How to Make the World a Better Place

After studying whales and watching videos about the challenges they face in a polluted world, I concluded by saying, "So we need to think about what we can do to make the world better."

Anna replied, "The best thing is that we don't need to think about it. We can pray and we can KNOW what we can do, because the Holy Father will tell us what to do."

The Creation

A friend was blogging to today about African American poets. That got me thinking about some of my favorite poems, the sharing some youtube videos with my kids, and then my kids wanting to write their own poems. So here is my Ethan's poem. He'll love you forever if you comment on it on his own blog, Art by Ethan, where it was originally posted. He wanted it to be more theologically and technically accurate than the famous version.


"God's World"
by Ethan

In the beginning, there was God, and there was shadow.
God said, "Let there be heavens and let there be earth."
And they were.

Then God made light, and grabbed it, and formed it to a ball,
And made the sun.

God blew on the sun, and from it came the stars.
And there in the darkness a glow from a rocky mirror shined out it's light,
There the moon.

God threw out lightning and broke water from water.
There was land.

A wave from the sea cracked up fish and the birds.
The land gave birth to all living creatures.
And God gave birth to man.

This was inspired by Genesis 1 and "The Creation" by James Weldon Johnson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now the video of James Weldon Johnson's version that we loved so much:

Jesus is my Righteousness. The End.

One by one by family members are joining the ranks of the anti-dispensational "heretics." Rejecting an eleborate story of the multiple stages of end-times drama, and instead embracing a story of redemption, beautiful in its simplicity.

I will not be judged by my works, but by Christ's great work on my behalf. The final judgment for works is simple - they are all good or all evil. Because I am judged on the basis of Christ's righteousness,not my own, I am declared righteous. His righteousness has been imputed to me.

I don't need starry crowns or mansions either. My great reward is Christ and Him alone. If that's not enough for you, that might be something worth worrying about.

Psalms are for singing

Turns out making up your own Psalm melody word for word in the version you want to memorize in works even better. We've got the first half covered already.

Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Psalm Memory Challenge

Each November we choose a Psalm to memorize before Thanksgiving. We've been working our way through Philippians, and have finished (mostly) the first chapter, so we've spent the last few days reviewing Psalms we've memorized in the past - Psalm 1, 23,63 (we don't know this one as well - I had morning sickness that year, blah!) 67, 100, 113, and 150. We initially memorized Psalm 23 when Anna was not quite two, so that she could learn it for Sunday School (she did!), so Rose didn't know it. We've been singing it to this video:




There used to be a website for this song with a different video, but I can't find it anymore. I was glad to find the song on youtube.

I set Psalm 67 to music the year we memorized it and Ethan is the best at long-term retention, so he remembers it. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they all remembered Psalm 113 and Psalm 1 from last year.

This year's Psalm pic was easy since Rose has newly adopted this song:


I prefer the Praise Baby version which is the version she first got stuck in her head, but I couldn't find a video for it - you can listen to a clip here ( "Better Is One Day"). Hillsong's "Blessed" covers a few more verses. The new Sons of Korah have their complete version of the Psalm:




Psalm 84

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!

10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!


As we read through it today, Ethan said, "oh, the Sons of Korah, I like their Psalms! - remember I read through all the Psalms?" I love that boy!

So will you join us in the memory challenge? Choose a Psalm, there's a length appropriate for any one's learning curve, and join us! Let me know in the comments which Psalm you'll be memorizing for Thanksgiving this year.

Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord!

Radical

Light

Light has always been my favorite metaphor

I cranked up the music this morning as I made pancakes and love these lyrics " So let hope rise/And darkness tremble/In Your holy light/That every eye will see/ Jesus our God..."

Through the deck doors I witness autumn's morning light filtering through the maples and backdropped by bright blue sky.

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." Isaiah 60: 1-3

"And God said, Let there be light : and there was light. " Genesis 1

"He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death." Job 12:22

"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." Psalm 36:9

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." Psalm 119:30 (ESV)

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Isaiah 9:2

"The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. " Isaiah 60:19-20

"... 'The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.' From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4: 16-17

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14 (ESV)

"For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." - Simeon, Luke 2:30-32

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:4-5, (ESV)

"The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." John 1:9 (ESV)

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. " John 3:19

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. " Acts 26:18

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6

"that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world," Phillipians 2:15 (NKJV)

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17 (ESV)

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" 2 Peter 1:9

"And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there." Revelation 21:23-25

"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 22:5

Remember

I love hot water. I am unceasingly grateful for hot water that kills bacteria in my dishwasher, washing machine and kitchen sink, and I am profoundly grateful for hot showers. Really. I thank God on a regular basis for the gift of being born in this century. In this place. With something as luxurious as a hot shower here for the taking.

And I pray for them.

The ones He loves that haven't had a hot shower in years because they're rotting in a dictator's prison. I remember.

I sweat as I do a simple outdoor task in the middle of a summer heat wave.

And I pray for them. The ones left in metal shipping containers for months. What do I have to complain about?

I shiver on a winter morning when the heat doesn't work properly.

And I pray for them. Those brothers and sisters whose names I do not know. Freezing in a prison cell with no blanket, no hot tea, no end in sight.

Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.

The Truth

Amazima Ministries.

Amazima is the Lugandan word meaning "the truth of Christ." To be honest, it was chosen quickly without much thought, because the IRS needed a name. God said to me "You will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free." I opened my Bible to John chapter 8 and it said "You will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free." I went to church that Sunday and guess what the Pastor said? Yes. "You will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free."

There is TRUTH that my children need to share with the people of America. Brace yourself:

The TRUTH is that there are 147,000,000 orphans in our world today. 147,000,000.

The TRUTH is that 70 percent of these precious children will never have an education.

The TRUTH is that every day, 16,000 children die from hunger related causes. That is 5,840,000 a year.

The TRUTH is that about 1 in every 3 people living today does not have access to clean water.

The TRUTH is that 10,600,000 children under the age of 5 die each year. 54 percent of these deaths are from PREVENTABLE, TREATABLE illnesses

Please read the rest here.

First Catechism Q52 "What kind of life did Christ live on earth?"

A - " A life of obedience, service, and suffering."

So went our family worship this morning.

We read our current Psalm, Psalm 34,continued our work in memorizing Philippians, worked through some catechisms, and ended with "Amazing Grace." But this catechism struck me.

So we pondered.

What will be said of us? How will our epitaph read?

"She lived a life of willfulness, and did everything possible to make her life comfortable." -or- "She lived a life of obedience, service, and suffering like her Savior."

It's obvious which I resemble more. It's obvious which is easier. It's also obvious that no disciple wants to settle for less than the second option.

Maybe we should live our lives with our epitaph in mind more often. "Loving wife and mother" is good, but we're striving for excellence here, and that is just the beginning. Those may be the printed words, but please God, let the legacy beneath them cry out obedience, service, and suffering for the glory of Christ.

Rosie's baptism

Sorry about the sound. It was at an open air service for our rather large church, and I was in front of the speakers. There were fifteen baptisms last Sunday. The song is Chris Tomlin's "Jesus, Messiah".

As I went through the baptism booklet in preparation for her baptism, I asked Rosie when she first believed. She said, "When I was three...no, when I was one." That pretty much sums it up for her. Some children believe from a very young age. We've never focused on a single defining event with our kids. We focus on their hearts and whether they believe right now, and if their life reflects that truth. Some children will have a very defined moment of salvation, others will not remember ever not believing. Rosie knows that she was born a sinner and every sin deserves the wrath and curse of God. She also knows that Jesus died for sinners and that His blood washes sin away. And she believes this with all her heart.

Oh, and a funny for you. Near the end of Rose's baptism booklet my mom asked Rose, "And what is sin"? To which Rose replied, "Sin is the bad things that you don't want to do because if you do them, you get a spanking!"

Ministering with young children

I think what I would like to work on is ministering within the home. Being okay with everything not being perfect and balancing that with having a home that is welcoming. Then having people come in that might be forgotten. My mother says, "Charity starts at home." It needs to start at helping our parents care for our grandparents, and visiting and honoring great-grandparents. Then looking after elderly members of the family that do not have direct descendants (or don't have any actively assisting them.)

Our focus during this season of life should be on how to minister to the people around us rather than trying so hard to go out to minister. It is difficult to get out with little children! This can be done occasionally, but time and resources would be better spent learning to minister from within the home, then this can become more of an outward movement as the children get older. It's taken me a while to get this. I had the best daydreams of weekly trips to the nursing home, and for some people that might be what they are led to do, but I think we need to focus on what we can do from here for the most part.

It's about being able and willing to set aside my schedule and convenience to help other people, but not forgetting that happy babies in a household hoping to remain somewhat peaceful can't regularly miss their naps! Balance. I want to be flexible, but also intentional. I'd like to start putting ministry or visiting appointments in my calendar. It might not always happen, I might have to reschedule, but at least it will stay on my radar and not get lost in the busyness of life.

Some practical ideas:

1. Throwing a tea party or simply baking a birthday cake for an elderly neighbor or relative. We quickly baked a cake and decorated the table for an impromptu birthday tea for an elderly relative and she could not stop talking about it. It is a huge thing to them, and really pretty simple for you to do.
2. Taking in the laundry from someone who is sick.
3. Putting together a sick baskets of soup and cookies and a book and delivering it to someone that is sick. You would be amazed at how big a deal this is to people! Have soup stock and ingredients on hand for this. Keep a small stash of inexpensive gift items and perfect condition books from the thrift store on hand.
4. Picking up an inexpensive bunch of flowers at the grocery store and delivering them on the way home.
5. Working together to raise money or deciding what to do without in order to sponsor a missionary or child in a foreign country. We were talking this morning about a lemonade stand since a water park is opening just down the street from us this summer.
6. Having a yard sale or bake sale to raise money for a missionary ministering in the area of a crisis (such as the earthquake in Haiti).
7. Inviting neighborhood children into your family activities and sharing your home and the gospel.
8. Doing Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Some of these are things I've done and some are things I'd like to do, or do more of, in the future.

I hate sin!

The sweet mockingbird mama, Magdalena, is calling and searching for her lost ones this morning. She fearlessly fought off and saw the attack, and yet she boldly and desperately searches for them still today.

Makes me hate cats.

Makes me hate sin even more.

One more curse from Adam's fateful choice.

Romans 15

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it,in hope

21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons,the redemption of our body.

24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

1 Corinthians 15

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead,the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

27 For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet."

54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Advent Evenings

Our advent readings this year were from

Jotham's Journey

Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Psalm Memory Challenge

This year's Psalm is 113. We crashed and burned last year during the worst of the morning sickness. This year's looking good!

Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD!

Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
the name of the LORD is to be praised!

The LORD is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the LORD our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD!


We're also memorizing:

"Father We Thank Thee" by Ralph Waldo Emerson - the kids think it's cool to immediately be able to say nearly half of it by just saying "Father, we thank Thee" or Father in heaven, we thanks Thee" at the appropriate times. :^)

"Now Thank We All Our God" is our hymn for the month




We'll also be reviewing Psalm 100, 150, and 67 from past years, as well as "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" and other Thanksgiving and praise hymns.

Our Morning Worship readings are from the Psalms this month. We read Psalm 18 yesterday which lead to learning the praise song "I Will Call Upon the Lord".

For our writing this month we're going to have on ongoing list of things we're thankful for and some nice copywork to make into a Thanksgiving book. That's the plan anyway. :^) Here are some link for nice handwriting paper for this.

a to z teacher stuff here and more here


So will you join me in my Thanksgiving Psalm memory challenge? It can be for your family or just for yourself. Leave me a link to your post with your chosen Psalm or just write it in the comments. Let's make this a month to focus on learning to praise the LORD with every moment and every breath.

Praise the LORD!

graphic courtesy of Kaboose

Fantastic Documentary

Follows the story of two Amish men who come to a true faith in Jesus Christ and are ultimately excommunicated from their Amish churches and families.

Scripture and Education

I just got back from a lovely weekend away with my Brian. But I've had a serious shake-up in my world this past week. I've tried to be open-minded concerning educational choices that I consider to be less than ideal, but after hearing a family's testimony that really struck me as wholly wrong, I have been contemplating and researching his even more and I'm just not feeling as open minded. I have no desire to be judgmental, but I am becoming very concerned with what seems to be a lack of biblical dialogue on what Scripture truly does have to say about educational choices. And if those choices are really so open to private opinion. I have a lot that I have sorted through, and I'm not sure how much I want to throw out here, but I'm just going to start with some scripture. I'd love to hear your opinions on how they do or do not apply to the type of education Christian parents can consider for their children. At the very least, they are food for serious thought.

Deuteronomy 11:18 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (NKJV)

What is the best way to do this?
I recommend this article for some interesting insights and statistics. There are lots of rather consistent statistics out there on varying educational results, but verifying original sources has proven to be obnoxiously difficult.

Luke 6:39 He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Can a parent reasonably expect to have more influence than another teacher the child listens to for the majority of his day?


2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.

I've most often heard this applied to marriage, and then to business partnerships. Only this past week did I see someone apply this to education. Do you think that this is valid? Can you work together with an unbelieving, Christ-denying teacher/institution/system to educate you children? When is this unbiblical?

I have lots of questions, and not as many answers.

Give me some feedback.

Advent conspiracy

Don't watch this if you like your comfort zone too much.

And our response?

The same as it always should be - PRAISE. God is good all the time; He is control; and the Church, despite persecution or roadblocks, is unstoppable.

So join me in our Third Annual Thanksgiving Psalm Memory Challenge.

So far we've memorized Psalm 100, 150, and 67. This year's Psalm will be Psalm 63.

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Now, it's your turn. Choose a Psalm to say with your family at each meal (or however you memorize) and leave your name in the comment box with a link to your Psalm on your blog.

Job the book ~ powerful

You can listen to or read the entire poem or order the book here.