will,
no delight but thyself,
no wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
And the fill me to overflowing with living water.

atmosphere of loveliness and joy

"There, it should be woman's office to move in the midst of practical affairs, and to guild them all--the very homeliest, were it even the scouring of pots and kettles--with an atmosphere of loveliness and joy." --nathaniel hawthorne, the house of the seven gables

I haven't been able to read much this summer.  But I did pick up several things and try. It's funny that The House of the Seven Gables is the one that was able to keep my attention, even after my niece gave it to me with the caveat that it was the most boring book she ever read. I'm not yet half way but i've met Phoebe and love how Hawthorne describes her. I must reserve final judgement regarding Phoebe until I finish the book. But when we are introduced to her she takes the dark, empty, cursed old house and infuses it with light and life; she executes the most mundane and everyday of tasks with grace and joy. Let us see what becomes of her and if she finishes well.

"There was a spiritual quality in Phoebe's activity. The life of the long and busy day--spent in occupations that might so easily have taken a squalid and ugly aspect--had been made pleasant, and lovely, by the spontaneous grace with which these homely duties seemed to bloom out of her character; so that labour, while she dealt with it, had the easy and flexible charm of play. " --nathaniel hawthorne, the house of the seven gables

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.

The LORD will accomplish what concerns me;

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

psalms 138:7&8

The Lord sets before me a road to walk and from here I fancy I see the goal, but the million little points along the path between here and there are missing. I don't know how this point, where I now stand, connects with that one, way out there, so far away. It's not a straight line, and not a smooth path. But He sees, and He knows. He will direct my steps between here and there. He will accomplish all that concerns me. And I rest in His lovingkindness, knowing that it is everlasting.

On the day I called, You answered me;

You made me bold with strength in my soul.

psalms 138:3 

Sometimes a thunderbolt will shoot from a clear sky; and sometimes, into the midst of a peaceful family--without warning of gathered storm above or slightest tremble of earthquake beneath--will fall a terrible fact, and from that moment everything is changed. The air is thick with cloud, and cannot weep itself clear. There may come a gorgeous sunset, though.

george macdonald

Psalms, Hymns, Spiritural Songs: Hymn Study

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thanksgiving in your hearts. Colossians 3:16

One way I can let the word of Christ dwell richly in my life and teach my little ones is by "singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." Oh how I want to teach and admonish my little ones in His wisdom and not my own so I include teaching the great hymns of the faith to my babies and "yearlings". Now you know I can't sing or play the piano but I do it anyway. And you know what, they love it. I peck out the melody on the piano and I try to find a good version on CD to play throughout the month so they can appreciate the music. They try to play the song too. The language is so beautiful that I incorporate the words in their copywork and at the end of the month I challenge them to recite the words of the hymns as one would recite poetry--an excellent mental exercise. For my littlest just beginning to learn to read I can use the hymn as a reading lesson. It is my goal to teach one hymn a month along with the life and story behind the hymn (for this I am using the book Then Sings my Soul or Net Hymnal). We do this in natural way integrated in our daily activities, usually while preparing meals, cleaning up the kitchen or while folding laundry. After we learn the hymns they can become a part of family worship and are an excellent spring board to discuss theology and what we believe.

Here is my 2011 list:

Doxology
For the Beauty of the Earth
Nothing but the Blood
It is Well with my Soul
Immortal, Invisible, God only wise
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
When I survey the Wondersous Cross
Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus
A Might Fortress is Our God
All Hail the Power of Jesus name
Fairest Lord Jesus
Holy, Holy, Holy

For more info: How should music be included in family worship?

Leading Family Worship

Net Hymnal

On Marking Your Home

Little by little, I'm still working on marking our home. I miss my chalkboard wall in my old kitchen so when we moved here I painted a chalkboard on an old piece of wood. After wandering the desert, it has finally found a home by the porch door in our dining room sitting on my Grandma's old sewing machine. It's the center room in the house so it gets high visibility which is good 'cause I use it in memorizing--which I'm really slow at so I need the constant reminder of what I'm working on.

To see other areas I've marked and why: Laundry room in last house, farm house family room.

Mark your home as God's territory*

If you are a Christian, would anyone know that you claim the name of Christ by walking into your home?

One of my projects this spring and summer was to begin to mark our home as God's territory. I found some beautify, carved, wooden crosses at Hobby Lobby for half price, but that was just a start. I began to add some scripture in prominent locations. This is one I painted in the laundry room (remember my nemesis the laundry?). I think in the next house I will use a portion of Psalm 90:17--"establish the work of our hands." I've also wanted to use Matthew 6:33 (maybe on the kitchen soffit?) and to put the fruits of the spirit in the girls bedroom which I haven't had a chance to do yet. Maybe the next house?

I also added a painted chalkboard wall in the kitchen. It's been such a blessing to be reminded of a scripture that God has laid on my heart while working in the kitchen or when I pass by, or practice writing out a passage I've been memorizing. I'm going to miss this board in the new house.

Marking your home includes not only what you add but what you take away. Are there books, magazines, movies, artwork in your home that are displeasing to God? Get rid of them. Are there more TVs than Bibles. Maybe it's time to consider a change. Do your kids know how to respond to the shout of "O-H" but they don't know the 10 commandments? How true that was in my house. What about the music you listen to? Does it praise the worldly pursuits of the flesh or lift up the holy attributes of God? Ask and God will open your eyes, He is opening mine wider everyday.

*Mark Your Home as God's Territory is step 5 in the message by Voddie Baucham "Getting Your House in Order." You can also read more in the book Family Driven Faith.

What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?

We're still baby stepping our way to moving day. We don't have an official closing date but all sides have agreed to the sale, inspections are being scheduled, and closing will most likely be the end of the month.

Wow, that was fast. I don't even know what to say about it except, To God be the glory for all that He has done! If I tried to count all of His blessings and answered prayers, I would certainly tire before I finished!

If you know me, you may know that I tend to get scattered in my thinking when overwhelmed. I've done a fair bit of pacing the house looking at boxes and feeling more than a little unsure of things. I'm learning to be grounded in the scriptures, to pray without ceasing, and to praise Him in all things. And praise Him that He is remaking me everyday. Hebrews 11:6 has been one of the verses that has helped me focus through all of this. Along with various sections of Matthew chapters 6-9, particularly Matthew 6:33 and of course many of the Psalms and Martha and Mary--with Martha worried about "stuff" and Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Only one thing is necessary.

Believe that He is
and that He is a rewarder
of those who seek Him!

So in the packing and planning and figuring and cleaning it is my prayer that through it all we are drawn closer to Him. That we seek more of His wisdom, more of His faith, more of His joy, more of His voice in our ears, more of His glory!

I cannot overstress the blessing that praying with my Bible open has been to me. On one particular night when we got the offer on the house (one week after we put it on the market) the cry of my heart was on where we will go if we indeed sold the house so quickly. God spoke to me through His Word these incredible words of comfort from Matthew 8:

Discipleship Tested

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. Then a scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead."

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

What are you worried about? What is stressing you out? Set your faith in Him. Seek Him continually. I'm not saying that all your problems will disappear or that things will suddenly become easy. But search the scriptures and claim His promises. He is faithful.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

This is me on the phone calling about the rental house after I found the ad in the paper, giving Steve a stern look for taking my picture while I was on the phone. It really isn't significant other than I just think it's funny that I happen to have a picture of it when I probably have less than 5 pictures of me in as many years (I'm always the one taking the pictures, you know?).