"T" Party

I've been thinking about having a "T" party for young women and teenage girls. I've never been to a tea party, nor had a tea party, so I don't know what is customary. BUT, this is what I would "serve" at my "T" party:

Maturi-T:

Eph. 4:14-16 - So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.     ¹⁵Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).     ¹⁶For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.

Integri-T:

Titus 2:6-8 - Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, ⁷ in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, ⁸ sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Humili-T:

1 Peter 5:4-6 - Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
      “ God resists the proud,
      But gives grace to the humble.”

6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Puri-T:

1 Tim. 4:12 - Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

I'm sure there are other "T's" that I could serve, but just these 4 could serve as fuel and refreshment for a lifetime!

"I Just Don't Have the Patience."

WARNING: SMARMY SARCASM CONTAINED THROUGHOUT

While listening to Carol Barnier speak this past weekend at the Kalamazoo Homeschool Expo, I LOL-ed at a very common (and frequent) scenario that a majority of homeschooling moms encounter. I know I have experience it. It is this...

When people find out that I homeschool, the most common reaction sounds something like: "Oh, I could never to that! I just don't have...... (wait for it)........(you know what's coming next because you've either heard it or said it yourself)......the PATIENCE!" Yes. Exactly. That is the very reason I DO homeschool, because I'm LOADED with patience! In fact, I have SO MUCH of it that I didn't know what else to do with it. Homeschooling seemed the answer to my pesky superfluous patience problem.

I, personally, have nothing against people that don't homeschool. (For now, we still seem to have the right in this country to parent our children as we choose.) But if a lack of patience is a legitimate excuse to NOT do something, then nothing would get done...

"I just don't have the patience..."

• ...to change my baby's diaper
• ...to go to the grocery store
• ...to do the laundry
• ...to go to work
• ...to discipline my children
• ...to fill up the gas tank
• ...to mow the lawn
• ...to take a shower...wash my hair...put on deodorant...brush my teeth...

 If you don't WANT to do it, that's one thing. But at least be honest about it. People farm out all kinds of work they don't want to take the time to do, but they don't normally play the patience card.

I've found this excuse quite insufficient especially when it comes out of the mouth of a Christian. So Galatians 5:22 holds no power? This passage says that the believer DOES have patience and can actually GROW in it. Shocking.

But, perhaps Paul was misguided when he wrote that...

Enough Already!

It's March. It can stop snowing anytime now! I think I get this way every year about this time...ready for the next season. It can't come soon enough. I have to make myself find things to like about this in between time before full-on Spring in Michigan.

The seasons of my life have been that way, too. "Let's just get on with the next thing." Whether it's been wanting to get out my high school season, or college season, or single season to the married season, the pregnancy season, the breast-feeding season, or potty-training season. It's easy to get so focused on "what's next" that I don't take the time to enjoy the "now".

Currently, I'm in a season of rest. God has made it quite clear to me that - for a season - I should cut off some activities and some things that were wasting energy. He showed me several examples that are keeping me steady in this season, so that I don't try to jump out of it too soon.

One example came through reading a magazine article. The author was writing about her grandfather who was a farmer. Sometime in November, he would sow rye (I think is was). He would allow it to grow for several months, then, around February, he would till it all under. He knew it wasn't a waste of seed or energy. It was all fuel for the next season. He would then let the land rest while all those nutrients fertilized the soil to allow a bigger, healthier crop to be produced in the next season. That was comforting to me...that God could take a crappy (excuse my French) season that was meant to discourage me and turn it into fertilizer to enable me to be more productive.

Another example was one I has heard years ago, but came back to my remembrance. It was of a lumberjack who kept hacking away at a tree with a dull blade while a fellow worker sat down and sharpened  his ax. He was annoyed that the other guy was resting while he was sweating. But when his companion finally "got back to work" he was able to do more work more quickly because he has taken the time to sharpen his blade. That story has encouraged me to take some time to get sharper while I'm resting.

Of course, the  best example was looking at the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. They had been given a commandment to rest and to let their land rest. Failing to allow the land to rest got them into trouble...captivity, even. I knew that I was in danger of going "into captivity" of self-imposed demands by doing things that I felt others expected of me.

I'm finding that it can be a challenge to allow myself to rest, especially when I watch others around me working (some, feverishly). There's always the nagging voice saying "Produce, produce, produce...produce MORE!" But I must allow this season...a kind of pruning season...in order to be more effective in the next. Instead of saying "I'm resting", I guess you could say "I'm getting ready." It makes it sound like I'm doing something.

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.   ~Hebrews 4:11

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.     ~Matthew 11:29

Door Number 3

...they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.

I just love how religious people couldn't ever back Jesus into a corner. They wanted to get him to SAY something to which an accusation of law-breaking would stick. It's this way or it's not. You've got these 2 choices. These are the only 2 ways to look at this situation. But - and I love this about Jesus - He saw way beyond the actions and entrapment to the heart of the people...to the very root.

This gives me comfort (and yet, at times, condemns me). God sees my motives. He sees all the hidden things...in me and my accusers. What intrigues me about this situation is that when Jesus...

stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear

...He was opening up another option that they had not thought about. In their effort to appear justified and in the right, they saw only what they wanted to to see. He saw it all. In fact, He saw what they didn't want him to see.

“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience,went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

I don't know what He wrote, but His words were enough to prick their conscience to the fact that they were not guiltless. This woman was in the wrong. She had violated the law. But her accusers tried to manipulate the scriptures to their advantage. They wanted to make Jesus look bad and make themselves look superior...take door number 1 or door number 2. But it didn't work. There was a door number

I want to be more like Jesus in this area. I don't want to make snap judgements, blanket statements, or quick commentary. Rather, I want the eyes of my understanding enlightened, to see things from His perspective and to respond to people from a place of truth in love. As John 8:3-9 shows me, there are more than 2 sides to every story.

Fraud

I’ve been listening to a Podcast on the topic of improving marriages. Good stuff. Well-worth listening to. One podcast in particular captured my attention…and not just because the pastor was talking about sex.

The passage of scripture the pastor used was from 1 Cor. 7:4-6:

4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. (NKJ)

The word “defraud” is used in other translations in place of the word “deprive”. It was the use of the word “defraud” that caught my attention. To defraud someone is to cheat them. Here’s what I find interesting. When people use the word “cheat” in reference to marriage, in most cases, it is synonymous with infidelity. (“He/she cheated on me…”) I’ve never heard it used in reference to withholding sex. But that’s exactly how that passage was illuminated to me.

WARNING: Here comes my soap box…this could get ugly. Proceed with caution.

Here’s what I don’t get…wives that withhold sex from their husbands for reasons other than medical/physical disabilities. What-the-heck! That’s like THE main reason people get married. (And don’t tell me you got married for companionship…you could have had that BEFORE you got married.) Granted, people – many of them – have sex before they get married, but I’m talking about people who claim Jesus as their Lord. That should be a different story. God wants married couples to have sex…as much as you (and/or your spouse) want. It was HIS idea. Woman, you are cheating your husband by withholding what is rightfully his. (Same goes for the husband, but I think that may be more rare.)

(Climbing down from soap box…)

Obviously, there is more to a good and healthy marriage than sex. But, don’t kid yourself into thinking that it’s way down on the list.

If you would like to watch the marriage series, you can view it at this site: http://www.churchonthemove.com/service

Hello World!

I recently asked my Facebook friends to give me the Top Ten Reasons why people start a blog. I got 9 responses. Maybe I should have asked for 5. The reasons they gave me are as follows:

1. Promote a business
   
2. to "vent"
   
3. To have a creative outlet for their ponderings...and to encourage others.
   
4. To waste your time(:
   
5. To help friends and family far away to be able to stay in touch and know what is going on in your life.
   
6. i don't know. i don't have 10 reasons Y much less put them in an order of importance...Different peeps probably have lots of dif. reasons Y they have them...i'll be interested to learn! :)
   
7. Inspiration, vent, boredom... If you started one Karen I would definitely read it because your sense of humor cracks me up!!!
   
8. The illusion that someone actually cares about what's on their mind.
   
9. To cause writer's block
   

I'm still not sure what MY reasons are for starting a blog. Maybe it's just to get my mental notes out of my head and onto...well, um... not paper. Maybe it's to feel like I have a voice in the world. Whatever it is, here I go...