Only a few hours left for this amazing sale!
Plus, check out our new & redesigned black T's!
All of our black T's have been redesigned with brighter colors to really POP out, plus we have several brand new designs! What's more, is that after the coupon code these T's are only $16.99! (see the coupon code at the top of every Reflections store page)
I've been busy, again.
Just in time for the last day of the big sale that ends tomorrow, too.
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See the full TULIP line, here.
Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
As I was reading this morning, these 2 passages stood out to me more than usual. You see, I often find myself discontent with the way things are, for various reasons. The Scriptures are very clear that we are supposed to be content (satisfied) with what we have, and be at peace knowing that God knows what we are in need of. Further, they are also very clear that we are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and when we do that - all our needs will be met.
Now lest anyone take that to mean any kind of "prosperity message", I assure you it is not. God blesses His people with great contentedness, even if they're living in a 1 room shack & eating beans & rice all year long.
Contentment is something that often eludes me, and I'm not happy to admit it. I often try to remind myself that we "have" more than most people in this world, as far as material things go, and that I have no business not being satisfied with that.
In this world, there are untold numbers of people and families living paycheck to paycheck, and struggling to get by and make ends meet. I suppose it's been this way for many people for many years. For those people, it's not about working to live, it's living to work. They cannot miss a day of work for any reason, whether it be illness or family emergency, as that would be a substantial loss of income to them. For those of you in that situation, you know it's not a very pleasant way to live. I don't know the stats on this offhand, but I do know that financial stress has been said to be one of the top causes of family disruptions that lead to seperation, divorce, abuse, and all sorts of other painful things. While this kind of stress is very real, it's also very managable and must be looked at (by the believer) through the instruction in Scripture.
The passage I quoted above in 1Tim. chapter 6 goes on to say something critically important:
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
While I don't presume to say that those who struggle with making ends meet are they that have a love of money, and/or covet after it, I will say that for me personally, when I struggle with being content for lack of it to make ends meet, there is some amount of piercing with many sorrows. It also very much does feel like erring from the faith. Again, looking at Matthew 6:32 I'm reminded that my heavenly Father knows what my needs are. If I'm worrying about not having what I need, I'm too busy with that to remember that He knows what I need and too busy with my own lamenting over it, to remember to trust Him to provide. I'd also be too busy to be doing the things that 1Tim. 6:11 says:
"flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness"
This is saying the same thing as Matthew 6:33:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"
I know that many others have written on this topic in a much more articulate way than I just have. I'm not trying to produce a powerhouse blog post though. I'm preaching to myself, as a friend suggested to me last night (thank you D.) and hoping that in doing that, I might bless someone else as well.
Financial struggles are very real. Creditors & utility companies don't care one way or another why your bills are late, or unpaid, they just want their money, and rightfully so. Kids don't always understand why they can't have a new pair of shoes or the new toy they saw. The family vehicle doesn't know about making ends meet when it needs an oil change, it'll just stop running properly until it gets one. The list is endless, and the financial obligations that people have can seem impossible and overwhelming to many.
I believe the key here is to flee from worrying about these things, and instead of focusing your thoughts on worry, focus on the goodness of our heavenly Father. Know (and I do mean know) that He knows full well what you need, and be about the business of seeking righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness as 1Tim. 6:11 says, and trust that all your needs will be met. Let worry and anxiety over these things simply NOT be a part of your day.
I know that sounds simplistic, but isn't it, really? It all comes down to a matter of what we set our minds on. Scripture is really clear where our thoughts should be, and worrying or stressing about food, clothing, and other needs is not one of those places.
I'll close with one final exhortation that actually preceded the first passage:
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Be of big faith, not little faith.
Just wanted to post quickly tonight and remind you there are only 2 days left of this HOT summer sale.
In any event, here's the recipe (sort of, I don't measure things, so it's hit & miss)
Yesterday I posted about being weary (ekakkeo). One of the commenters came along to show you why. Although I'm pretty sure that wasn't her intention. I prayed and thought about how or if I should respond to this at all, all day. I will address only a portion of her comment, and will do so here instead of in the comment section of yesterday's post. You can read the entire comment there, if you'd like.
Wendy said:
"Carla, I think you are articulating the very position of the people you perceive as your critics. I am SO TIRED of the slander, lies, hypocrisy, pot-stirring, veiled-insults, busy-body people who have nothing better to do than rail against other Christians who are pouring themselves out in ministry to those who don't know Christ. You aren't criticizing people for tolerating homosexuality or fornication or drunkenness or lying or murder. You aren't criticizing them for teaching another gospel or adding rules to the gospel. You aren't criticizing them for promoting a feminist agenda (one of the biggest attacks to the gospel in secular culture currently). Instead, you tear down God-honoring brothers and sisters in Christ left and right and then weep when their defenders rise up against your slander."
When I considered how to respond to this today, after initially considering responding in a less than kind way (I confess, these kinds of things often bring out the "old man" in me) the overwhelming direction for me to go was simply grace and truth. I know many people are growing weary of the apparent rage-filled (whether they are or not, that's the impression many get) blogwars, or whatever you want to call them. I don't want this to fall into the category of yet another one of those examples.
Wendy states here that I am guilty of tearing down God honoring brothers and sisters and that she's tired of the "slander, lies, hypocrisy, pot-stirring, veiled-insults, busy-body people who have nothing better to do than rail against other Christians who are pouring themselves out in ministry to those who don't know Christ", implying that it's those of us who critique these folks, or me specifically (?), that is guilty of those things toward these God honoring brothers and sisters.
I was talking to a brother today who recently wrote a review of an article he'd read about Erwin McManus (yet another name associated with the EMC). He saw some things he liked, and also saw some things he didn't like, and he was forthright about both. I thought his post was pretty even handed in expressing his opinion - but you better be sure one of the first comments accused the man of being on a witch-hunt (his words). Another commenter suggested he more or less get offline and get about the business of evanglizing, instead of being so unreasonably critical of other people. I went back and re-read this brother's post twice, before I commented. I've since read it a third time and still cannot see why these two commenters would say the things they said, about the post and about the man specifically.
There seems to be this attitude that you may NOT "touch mine annointed". Specifically, you may NOT dare speak critically of anyone associated with the EMC (whether in the middle of it, or even loosly associated with it), or anyone associated in any way, shape or form with the "contemplative spirituality" or "spiritual transformation" crowd. It seems that if you do, you're the evil, slandering, lying, busy-body that lives and breathes to tear people down. It doesn't matter if your critique of something someone said is done in the spirit of love for the truth, the spirit of concern for young or weak believers, or even if you've pointed out GOOD things about the ministries of some of these people, as well as pointing to the things you disagree with. None of that matters, as long as you've said any word of disagreement or criticism. That will be the focus of what you've written, and that will be what starts the next round of "more heat than light" comment threads.
Like I shared on brother Dave's blog earlier today, there is a real aversion to being a Biblical berean, and I honestly don't get it.
What I mean by that is that there is a very real and very loud objection to anyone taking exception with anything these folks (ECM, CS, etc.) say. For example, if Joe Authentic posts that he believes there are "alternative and plausible" views of God's sovereignty (implicating open view theism), and Joe or Jane Berean comes along and says "no, the Bible says right here (and posts what the Scriptures say) that open view theism cannot possibly define the character or attributes of God" then it's open season on Joe or Jane Berean.
I see it every single day, and I know you probably do too. How dare this man or woman question Joe Authentic?!? Joe Authentic is a pastor, has written 57 books on open theism, lectures all around the world, was educated in the best schools, is highly respected by zillions of very authentic people!!!
My answer to that, and please don't mistake this for flippancy, is "so?". Does being a "credentialed" man with numerous admirers automatically make a man theologically correct? Of course it doesn't. Does being a published author make a man doctrinally sound? Nope, it sure doesn't.
Likewise, does pointing out that Joe Authentic is holding to a wrong doctrine, automatically make you a liar, slanderer, hypocrite or tearing down God honoring men? No, it absolutely does not.
The Scriptures are filled with warnings to us about being on the watch for false teachings, as well as examples of naming names where those false teachings are. Was Paul a liar, slanderer and a busy body? Of course he wasn't, he was a man who loved the Lord and loved the truth enough to say it no matter the cost.
Listen, I'm tired of these "authentic" people assuming some sort of license to be authentic, and wanting everyone else to be authentic, UNLESS it interferes with what they believe or what their favorite pastor/author/theologian/authentic journeyperson is teaching. Then it seems, the gloves are off and it's okay to falsely accuse anyone of anything. If there was ever any really good example of being a hypocrite, there you have it.
I may not always present my opinions in the kindest, candy-coated way, and I may not always refrain from sarcastic barbs, but the irony of that is, if I were ECM friendly, that would actually be appreciated. Since I'm not ECM friendly (and never will be), I'm a liar, busy-body, slanderer, etc. so on and so forth. Well, folks can accuse me of this all day long if it makes them feel better about their verbal assaults, but it doesn't make it true.
My hope, and my goal, is that what I say will be checked against Scripture. That what I say will cause others TO ask questions as well, and pray about it, search the Scriptures to either prove me wrong or see for themselves that what I've said is accurate. There is just a phenomenal amount of garbage out there passing as Christianity in our day, and folks are being decieved by it, and duped into accepting it. It's wrong, God is not glorified in it, and people are being led astray.
For a perfect example of what I'm talking about re: ad hom garbage and being tired of it, take a close look at the way Ergun Caner has responded to James White. THIS is what I'm talking about. It's wrong, and should never happen, especially among the household of faith.
Last night just before turning in for the night, I went over and read James White's blog. If you haven't followed the correspondence that James has posted between himself and the brothers Caner, regarding the planned debate in October, then I would highly recommend you go and read this first, then read this one, then finally this one.
What struck me (among many things) about the latest exchange between James White and Ergun Caner, is that I'm really glad James decided to make his correspondence with him public. He's taken a lot of heat for that, but I'm of the opinion that it's been a great benefit to many people.
Ergun Caner is the president of a seminary, and I have no qualms about publicly stating that he's conducted himself like any run of the mill, juvenile deliquent. No qualms whatsoever. His own emails to James White have proven over and over again what kind of character this man is made of. What strikes me though, is the negative opinion of some, that this kind of interaction shouldn't be made public in the first place.
Not that I am comparing myself to James White (for the few obnoxious people who have made that comment) but in the very same way, I've been publicly slammed for publicly stating my own opinions about some of the things going on under the guise of Christianity. And I do mean slammed. I have seen words written about me that question my sexual purity, question my faith, cast doubt on my sincerity, speak ill of my husband and my children, mock my physical appearance, and more. And make no mistake, these are words written by professing Christians.
Someone recently brought to my attention a blog (which will not be named, for no other reason than I'm not going to give a free link to a site I don't recommend) that seems to take great delight in slandering other bloggers. The irony of this is, the blogger uses belittling titles to describe other bloggers, such as calling them things relating to being watchdogs. The fact that he seems to know so much about what these other blogs are writing about, makes it pretty clear that he's appointed himself the watchdog over the very bloggers he writes about. The last time I checked, that's called being a hypocrite. It's a wee bit hypocritical to spend your time scanning other people's blogs & sites just to file consistant reports on what they're writing about, especially if you're using condescending jabs about such people being self-appointed watchdogs. Maybe this person is a self-appointed watchdog of the people he assumes are self-appointed watchdogs? Not sure, it all seems like a grade school head-game to me.
In any event, I've read in more than one place recently that us bloggers who dare question whatever's going on out there in Christendom, are being busybodies. It's not our job, to warn the whole world about what's going on, they have said. We're being mean-spirited and unChristian to point out what's being taught, promoted and accepted into local churches.
In my case (for those who critique what I write here and at ENo), it's because I'm a woman. More than a few critics have pulled the "she's out of line!" card with that one. Apparently they can't address the issues that I mention Biblically (or just don't want to), so they go for the subversive tactic, dodging the issues I do mention, and playing the little game of "well, she's a woman anyway, why should anyone listen to her, she's out of line". For the record, that one is old. Not only does my husband know and approve of what I write, so did my last pastor. (For the folks that don't know, not only did we leave our last church for reasons very similar to this, so also did our pastor and his wife, and several others). This fact seems to go right past the men out there that have nothing better to do than carry on about some woman being a busybody. Frankly, I find it all a bit catty. Which is also rather ironic, since that's usually something that tale-bearing women engage in.
This all reminds me of the AoG church I was once in, that loathed being questioned about anything. If you did question, and especially if you expressed any amount of dissatisfaction with the answers you did get (getting straight answers was rare to begin with), you were marked in a sense. Troublemaker, resister, spiritually rebellious, etc. It didn't take long for me to sense that this was some kind of spiritual blackmail going on. You see, if you asked too many of the wrong kinds of questions and had the nerve to disagree with any of the answers you did get, you were then gossipped about among certain church members as someone who was to be avoided, or thought of as having submission issues.
That's the same tactic being used now, in several evangelical circles. The circles are just a lot wider.
Truly, it blows me away that so many Christians want other Christians to hush about what's really going on. Why is that? Do we want everyone to be deceived? Do we want to be good little robots that just fall in line and accept whatever comes down the pike? Clearly, that is what some Christians want us to act like.
I for one, am glad for blogs and other sites that publicly document such things like James White has done. I'm glad there are others out there that believe in truth, openness and honesty, and will put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.
At the same time, I'm tired. Tired of slander, lies, hypocrisy, pot-stirring, veiled-insults, busy-body people who have nothing better to do than rail against other Christians because they dared to speak out against unbiblical and unChristian teachings and/or conduct.
Kev and I talked about this yesterday, and while neither of us came to any conclusions about how to solve this, we both agreed that it's been a part of Christianity since day one. Something we're never going to get away from, due to the nature in man, and the nature we bring with us even after conversion. We're all prone in some way, to conduct ourselves with the above described lusts of the flesh, but it certainly does make one weary. Weary of it in our own lives, and weary of it when it comes from others towards us, or someone we love and care about.
Scripture says we're to "be not weary" in well doing (Galatians 6:9), so that's how we're supposed to be.
Maybe someday I'll get there but it's likely not today.
Well, it's been a really hectic (but good) weekend. Baby shower yesterday, which was preceded by a heavy duty lawn mowing, brick walkway weeding, deck cleaning and various other preparations. The shower went really well.
Today we had planned to visit a church not too far from here, but we got some news earlier in the week that Kev's mom had lost her job, and had already begun making plans to move out west to Edmonton. She decided she's not taking anything with her, so she needed us to come get whatever would fit in the van. Big news, tough new for Kev & the kids. She's leaving in 3 weeks.
With all the things to keep me busy over the weekend, I did still manage to create some new items for the store. You can check out 
at any time from the store's main page.
And, you do NOT want to miss the sale detailed in the 
also posted at the store.
Only five days left to save HUGE.
All my girls were here today for Jennifer's baby shower. All my girls in one place is something that doesn't happen very often anymore, so it was a nice treat.
Just a few quick things this morning...
1. Never try to chase away a skunk by making a similar sound that he's making. He'll think you're calling him, and run TOWARD you. At which point, you'd better hope you can run faster than he can, or you're in big trouble. Big=monumental & very smelly trouble.
2. Be not weary in well doing. No matter if you get snotty comments (at your own blog or someone else's), snotty emails, or snotty comments about you or those you respect & admire in other formats online or off. Those who stand for truth & speak the convictions of their hearts, WILL get slammed by others. It's just the way it is. By the same token however, don't mistake contending for the faith with being contentious for the faith. Be on guard that you don't blur the line. If you do, apologize and then knock it off.
3. If you ever decide to write a book about your life, and how God supernaturally transformed you from a spiritually dead heathen, into a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ - be prepared to cry, a lot. Be prepared to recall old memories and feel like you're writing about someone else, in some other lifetime. Be prepared to revisit old and painful emotional rollercoasters as you recall the things you went through, before you came to Christ.
And the bonus today...
4. If you buy a box of Breton Minis Veggie crackers, as an alternative to potato chips, be prepared to eat the entire box in 2 days (or less). If possible, seek help with your veggie cracker addiction by assigning another family member to ration the crackers for you.
And just for you, my dear readers (all 3 of you), go here and get in on this sale, or you'll be kicking yourself for weeks that you missed it and missed the chance to save a good chunk of cash. Only 5 more days to save BIG, then only 2 more days after that, to save medium. After that, the sale is over.
With that, have a super-terrific-fantastical-outrageously-superb Friday.
Or, just do your best to get through the day and then mow the lawn tomorrow.
:o)
In the past week our family devotions have been on the theme of God's majesty in creation. I love these little devotion stories. They're perfect for the kids at their ages and they almost always cause the kids to ask questions later. One of the most recent topics was how God the Father simply spoke creation into existance.
Last evening as I was picking some of my strawberries in my garden, Jordan asked me if the wild strawberries growing at the other corner of the house, were really Rachel's. Rachel saw them coming in a couple of months ago and laid claim to them as her own.
I explained to Jordan that they didn't really "belong" to anyone, they weren't planted there by anyone, but just growing wild. She gave me a strange look and she said "they were too planted there, God said He wanted them there, and that's where they came up! He spoke them there."
I thought that was pretty clever of her to think about it that way. Indeed that is exactly how it happened afterall. Technically, I can only assume the seeds were either blown there by the wind or dropped by birds - ultimately that is where God wanted them, and that's where they began to grow.
After talking to her about God's providence a little bit, it occured to me that God speaking something into existance didn't actually stop after the 6 days of creation.
Now before anyone gets all nervous here, rest assured I have Biblical evidence to back this up.
Since the Bible is the very written word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), when a man speaks forth the words of God in delivering the gospel truth about Christ, he is speaking God's own words. He is simply repeating what God has already declared via the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
- When faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)...
- As the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16)...
- When the preaching of the cross is the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18)...
- If it pleases God by the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe (1 Corinthians 1:21)...
- If it is the work of God, that we believe on Him whom He has sent (John 6:29)...
- If we are begotten with the word of truth, because of His own will (James 1:18)...
- If we trusted, believed and were sealed as a result of hearing the word of truth (Ephesians 1:13)...
Then, when in that moment in time when we were born again, regenerated, quickened, made alive in Christ - we were actually spoken into this new state by the power of God, through His word.
This same holy and majestic God who spoke the stars into the sky, commanded the dry land to appear, spoke birds, and wildlife into existance. This same God speaks us into existance by the power of the gospel of Christ.
I have no doubt that someone else, somewhere along the way has made this connection between the first 6 days of creation and the regeneration of man - and that they have explained it in much more elaborate detail. Last night was the first time the connection ever occured to me and now, like then, it just makes me want to be very small.
He is a most awesome and powerful God we serve, and is worthy of all honor, reverence and praise.
When I somewhat jokingly created the "Truly Reformed" graphic, I put on there that the real meaning of that label is to be found in Titus 3:5:
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost
In retrospect, I should have added verses 6 and 7 as well:
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
I cannot define well enough in simply human words, how much it means to me that He was merciful to me, and chose to quicken me to spiritual life. Mulling it over in my mind that He quite literally spoke me into (spiritual) existance through the power of His word, is almost too much to take in.
Psalms 65:4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest toapproach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
Blessed indeed. To be "truly reformed" means so much more than a belittling jab at someone. It really does mean, to be genuinely and inwardly changed by the power of the preaching of the gospel of Christ.
And to Him be all glory!
Looking for a great deal? I mean a really great deal? Well... look no further, we've got a HUGE sale going on right now, until the end of the month.
Gardening tip #104:
When setting out to pull pesky weeds from your wildflower garden, always be sure to trim your nails first, or at least wear a comfy pair of gardening gloves.
I did neither, and ripped my pinky nail clean off this evening. It hurts, really bad. Not an advisable thing to do.
On a completely different note...
What do you do when life hands you lemons?
A. Cry because they're not apples?
B. Lament to your friends that all you ever get is lemons?
D. Grate them and use the peel in your next batch of sugar cookies?
E. None of the above.
If you picked E., congratulations, you've won!
The more I thought about the motive behind calling someone a "TR", the more I thought "how can I turn this around?"
Here is my solution:
The TR Shop! And just for the next 10 days or so, we have in-store specials on the women's tank ($3.00 off), the mug ($2.00 off), the men's sleeveless T ($3.00 off), kid's baseball jersey ($2.00 off), and the green T ($2.00 off). This in-store special on these items apply to ALL designs, not just the TR Shop!
So go on over and get yourself a TR shirt. Get one for your friend, get one for the last person who called you a TR. They'll love you for it!
:o)
Yesterday, following a link, to another link to another link (you know how that works) I came across a blog entry dated last week. I found it rather interesting for a few reasons. Before I get to that however, I want to tell you about something that happened last night.
I went into an audio/text chat room and within moments of saying hello to a couple of people I know, what I heard next was a man on the microphone telling a wild story about who I am and what I believe. The man explained to the room (which had about 30 people in it) that I am a fraud, a liar and some other things I will not repeat. He went on to say that I'm one of those "filthy Calvinists" that cheers and amens when a child is raped, because "filthy Calvinists" go around telling everyone that evil acts perpetrated on innocent people are something God ordains - so we should all be perfectly happy when something like this happens. This statement was met with several insulting comments in the text. Insulting toward me.
I took the microphone and made an attempt to present the truth about who I am and what I believe, but before I had a chance to clear the air, the man running the room "red-dotted" me (which means he removed my ability to speak or type) and took the microphone again. He went on to say again that I'm a liar, a fake, etc., etc., but then he added that it's okay that I think that way, because I'm so ugly & revolting that I'll never have to worry about being raped.
This comment was met with "lol" and "amen!" by many in the chat room. One such person to do this was a lady I'd chatted with before, and her response just left me dumbfounded. I typed in the room "are you actually laughing at these insults toward me?". She replied:
"Yes I am Carla, I think it's funny that you're being insulted and talked about this way, because I don't care about you at all".
My response?
"wow"
There wasn't much else to say. Both of these people (and all the others present at the time) call themselves Christians. After hearing this and reading the text I realized there was absolutely nothing I could say that would change anyone's mind, so I just left the room.
Now let me just say this - not all Christian chat rooms are like this, but many are. This particular one is on PalTalk and is run by a man named Promoe. He's well known on PalTalk for his vulgar and repugnant treatment of 5 pointers. Until last night, he's never even spoken to me in all the years I've been on PalTalk, so I was a little surprised to hear what I heard. Thankfully, there are many Christian chats that are run very well on PalTalk, and this one room doesn't represent them all.
Now, I suppose you might be a little disturbed by this man's vulgar comments and his blatant misrepresentation of what Calvinists actually believe - and the hate filled garbage that came from him and others, towards me.
You really shouldn't be surprised, it happens all the time. Sometimes it's over the top and in your face, other times it's subtle but the message is still the same. The misrepresentation is still the same, the knowingly lying about what we believe is still the same. The impression that it's open season on 5 pointers and perfectly acceptable to mock, insult, belittle & condescend is still the same.
This example above is just one of the more blatant attacks against those of us who hold to the 5 points. Now here's a much more subtle one.
Regarding the blog entry I read yesterday, here's the section that caught my attention:
"It seems almost like there are almost two camps in the Reformed American church. Both believe the same basic gospel-the God-centeredness of God in saving grace. One camp camp(Truly Reformed?) thinks we dont need to change the method or de-emphasizes that truth(of being all things to all men so that I might save some) in evangelism. Sometimes I think of James White, Steve Camp, Phil Johnson, and Carla Rolfe as examples. The other camp(post-reformed?) will contextualize the gospel and sometimes go too far in the name of mission. I think of Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, and Joshua Harris as examples. (As far as believing the same stuff-it could be that views on the regulative principle or being reformed soteriologically/not ecclesiologically could be discussed as differences in the message but generally we believe in the exalting of the Glory of God because of the Father, the Centrality of the Cross because of the Son, and the transformation of a life because of the Spirit)I think one thing that is driving me more and more away from the first camp is the attitude of the first camp. A lot of us who grew in the Lord under the influence of a JFMJr. church are realizing that unless we examine ourselves we can be so polemic and contentious that we never bring anyone to Christ." (source)
Oh, where to begin?
Let's begin with the label "TR". Oddly enough, on my birthday last year Tim Challies had something to say about being called a TR:
"TR stands for "Truly Reformed" a term that is generally used in a pejorative sense".
Indeed. Being called a TR means the person calling you that has declared that you think your doctrine is the be all and end all of Biblical Christianity and you're right about pretty much everything. Further, anyone who disagrees with you is simply a heretic and/or an idiot to be made fun of. You're a blight on the landscape of Christianity and nothing you say should be taken seriously - but instead mocked at various & sundry blogs & websites.
Being called a "TR" is nothing short of misrepresenting what a person believes so that you then have an excuse to treat them like trash. Just like the man in the chat room did last night. You see, if you can paint a man (or woman) as this sick and twisted individual who is so filled with their own wisdom and knowledge that they can't see anyone else's POV, or if you can make them out to be this monstrous individual that finds the rape of a child to be a great thing - then it's perfectly understandable how you can then attack them with horrible accusations.
If you do a google search on the phrase "truly reformed", don't be too surprised at the first hit.
Now I wont even attempt to speak for Steve Camp, Phil Johnson or James White (and that I was even mentioned in the same category as any of them is truly bizarre to me), but the accusation that I'm an example of a "TR" who believes that either we don't need to change the method (of evanglizing) or de-emphasizes the truth of Paul's words "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some", is simply a false accusation.
And it doesn't seem to matter how many times you say that, or how you say it, or where, when, or who you say it to. The accusation stands. It's truly just as annoying as the more disgusting example I gave with the man in the chat room.
I know for a fact, that those of us living in 2006 are evanglizing in different ways that Paul did. The idea that "we don't have to change the methods" is ludicrous, since the methods actually change with each passing generation. There are countless ways of evanglizing that are common in our day that Paul would have never dreamed of in a billion years. You're experiencing one of those ways right now by reading this blog. Technology is, has, and can be used for the glory of God and it's a great thing. Just to name a few more ways that Paul certainly never employed:
Gospel Tracts, Weekly Bible Studies, Youth/Men's/Women's Groups, Youth Cafe's and Community Volunteer Programs. I'm sure there are others out there that could think of all sorts of other kinds of things that we could be involved in that would present opportunities to evangelize, but there are obviously many different things available in our day that Paul wasn't involved in. So the idea that us "TR's" dig our heels in when it comes to changing the method, or de-emphasizing Paul's words, is simply a misinformed idea.
What is true, is that many of us have monumental issues with some of the methods being employed these days. In some cases, the methods are so outrageous the actual core reason for evangelizing in the first place, is thrown out the window. When the method flies in the face of the message, the message itself becomes watered down and in effect, pointless.
When you're attempting to share the gospel of Christ with someone and you tell them the Bible says "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." how does that go over if you tell them that in the middle of some convoluted "Christian gathering" where the purpose of getting together was to discuss the latest R rated flick?
This is just one example of how the modern methods have gone so far overboard for those who are desperate to become "culturally relevant".
Mark Dever said it better than I could when he wrote recently:
"I think the most basic practical division among evangelical pastors today may be between those who pursue faithfulness and assume relevance and those who pursue relevance and assume faithfulness."
Then later in the same piece (bold emphasis mine):
"I remember taking a walk with Don Carson once, and Don remarking something to the effect that the first generation has the Gospel, the second generation assumes the Gospel, the third generation loses the Gospel. I am concerned that too many people who have the Gospel are lazy with it, compassionless, and not sufficiently motivated to spread it. I fear that this is me. Pray for me and Capitol Hill Baptist Church in this. On the other hand, there are those who in the name of evangelism, simply assume that everybody sufficiently understands the Gospel, and will alter everything to make the non-Christian feel more at home in their public services. (WHO EVER SAID THAT MOST OF THE CHURCH'S EVANGELISM SHOULD BE DONE THROUGH OUR PUBLIC SERVICES?!) They give themselves topursue relevance thinking that THAT is their major challenge, assuming that holding on to the Gospel itself is comparatively easy. Consider what you and I will do to the Gospel message in our churches if we continue to change the "presentation" of the Gospel until we begin to get a response."
This, is what many of us have an issue with. This, is what many others have an issue with us for, for having an issue with. Sadly, the end result is that we're misrepresented by those who have issues with what we have issues with. Mark Dever's statement that the division among evangelical pastors could be easily changed to simply say evanglicals. This is where the division comes in. Those who consider themselves "culturally relevant" have correctly identified a laziness when it comes to the overall picture in the evangelical church to get off our comfy couches and get about the business of evangelizing. In part, and in some churches, evangelism has been overlooked in favor of programs and the trend of the year coming down the Christian pike. While it is certainly true that not all churches are like this, many are and we all know it.
The problem here is the over-correction taking place.
This is exactly like the time my uncle was driving down the road and a dog ran out in front of him. In an effort to avoid hitting the dog, he turned his steering wheel too far. He did miss the dog, thankfully, but he crashed head on into a concrete wall before he could apply the brakes. The car was totalled and he had injuries that plagued him for years. He correctly identified the problem, but in his attempt to resolve it, he went too far.
As for being a "TR", it's one thing to disagree with someone, but it's an entirely different matter to disagree and then intentionally misrepresent what that person believes.
I for one, am awfully tired of saying "no, that is NOT what we believe, just like you've been told 100 times before".
Are they evening listening?
It sure doesn't seem like it. Instead it seems like what's happening is more and more misrepresentation of the one side, to then have justification for the other side.
Much like what happened in the chat room last night. The sad thing is, is that it works.
This is my newest creation. It's not culturally relevant and has no affiliation with the SBC whatsoever, but it was a lot of fun to make and will appeal to the fairy crowd I'm sure. By the way, did you know June 24 is National Fairy Day? It's true, and you can get your fairy gear here or here.
I spent hours & hours working on this last night, and have come to the conclusion that when my old, outdated photo editing software grows up, what it wants to be is a real graphics editing program.
I made this from a photograph of a little tiny fairy figurine that one of the girls bought me a few years ago. Then I changed everything about her except the color of her dress. It took forever but I'm quite pleased with the way she turned out.
The other new graphic I have is Purple Iris. I also created this from a photograph I took last week, while my Irises were still in bloom. I'm glad I took it when I did because they're now gone until next June. Purple Iris comes in a wide variety of apparel & home decor.
The Reflections Summer Giveaway is now closed and there will be a drawing today to announce the winner. Yay! Free stuff!! Who doesn't like free stuff?
Thank you for all that entered and thank you for all my customers in the month of May that allowed me to hold this giveaway as my way of saying THANK YOU for shopping at Reflections.
I'll probably be on Blogging Lite for a while as I'm working on my next book. I made some significant progress on that yesterday so I'm pleased about that.
Have a great day.
• First, while I had a great time in Wasaga Beach this past weekend, it's now Monday morning and everything goes back to normal. If, you consider being covered with at least 14 trillion mosquito bites, normal. "If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, stop exagerrating!".
Fine, I have 13 trillion mosquito bites. I don't know why they like me so much, but they do. When they see me outside, they call all their friends and begin to head my way with dipping sauce and cutlery.
In any event...
• If you haven't entered your name in the Reflections "Beat the Heat" Summer giveaway yet, today is the day to do it. Contest closes at midnight tonight and the drawing will be held tomorrow!
• 
In the "what's new" department (and just in time for the giveaway) there are a few new designs at the store. Wild Blue, I'd Rather be Blogging, and Purple Iris. I'm still working on the Purple Iris section but the image is up on a few items now (including the lady's tank) so you can get an idea of how this one looks.
One final odd that never seems to end. People who have a blog and write the most insulting, rude, crass, obnoxious things about you, then have the unbelievable audacity to send you a link to it. Or, those who do such nonsense and find another blog that has done the same thing, so they send you a link to that too.
They want you to read it. They want you to know they've made you out to be some kind of idiotic ogre/liar/hypocrite/fraud/etc. Often, they'll link to it in a way that is misleading so that you really have no idea, that this is what you're about to read.
Doesn't that say more about them, than it does about the person they've written about? I don't know, but it's juvenile and not in the least bit representative of Christianity. Just one more argument for being accountable in blogging. So there ya go.
I have a house to clean, laundry to do, bites to scratch & all sorts of other things to do today.
Have a great Monday. :o)
That I thought was a pretty cool shot. :o)
I'm baaaaaa-aaaaaack!
I know you all missed me, I could tell by the overwhelming amount of comments. Er.... wait. No, there was only one comment. Okay, I know you all missed me because you were so upset that I was gone - you couldn't type to leave a comment. Yeah, that must have been it. :o)
Anyway, we had a great time. We went up to Wasaga Beach to spend the weekend with grandma & grandpa. It didn't start out great, Jordan got carsick every 5 miles (it was a 2.5 hour drive north) and that was fun. Then Ruth got a nosebleed and covered all of southern Ontario in a lovely shade of crimson. It was at least 900 degrees mid-way through the trip (the van thermometer said it was 91 thermo-s, but I'm going with 900), and we got lost, twice. Someone needs to speak to the people in charge of naming and renaming and marking highway numbers/names.
So by the time we got there it was a celebration just to get out of the van! (and away from the smell).
Here are some pics I took (and one Kev took of me).
I had a whole bunch of really cool things to write about this morning, but I woke up late and now my whole routine is off-kilter.
Therefore, I've gone fishin'. And I don't even like fish.
Imagine that...
However, I'm going anyway. Be back sometime tomorrow. Maybe.
:o)
This past week I heard a statement that really made me stop and think. Thinking is good, I try to do some of that on a fairly regular basis. Usually, Tuesday afternoons while listening to the Dividing Line, are the best times.
The statement was the implication that if the more well known theologians (living or dead), didn't or don't affirm a certain teaching (any old teaching, right or wrong), then the lesser known students of the word shouldn't affirm a certain teaching either. The standard there being the favored theologians - whoever they may be. If the lesser known students of the word happen to disagree with the more well known (on any point) then it's by default that the lesser known students are wrong.
In other words, if my favorite theologian said that grass is purple and the sky is red, you better believe I'm going to repeat that teaching no matter what you or anyone else says - because he said it, and he was never wrong about anything. Ever.
I know that seems rather silly, but that was the implication and it was a very serious statement. What's worse is, the idea that some people actually hold these men up as the standard, assuming the men themselves (living or dead) would want to be held up as that standard.
I'll use a made up example to show what I mean. I'll even invent the name of the theologian.
• Theologian: Joe
• Teaching: all Baptists should eat AND like, fried chicken - and if any man (or woman) calls him or herself a Baptist and doesn't like fried chicken, there is something wrong in their thinking somewhere and they should re-examine what they think they know about deep fried & battered poultry products.
In this example, men and women go around talking about Theologian Joe and what he had to say about Baptists & Fried Chicken. They write about him, the men preach about his position on Baptists & Fried chicken, and they have assured themselves that Joe's word on it is the be all and end all of the matter. They hold ole Joe up as the example and boldly proclaim that anyone who disagrees with Joe, is automatically in error. It's Joe This, Joe That, Joe Joe Joe.
Meanwhile, poor old Joe is left scratching his head thinking "I never said what you're saying, you're condensing the larger picture of what I said into an out of context, and condeming message that is confusing a lot of people". That doesn't matter though, because Joe is the favorite theologian of so many people, and his treatise on Baptist & fried chicken is the standard by which all other denominational fried foods are measured (and left wanting). You either agree with Joe, or you're not really a Baptist at all. By implication they reason, Joe actually said you weren't a Baptist, if you don't like fried chicken.
Do you see how wrong this all is? Joe is actually maligned, by the very people who love and respect his work. Joe has words put in his mouth that he never said, and the motives of the people who are elevating him to a standard he never desired, suddenly (in the eyes of those who are being held to Joe's standard) appear to be the motives of Joe as well. And they were never his motives at all.
I just re-read that and realized a few things. 1. It's a lousy example of the point I was actually trying to make, and 2. Someone, somewhere is likely going to misunderstand it, and 3. I should be hiring Frank Turk to write my analogies.
The point is simply this:
Everyone has their favorites. Those pastors and theologians (living and dead) that just speak to them in such a way that they absolutely connect (I refuse to say resonate, I'm completely culturally irrelevent and like it this way) to the message being delivered. This is a good thing, that there are men in the church that have this gift of teaching that can reach so many believers. It's a great thing!
However, it's not a great thing when these men are elevated to levels they never saught to begin with, nor when they are held up as the standard. In fact, the truly great men of God (living and dead) would be the first ones to say "this is what I believe the Scriptures to teach, but do not take my word as your final authority, search the Scriptures yourselves and pray about it and see where the Lord leads you in this". Truly great men of God do not point to themselves, they point to Him. They point us to His word, not their word.
So, the next time people tell you that Joe said if you don't like fried chicken then you're a demented, lost and confused psuedo-Baptist, ignore them. Go see for yourself what Joe actually said on this topic - and what he's said on other topics - to get a wider perspective of what kind of teacher Joe really was. Then take Joe's teachings to the Scriptures and see how they line up, then pray about the matter. It may just be that Joe was a solid, sold-out, passionate man of God that diligently searched the Scriptures, spent hours each day in prayer, and delivered hundreds of messages in his lifetime that were astounding and compelling, without any hint of unfair judgement at all. You may still disagree with Joe about the chicken thing, but at least you'll have a better understanding of where he was coming from.
Don't let folks beat you up spiritually because folks have gathered for themselves the teachings of men as the final authority (even if the men themselves were solid in their doctrine!), and have some twisted version of what Joe actually said, or meant.
And for the record, I am a Baptist. I also do not like fried chicken. I do make it once a week though, and folks say it's the best fried chicken they've ever had. I even try it once in a while to see if I still don't like it. Most of the time I don't, but once in a while I actually enjoy it, much to my surprise.
Make of that what you will.
My 7 yr old Rachel brought this in the house last night. Zoom in, he's very cool!
Tomorrow morning, I'm taking four of my daughters (20, 15, 8, 7) to buy new swimsuits.
I'm bracing myself.
I wasn't even going to comment about this or persue it any further, but after thinking about it, I think it's more important to comment than let it go.
A little background first:
Last week, Tim wrote a fairly intriguing post on the nature of blogging.
Like many other bloggers, Tim has open comments so that readers can fill out their email and/or web url when they leave a comment. One such commenter did that at this post, and something about what she said piqued my curiosity (she said she was a former blogger, I thought maybe she was a blogger I had read before with a similar name) so I clicked on her web url. The first thing that caught my attention was this:
5-Point Calvinism & Extreme Arminianism: Both Enemies of the Gospel!
It's rather hard to miss, with its bold font and the way it's worded.
So I read the piece, and responded at Tim's blog:
Photini,
I just read your Calvinism piece and I just wonder how many Calvinists you've ever spoken to, to arrive at your conclusions? This piece charges us 5 pointers with heresy, which is a rather strong charge.
You further state "Regarding sin, Calvinists either try to convince themselves that they are without sin, and thus, members of the elite "elect;" or, they are honest with themselves about sin, but then doubt their salvation/"election."
I just wonder if you still hold to this position or if this is an outdated page? Honestly, I'm hoping for the latter.
I realize this is off topic, but as the nature of blogging goes, when a commenter leaves a link in their sig, it's interesting to see where they come from, theologically.
SDG...
To which Photini replied:
Hi, Carla,
Yeah, you're not kidding this is "off-topic," but, since you ask, not only have I "spoken" with "Five-Point Calvinists," but I have friends who label themselves as such. They know I think they are heretics. They think I'm one, too. So there.
I must say, it is astonishng to me that a self-proclaimed Christian could read my entire conversion story, and remark only on the fact that I believe she is a heretic. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, why would you even care?
May God enlighten us all.
Peace,Photini
So... that brings me to today.
If you're a 5 pointer and you've read Photini's link on Calvinism, you'll likely understand why I believe this warrants questions. If you're not a 5 pointer, I'll do my best to explain. I won't use a tricky parable like Frank does, although it's tempting. :o)
Photini writes:
"not only have I "spoken" with "Five-Point Calvinists," but I have friends who label themselves as such. They know I think they are heretics. They think I'm one, too. So there."
First, I'm not sure how you have friends who are heretics, but I suppose it's possible. It just seems like an unusual character trait in a friend? Anyway... The reason I asked in my reply to Photini "I just wonder how many Calvinists you've ever spoken to, to arrive at your conclusions?" is because her claims are the type that I've read and heard countless times from those who have no idea what Calvinism is. Those who have never taken the time to speak to someone who holds to the 5 points to learn what they are, why they believe what they believe, and where these things can be found in Scripture.
These are the very claims of those who simply repeat what they have heard and read others say, that 5 pointers believe. Her claims are the classic misrepresentation of the faith of those who call themsemselves reformed, 5 pointers, sovereign grace, or Calvinist. I guess it's just hard for me to understand how someone could have friends that are 5 pointers and still come away with the caustic accusations and misrepresentation of their faith, as Photini has done.
The claims:
• These folks try to persuade other believers to join their "camp."
• Five Point Calvinism maligns the character of God.
• Ironically, it is usually Christians who believe they are intellectually superior who fall prey to this heresy.
• We've actually heard these mixed-up brothers and sisters say to unbelievers horrid things like, "Don't worry about where you'll end up-- it's all been settled, and there's nothing you can do about it anyway."
• They twist the Scriptures around and take them out of context to promote this heresy.
• Sadly, they don't have much joy in the Lord. How could they?
• Each time they sin, they have to think to themselves, "Oh-- I wonder if I'm not one of 'the elect'???"
• And who could get excited about a God who creates certain babies with the express purpose of sending them to Hell?!?
• Regarding sin, Calvinists either try to convince themselves that they are without sin, and thus, members of the elite "elect;" or, they are honest with themselves about sin, but then doubt their salvation/"election."
Each of these claims have been brought up many many times by folks, and each have been accurately and Biblically refuted time and time again by men and women of the sovereign grace faith who are much more well spoken than myself. And yet, the same old accusations still ring out. These claims are absolutely ridiculous at best, and bearing false witness at worst. This is the kind of material that the now defunct BaptistFire was made up of (in part), and the reason Strange BaptistFire now exists. To refute the misrepresentation and set the record straight - for those who genuinely desire to know what the truth is, and go to the source, rather than listen to the anti-Calvinism rhetoric.
The Truth:
• We strive to encourage people with questions about what we believe to search the Scriptures and not be deceived by what men say
• Five Point Calvinism exalts the majesty, providence, holines, mercy, grace and glory of God
• It is those who have been broken and undone by the realization of their own depravity and helplessness, and eternally grateful for such undeserved grace, that embrace the doctrines of grace - and all of this is BY grace
• We hear 5 pointers take the utmost concern for the salvation of men and make every effort in the field of evangelism to declare His mercy and forgiveness to a lost and dying world.
• We approach the Scriptures with a humbled heart prepared to be taught, to grow, to learn, and to have our own ideas & traditions broken, if they do not line up. Careful examination of the Scriptures in full context is absolutely critical to proper understanding.
• Our joy, hope, assurance, peace, comfort, wisdom, direction, clarity... it all rests in Him.
• Each time we sin, our hearts are convicted by the Holy Spirit that we have transgressed against our Heavenly Father.
• We take great comfort in His justice and mercy as it pertains to babies and eternity.
• Regarding sin, Calvinists (or 5 pointers) know full well that we will struggle with the lusts of the flesh until the day we die and go Home to Glory. We pray about it, we grieve over it, we thank Him daily when He has kept us mindful of it, and while we do rest in the finished work on the cross at Calvary, we never take sin in our lives lightly, or something to take a fatalist approach to.
This is the kind of material that nearly every anti-Calvininism "sermon" is made up of, that I have heard. It's like listening to someone tell someone else that the white fence post at the end of the driveway is a black telephone pole in the middle of the driveway. What's worse, the person hearing the description of the fence post actually believes or at the very least, accepts what they're hearing as truth.
Photini writes:
"I must say, it is astonishng to me that a self-proclaimed Christian could read my entire conversion story, and remark only on the fact that I believe she is a heretic. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, why would you even care?"
To be clear, I never read the conversion story Photini mentions, when I responded with my comment about her Calvinism page. You can read it here if you'd like. I have since read Photini's testimony and it is indeed heartbreaking to read. It is the story of many who now rest in their faith in Christ, grateful for His grace, thankful for His mercy. She's had a lot of experience in the world, and in the world of religion that sounds very similar to a lot of people I've known over the years.
Photini asks "I mean, in the grand scheme of things, why would you even care?" The most simple answer to this question is this:
Because the accusation is false, it has deceived those that hold to it, and it continues to deceive others who hear it.
I loathe false teaching, and I loathe the fact that so many are deceived by it. What's more, on a personal level it's really aggrivating when someone has been told repeatedly that "no, that is NOT what a Calvinist believes, here's what they really believe" the person flat out ignores what they've just been told and continues to repeat their version. I see this as intentional misrepresentation. (I'm not saying that is what Photini is doing, but I am saying that it happens all the time and that it's just wrong).
So, why should believers care about the false picture of Calvinism being presented these days? The easy answer is grace and truth.
Grace in that we have been recipients of such astounding matchless grace, that we should (should) desire to express this same grace, extend this same grace in conduct toward others. I'm not going to pretend that's an easy thing to do at times, because it certainly is not. Especially when your faith is attacked repeatedly by those who label you a heretic, a liar, someone who twists the Scripture to your own end, someone who worships a baby-killer, and any of the other hyper-emotional arguments being thrown out there. Regardless of the vile accusations, the goal is grace.
Truth in that it is the truth that sets us free. Free from the wages & bondage of sin and free from the false teachings in the world (and in religion).
One of the passages of Scripture that is so important in our day is this one right here:
Colossians 2: 4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Believers are cautioned to beware (be watching, be discerning) of those who would "spoil" us - to lead us away from truth and lead us into their own brand of truth. Noted in this passage is philosophy (the love of wisdom), vain deceit (self-promoting deceptions), traditions of men (teachings and traditions that clearly contradict the teachings of the Word) and rudiments of the world (the things of this world). These are all things that we're supposed to beware of, watching, discerning, being on guard against lest we're carried off into this way of thinking and entertaining as truth.
The constant attack on the sovereign grace faith is nothing more than an exalting of the traditions of men (synergism - individual salvation is achieved through a combination of human will and divine grace) and a refuting of the power, majesty and sovereignty of God in salvation (monergism - salvation as the work of God alone, from first to last).
These attacks are something we're supposed to beware of, LEST we be carried away like a slave to them, and away from Christ. That's why we should care. The truth is under constant assault, for a wide variety of reasons.
Many hold to the opinion that the internet (and blogging specifically) can be a dangerous thing, for this very reason. Anyone with a basic understanding of computers and the internet can have a web site or a blogsite up in minutes, and begin posting literally anything they like. No accountability, fact or fiction, words of grace or words of hate. It doesn't matter, it's a free for all. This is another reason we should care about what's being put out there.
I believe that telling the truth when false teachings are in such abundance, is what earnestly contending for the faith (Jude 1:3) is all about.
See this guy here? Gumm is the name. Matt Gumm. Or Matty, or Gummby, or Gummbob, whatever else I feel like calling him at any given time. :o)
About a million years ago when I was an angelic teenager, my friends (of course it was always their idea!) liked to make obnoxious prank phone calls. Inevitably, they'd beg me to do "the recording" voice. It's been a long time since I've done the voice, but I used to be able to mimic that phone recording voice, to a T. So naturally during a round of prank phone calls, it was going to be my turn to randomly dial a number and when someone said hello, "do the voice". The responses I used to get were just as bizarre as you can imagine. Most were just hang ups, but some people would actually say (to themselves I guess, since they thought I was a recording, not sure how that plays out but anyway) "wow, what number did I dial?". Um... hello? Other times people would actually dial a number with me still on the line. I'd play along and do "the voice" again, and they'd usually say something along the lines of "man, when did he get his phone turned off!?". People are strange, that's all there is to it. I can only hope after they hung up the phone they realized they didn't call anyone!
In any case, I gave all that up at least a million years ago.
The past few days however that's sort of how I've been feeling in a way - disconnected. It's normal for the first weekend/week of NO SCHOOL. My schedule has been changed and it's going to take a while to get used to it.
Time to make a new schedule for the summer, so I know what I'm doing! I'm no good without a schedule. Life ought to be decent and in order, don't you think?
It hasn't escaped me that posts here about my designs at Reflections (the store) are some of the least ever commented on. I suppose there are a lot of reasons for that, and I'm okay with it.
Something I am very encouraged by however, is our top selling (by far) design. That would be the 5 solas graphic. On t-shirts, tote bags, whatever. I'm constantly surprised at how often this design sells, and I'm really glad that it does. Not because I make a profit (although I am grateful for the 3 bucks I make with the sale of each T), but because this is a bold statement.
Every time someone wears one of these T shirts or carries whatever it is they're carrying in their tote bags, out in public, folks see this. Did you get that? Folks see this.
A public, yet silent, declaration that our that Scripture alone, being our final authority, teaches us that salvation is by His grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.
Oh yes, I'm thrilled this design sells as well as it does. I don't know if it ever sparks conversations with others, but I know when Kev or I wear one of our shirts like this it has and it does open up opportunities for discussion about our faith. If in some small way I can help others into that same kind of situation, I'm more than pleased to do that.
Today a brother in the UK said to me in regards to the bumperstickers we have "too bad the solas don't come with all 5 on one bumpersticker!". Well, now they do. That's it right there (and no it's not out of alignment, the "Deo Gloria" is purposely spaced further apart than the others), and it's in store now, for $5.99. That's it, six bucks for a durable, UV resistant, vinyl bumpersticker that declares the glory of God.
You can get yours right here.
I'm preparing the page for the next Reflections Giveaway! Bear with me, as html doesn't come as quickly to me as I'd like.
The page should be up by the end of the day for you to enter to win!
The contest page is now up. Please let me know if there are any snags, bugs, bumps or broken links.
Who doesn't like free stuff, anyway???
It's been a hectic, stressful, eventful sort of week & weekend. Normally I do just fine in such cases but this go round just sort of tired me out. I must be getting old. (Shhh, don't tell my mom that, she still calls me her baby).
I did have a really good phone conversation with a friend yesterday and he jokingly called me the Laura Ingram/Ann Coulter of the reformed blogosphere. I think that's a good thing? It did make me laugh, so I guess it's okay. Laughing at oneself is always good. Otherwise we end up thinking we're all that & a bag of delusions.
With school being over now I'm really looking forward to getting to those 87 trillion household tasks & projects that always get put on the backburner from September through May. Weekends are never really long enough to get much done, and I often try to get at least 1 major project done during spring break. This year that didn't happen since my mom was here visiting during spring break! I much prefer having mom here than cleaning closets anyway, she's way more fun.
I have so much to keep me busy that I usually make a list and check each project off as I finish it. Then I usually remember other projects and add them to the bottom of the list. My list shrinks, then grows, then shrinks, then grows, all summer long. Usually a trip around the yard & a trip around the house (stopping in each room) is all it takes to get the list started. For example:
• flower beds
• sewing projects
• closet cleaning
• finish stripping Samuel's wallpaper & paint his room (finally!)
That's just off the top of my head.
The other project that is a huge one, is finishing a book I started about 5-6 years ago. My friend Denise tells me I'm too young to write a biography, so I guess it's not a biography. It's really just a very long testimonial of how God brought a regular Jane (me), through almost nearly 30 years of a life without Him, straight to my knees in godly repentance and broken before Him. Then the next 10 years as I travelled from being what my friends call "a flaming Arminian" to getting ahold of the doctrines of grace, wrestling with those (often in tears) for about a year before finally understanding them to be the absolute truth of Holy Writ.
Part of the reason I've delayed any work on this over the last few years, is because it's one of the hardest things I've ever written. In some ways, it's extremely painful to go back and revisit my struggles in a life without God, in other ways it's a perfect example of hindsight being so clear. Knowing now that everything in life up to the moment of conversion to Christ, was divinely orchestrated, makes all the difference in the world.
I haven't opened this manuscript for the last 8 months, but that will soon change. It's my goal to finish this by the end of the summer. Not sure if I'll actually do it or not, but that's the goal.
The purpose of this work, is still somewhat undecided to me. I'm writing it simply to glorify God. That much I do know. However, I want to do that in knowing first and foremost my children will be able to read this (the older ones now, the little ones as they grow up) and really get to know their mom, from her heart. It's one thing to make supper every night and have good talks with them from time to time, but it's another thing for them to have mom's history in their very own hands. I want them to have that and I want them to know Him, and how He radically changed my life.
I've also been compelled to finish this in hopes that others might be encouraged by my story. Everyone has a story, but not everyone tells it. The truth is, life can be really hard, brutally painful, filled with remorse and regret and sorrowful anguish over all sorts of things. The truth is also, that there is an answer to all of that. There is peace, and there is understanding for so many of life's painful questions. In a time when many Christians have jumped onto the bandwagon of embracing doubt & ambiguity, I think it's more timely than ever for believers to know there are solid & sure answers for life's tough questions. I'm not entirely convinced at this point that I can properly show that in my work, but that's the goal all the same.
I would certainly appreciate your prayers in this matter if the Lord brings that to mind.
Wild Blue
Believe it or not, this design actually came to me in a dream. Shown here on the Alderwood/Tile box:
This tile box is perfect for stylishly storing knick-knacks, jewelry, or any precious keepsake.
• Made of solid lacquered Alderwood
• Measures 5 1/4" sq. x 2 1/8" with a 4 1/4" tile and hinged lid
Wild Blue is also available on a wide variety of other products such as T's for him, for her, for kids & babies, mugs, clocks, totebags, magnets, light switch covers, mousepads, caps & more.
For the full line of WILD BLUE
Happy Birthday to Phil
Happy Birthday to Philllll
Happy Birrrrrrthday to Philllllll
Happy Birthday to Phil
Now go on over there and tell him happy birthday.
(I would have done a birthday smiley but I still don't feel good & I'm too lazy right now)
Proof positive that being an honor student does not equate to having sound judgement.
Well, here we are. End of the week, end of Kev's 2 week shift of midnights (yay!) and the end of the school year. Unlike some people I know, who think they can just declare school officially over whenever they want ;o) I stuck it out and finished this week with the kids. I really wanted to bug out early as well, but instead we shifted gears for this last week and only focused on two subjects for the little ones & Jessica did testing.
It was a good year. The girls moved from printing to cursive, learned a ton of new things in phonics & spelling, and alternately struggled/breezed through 147 pages of math facts. Looking back, that doesn't seem like much math for the year (it averages out to only 4 pages of math a week) but it was enough to keep them on their toes. They finished their Bible course about a month ago, as well as Science & History. Their reading skills just soared this year and I'm just so very proud of them I could pop.
Samuel continues to amaze me. He opens his books to the page number he knows he's at, reads his own instructions, and does his work. And rarely if ever, gets anything wrong. The worst spelling test he had all year was only getting 16 out of 20. I have no idea what reading level he's at but if I had to guess, I might say 3rd grade level. He whipped right through most of his kindergarten work very early in the year, and went right into the first grade books. The only thing he struggles with is his handwriting, but I hear that's pretty common for boys.
Jessica's work has really impressed me this year as well. Other than struggling with math (and I have a feeling she probably always will, so I'm thankful for calculators), she has done an enormous amount of work this year in Literature, English, History & Science. Science is probably her favorite subject and I'm really glad the science book she uses applies science in a practical way. For example there are whole units on weather (which she's fascinated by), birds (which she knows much about from being in a bird-lover house) and things that she already has a basic understanding of. It's a great science book.
This was a tough year for me. With the challenge of teaching with a toddler who is not at all like her older brother when he was a toddler (he was quiet and content to play with his toys while the girls did their lessons) Ruth is not quiet in the least. She's demanding and opinionated and independant and all those things that she surely inherited from her dad, instead of me. She was a distraction for the kids most of the year, but thankfully they learned in spite of her noise. And stealing their pencils. And trying to sit in their chairs. And temper tantrums when she didn't get her way.
Until last year I had never taught anyone how to read before, and I had 3 students all at once to teach it to. With the blend of consistant phonics, spelling and reading lessons, it just "happened" (not without some struggles, mind you) and they all progressed rather well this year.
I'll be grading her tests today or tomorrow (probably tomorrow) and that will officially mark the end of the year for us.
Some of you may remember that old coffee commercial that opened with a shot of a very clean kitchen (you know that wasn't filmed in my house) where a man had just poured himself a cup of coffee. He's distracted for a moment and then you hear a voice that says "we've secretely replaced Jim's regular coffee with Folger's Freeze Dried Crystals, let's see if he notices!". Jim then takes a sip of his coffee, smiles at his wife (who looks like Betty Crocker) and says something corny like "my, what a fine morning, June!". Apparently Jim never noticed and all was right with the world.
Well, that's going to be my house this morning. The kids will be called to the game room (that doubles as our school room for 9 months of the year) and their books will be on the table, pencils sharpened, and they'll get up to the table. We'll go over our memory verses and then I'll say something along on the lines of "oh hang on, you kids stay right where you are and I'll be right back". If I had a voice over guy he'd say "we've secretely replaced Jordan, Rachel, Samuel and Ruth's regular routine of lessons with a SURPRISE PARTY, let's see if they notice!". I will then surprise them with the cupcakes I made last night and tell them to put their books away, it's PARTY TIME!!!
It's just not officially the end of school unless you can have a party with cupcakes. Cupcakes with SPRINKLES, no less.
So technically we were done yesterday, they just didn't know it. I only wish the weather would have cooperated so they could go play in the pool as well. It's going to be rather chilly today and the next few days. Oh well, at least they'll have cupcakes.
Have a great Friday!
Today while cleaning the pool, I noticed movement in the.... no wait...
Today while cleaning the pool, I knew I needed to be quick about it because there was a t-storm coming. I could hear the thunder getting closer, and louder, so I wrapped it up and headed for the house. I looked up in the sky and saw the most incredible thing just above the house. I'm surprised this wasn't there 2 days ago when I was seeing all those signs! You'll have to click on it to zoom in and see the incredible sign that tells me I'm surely the next one to win a Pyro shirt when Frank has another giveaway.
:o)
After dinner I did what I always do this time of year. I went to the pool to clean it, then I sat on the deck with my cup of coffee. I'm not sure where the other kids were but Ruth was in the yard, about 30 feet away.
Suddenly I saw movement in the tall grass about 50 feet out, so my attention was drawn toward it. More movement, and then I saw him. A single, stunning Gray Wolf. I could not believe it!! He was so beautiful. I was so taken with the opportunity to finally see a wolf, that close, my first thought was to go and get the camera. Then I quickly realized that was an incredibly dumb thought.
The wolf was ignoring me completely - his eyes were trained directly on Ruth. In a split second my thought was "he's hungry and she's food" and I bolted off the steps towards her, at the same time he began to tear through the tall grass for her. I don't do a lot of "bolting" but in that split second of time, realizing my 2 yr old was about to become Wolf Chow, I flew off those steps with amazing speed. I got there first and scooped her up in my arms, as his teeth sank deep into my calf. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt. That must have been the adrenaline blocking the pain. It did transport me into surreal mode however, when I heard the crunch of bone. It sounded like it does when the dog chews her bones.
I kicked him in the head as hard as I could with my other foot, and just then noticed several more wolves in the same area that he had come from. At least two were standing in the grass, one was near the tree line, and I was fairly sure I saw more movement just behind the trees. The wolf I had kicked was still shaking it off a few feet away when I turned to run toward the house with Ruth. As I turned to run I looked toward the other wolves and saw that they were running too, straight for us.
I made it just to the deck stairs when my leg gave out and I went down. I stood Ruth up and told her to RUN into the house as fast as she could, which she did. Before I could barely get those words out of my mouth, the rest of the pack (there were about 8 or 10 of them now, maybe more, I don't know) were on me. Biting, growling, tearing. I could smell blood and feel every bite. I fought them off with all my might. Kicking, punching, praying and screaming the whole time.
Next to me in the grass was the broom the kids play with outside. I managed to get ahold of it and use it to beat the pack off of me. I'm fairly certain I killed at least a couple of them, because once they went down they didn't get back up. Somehow I managed to get them off me, and get up and make it the 10 feet to the back door and get inside. I had no idea how strong I was, or how fast I was, when circumstances demanded it. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was grateful that the kids never clean up their playthings in the yard.
I made it inside, and shut & locked the inside door. I collapsed on the floor just inside the door as the kids were crying and in full-on panic mode. I was losing blood and losing it fast - horrendous bite wounds all over my body. The sound of their crying began to fade and was replaced by a strange whooshing sound, almost like the waves of the ocean. Jessica had the cordless phone already and had dialed 911. They were losing it, but I couldn't hear them. I wanted to let them know it would be okay, and for them to be comforted, but all I could say to try to that end was "kids, just pray, just pray, just pray" but I wasn't sure if they even heard me, or if I even said it outloud. I couldn't hear my own words come out. Then everything went dark.
Then I woke up and noticed the clock said 6:04 am...
It was all just a dream.
I'm fairly certain I had this dream due to a rather humorous thing that happened 2 nights ago. I had logged on to a chat service and saw a room that I thought was named
"Calvinist Wolves Eating Christian Sheep"
I had to read the room name several times before I realized it said STEALING, not eating. I then laughed heartily at myself. I hate when Calvinist wolves eat Christian sheep!
I have a few friends that are convinced "Christian chat rooms" are extremely dangerous places and a complete waste of time. I'm eternally optimistic about them however, even when I do get eaten by them nasty 5 point wolves.
:o)
New in store today:
His Glory Postcards (Package of 8)
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:3 Perfect for dropping a note of encouragement to just about anyone, and declaring His glory.
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Okay the world didn't blow up yesterday, so I guess all the signs were pointing to something else. Like this article for example:
I'm Fat Because You're Mean, Mommy
Parents who are strict disciplinarians are far more likely to wind up with children who are fat by age six, perhaps because the youngsters over-eat as a reaction to stress, a study said on Monday. The report from Boston University School of Medicine also found that the fewest weight problems occur among children whose parents are "authoritative" -- having high expectations for self control but respectful of a child's opinions and who set clear boundaries. The study also found that children of parents who are permissive, defined as indulgent and without discipline, also have weight problems but not to the degree of the offspring of strict disciplinarians with low levels of sensitivity, the study said." (source)
As I read this article I couldn't help but get the picture of these brutal dictator-type parents who demand their kids do as their told, while the kids begin to bloat like an over-inflated air mattress.
Now while I agree that authority as a parent has to be tempered with love for our children (um, hello?), this article just rubbed me the wrong way.
Look at this quote:
"In addition, if a parent demands that a child exercise, it may result in an aversion to exercise, it said."
Grandma had a solution to this. It was called "getting taken out to the woodshed". I know I know, you're in shock, gasping at the horrid thought of poor little Johnny or Susie actually being held accountable to mom & dad for blatant disobedience. I realize it's the entire reason we have fat kids and everything. Surely fast food, tv, and lack of physical activity has absolutely nothing to do with the fat kid issue. It's all the mean parents running around telling their kids to follow the rules.
It must be true... I read it in the news.
Right?
I've thought a lot about this today, and now I shall offer you compelling evidence that today, 06/06/06, the world with either blow up, or we will all become Arminians. Or both.
First - the day began with not only my coffee maker running slow, but roughly 2,500 miles away, my friend Darlene's coffee maker was also running slow. If that weren't enough to convince you, I submit this extraordinary, and uncanny fact:
The second and third letters of my first name and her first name, are both A R. The second letter of her last name, and mine, is O. Put them together and you have ARO - short for arrow. This is an arrow, pointing to the signs! If you scramble them, you have OAR, which we do not have and are most assuredly up a creek, on this chilling day.
Second, my cat did not return today. Cats know when great and terrible natural disasters are about to occur (like the world blowing up, or mass conversions to Arminianism). Surely this is yet another sign.
Third, it is a beautiful, sunny, 82 degrees here in Southern Ontario. Just a light breeze, and a few wispy clouds in the sky. In other words, it's a PERFECT day. A perfect day for the world to blow up?
And now I would like to submit for your viewing pleasure/dread, even more compelling evidence that we're in deep trouble today, on 06.06.06. In no particular order, here are more signs (please brace yourself, some of these pictures are quite disturbing!):
I wiped down the chalk board at 9:00 am and four hours and 10 minutes later, it is still clean. This never happens and surely must be a sign that the kids are not "themselves" today as they sense something big is about to happen. This had nothing whatsover to do with the fact that they finished lessons early and went outside.
When I walked out on the deck about an hour ago, this was the view to the east. Yes folks, it will start here in Canada, with uncanny small explosions and fires. Normally this would be indicative of farmers burning rubbish, but not today, no sirree Bob.
I cleaned the pool last night, and when I went to net it this afternoon, this horrific sight is what accosted my eyes! My pool water never looks this good, surely this MUST be a sign!?
This may be one of the most disturbing signs of all. We've had this cherry tree since Hector was a pup, and it's never had cherries. Not a single one. Today my 15 yr old spotted this single green cherry. It might as well have screamed out "NOTICE ME AND PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END!" Definitely a sign.
Just like my cat Wishbone's sudden and unexplained disappearance, the Baltimore Orioles have mysteriously vanished from the yard and left the luscious oranges to be devoured by the flies. It's not a coincidence that the Orioles are nesting right now, this is certain to be a sign!
I just don't know what to make of this sign. This dandelion is at least 3 feet tall and at a certain angle looks remarkably like Benny Hinn. Or Taylor Hicks? I can't decide but it's definitely out of the ordinary.
As obvious as it gets, as the kids left their crayons on the deck, the sun melted them into this curious form. If you look closely, the top blob of light blue, red and dark blue, is clearly in the shape of Europe. 'Nuff said!
Now, if I may make a suggestion at this perilous juncture in human history, it would be simply this:
Fire up the barbeque and enjoy some quality time with your family this afternoon/evening. Go for a walk, watch the sunset, go for a swim, discuss the Lord and His grace & mercy. If, on the off chance the world does not explode, and/or there isn't a mass conversion to Arminianism, you have at least enjoyed the day that the Lord had made!
Well here we are, 06.06.06. Hmmm... the planet has not blown up yet, but I suspect it could happen any moment now. That is, if I take all the doomsday warnings into account. My coffee pot is running a little slow, so this may be a sign of worse things to come. I'll report back in later if I notice anything else amiss.
When I was younger, and much more obnoxious, I used to tell people that as a baby I had hernia surgery on 06.06.66 - for no other reason than to see their reaction. It's odd, the things people come up with, when they hear that number combination. Their reaction was even more bizarre when I'd tell them that on June 6, 1966, I was exactly 6 days shy of turning 18 months old. 18 = 3 sixes! Folks were pretty sure I was somehow related to Rosemary's Baby. (It is true that I did have surgery that day - but I assure you it was not to remove any horns or tail, it really was for a hernia).
Somehow, and I still haven't figured out how, a line I read in an email newsletter/update yesterday got me to thinking about all this & other strange things people speculate on. First of all, it was an update that I never read -I get them about once a month and I just hit the delete button. But for some reason yesterday I read it.
The sender was talking about sharing the gospel with atheists/agnostics and giving a reason for why he believes. He didn't say he believes because God supernaturally changed him from the inside, he said he believes because...
"My DNA remembers God".
Now think about that for a few minutes. I'll sip my coffee while you mull that one over.
Done? Good, because now it's time for speculation. For some strange reason, that statement in the newsletter caused me to think about a conversation Kev and I once had.
Some years back when Kev and I would take the kids up to his dad's summer cottage for the weekends, we used to get up real early and go sit outside with our coffee and listen to the loons on the lake. We'd do the same thing in the evenings (when the mosquitoes & black flies weren't eating us alive, that is) and during those times we'd have long, involved, theological/philosophical/goofi-ogical conversations. One of those times, the topic of deja vu came up.
Now everyone knows what deja vu is but just for the sake of conversation let's say you've never heard of it before (which would be rather ironic considering what it is!) so here's the dictionary definition:
The illusion of having already experienced something actually being experienced for the first time.
It's a word that means "already seen".
I don't know anyone that hasn't experienced these, and some people I know (like me) have at times, had some very extreme daja vu experiences that last far longer than the usual few seconds.
So in that conversation that day, one of us asked the other "okay - deja vu - what is it?" Kev and I both have this habit of examining phychological things with a spiritual lense, so to speak. I don't remember exactly how he said it, but he speculated a bit about what deja vu might be, from a spiritual standpoint. Something along the lines of this:
Considering deja vu is the sensation of experiencing something for the first time in a memory-like state, what if we actually are having some kind of split second precognitive understanding/hyper-discernment of the experience, that the fall caused us to no longer be able to experience? Then he suggested that it might be working in our brains as a type of millisecond misfire - sort of like the way a radio station might (once in a blue moon) pick up a station for a few seconds that technically, it's not supposed to pick up.
Now before anyone gets all fidgety, no Kev was not talking about having ESP or anything like that, but just openly speculating on how Adam's brain might have worked, how Adam might have been like pre-fall, and what deja vu actually is. Considering scientists have said for many years that there is a part of the human brain that isn't used (and face it, we all know people who prove this out), and that they confess they don't know what that part of the brain actually does - or once did, it's a fun speculation. Did Adam smell colors? Could he taste emotions? Was he able to see notes of music? What about his intellect? Just how smart was he? Obviously not very smart or he wouldn't have willfully sinned.
So in conclusion, we didn't solve the baffling question about what deja vue really is, but we did have fun talking about it.
It is now 90 minutes after sunrise on 6/6/6 and the world still hasn't exploded, so we're doing okay so far. My cat didn't come in this morning though, and Kev's watching some documentary about triglycerides, and they're speaking in French. Kev doesn't speak French unless he's doing his sidesplitting impersonation of Jean Chretien.
These could be signs... I'll update later.
Related Tags: sovereign grace, baptist, the 5 solas, Christian homeschooling, Christian t-shirts and gifts
Anyone that knows me, knows I'm a Bird Stalker. I can sit and wait patiently for hours, just for one great shot of a bird.
Trouble is, I don't have the greatest camera. It's not half bad, but it's certainly not the kind of camera that captures the best wildlife shots either.
See this guy here? His name is Mr. Ruby. Mr Ruby and I have an understanding which pretty much goes like this:
I see him, and grab the camera and creep slowly toward the feeder - camera on - zoomed in - already focused. He sees me, waits till I get right up to the feeder, focused on him for an astounding shot, and he flies away a split second before I click the shutter. I cannot tell you how many times this happens - but at least 5 to 10 times a day, every day.
Well today I finally GOT HIM! He didn't know I was there, and I turned into a statue when I saw him coming. I focused on the feeder itself, and just took as many shots as the camera would let me take, until he flew off. If you click the picture to see it full size, you can even see the drop of sugar water off the tip of his tongue.
Oh yes, there has been victory today at the bird feeder, and the victory was MINE!
:o)
Remote 4 Life
If only life had a remote!
Shown here on our Hanes Tagless.
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Drawing lines, discernment, disclaimers, etc.
It seems as though we live in a time when you can't just say something and let it stand. You have to put in a disclaimer, or preface it with something, somehow, so that it's not misunderstood to mean something or support something you didn't intend.
Why is that?
I don't have the certain answer to that, but I can speculate that it has a lot to do with the way Christianity is undergoing a major push from the pomo-esque types that want to redefine and reconstruct and repackage everything. What they call paradigm shift, I call word play and gibberish nonsense.
Wikipedia defines paradigm shift this way:
"representing the notion of a major change in a certain thought-pattern — a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing"
If you're wondering how that applies to Christianity, look no further than the 'emerging church' phenom. What used to be wrong, is now okay. What used to be unacceptable is now called authentic. What used to be heresy is now called exploring on your spiritual journey. What used to be Biblical Christianity is now called Victorian Era Moralism.
More and more you will notice that the bar of tolerance has been lowered so far, you're left with wondering how Romans 12:2 fits into this so-called paradigm shift in Christianity:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
People like me, who respond to this new way of thinking and quote verses like that, are made the butt of jokes, insulted, dismissed and get the business end of the accusation of "see, look how she's blinded by her moralistic approach to Christianity!", as if such a declaration proves the point that us silly Christians with Biblical principles are somehow the catalyst that brought about the need for this "new way" of thinking.
In truth, I see this as nothing more than a full on assault on Sola Scriptura. It has nothing to do with me, or with you or anyone else who stands on the sure word of God - it has everything to do with rebellious hearts not wanting to submit to the final authority of God's word. It has everything to do with wanting to be so "cutting edge" that the word of God has been reduced to an authority among many, rather than the authority in which we find certaintly, truth, assurance and hope.
I was only going to link this section of the Cambridge Declaration but I think it's far too important to just drop a link to. In regards to Sola Scriptura (emphasis mine):
"Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.
Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.
Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliches, promises and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preacher's opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.
The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth."
It is interesting to note that this was written in 1996. It could have easily been written last week, and it would seem that its message is even more appropriate today, than it was 10 years ago.
Those who push this agenda of a paradigm shift will vehemently and with much indignance deny this accusation of departing from Sola Scriptura (or just as easily, redefine it to the point that it doesn't even make sense to the most well-educated man or woman), and then they will turn right around and out the other side of their mouths promote and endorse some of the most unbiblical teachings going today.
Nothing it would seem, is off limits. The atonement, the deity of Christ, the final authority of Scripture, the resurrection of Christ and the omniscience of God the Father, just to name a few. In our day, it's perfectly acceptable in many churches and associations to rip these doctrines completely out of the context of Scripture, tear them up, redefine them, "repackage" them and deliver them via books, blogs, podcasts & conferences to millions of eager listeners & readers prepared to accept them as viable, credible teachings. People just as eager to entertain a new understanding of the omniscience of God, as they are to "appreciate" the various spiritual disciplines of "varying expressions of faith". In simple terms, that's ecuminism. Folks who are willing to set aside Biblical truth so that they can have friendship and unity with anyone who expresses a "spiritual" interest, no matter what their doctrine is.
Anyone who stands up and says "but wait, that is NOT what the Bible teaches about this" is fair game to be blog-fodder in the newest "blogwar" over a Biblical doctrine.
It is disheartening, to say the least.
While I am thankful to many bloggers, pastors & authors that refuse to buckle to this "trend of our day", it is quite clear that what once was, is no longer, in many cases. What now is, is more enticing and more entertaining, more cutting edge, more "in with the in crowd" than simply being a Biblical berean.
I cannot help but think of these verses when I consider the condition of Christianity in 2006, and the bizarre sense of ecuminism, doubt, ambiguity and "mystique" being exalted as some kind of pious humility:
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)
This is nothing new of course. It's something that in some way, shape or form has always been associated with Christianity. Spurgeon wrote about it & preached against it in his day, and you can find more reading material on this very subject right here. It is nearly impossible to read Spurgeon's lament of the things happening in his day, and not notice that his words could have been written last week, or preached this very Sunday from a pulpit somewhere. Like this one right here:
Just now, the Lord Jesus is betrayed by not a few of His professed ministers. He is being crucified afresh in the perpetual attacks of scepticism against His blessed gospel; and it may be that things will wax worse and worse. This is not the first occasion when it has been so, for, at various times in the history of the Church of God, His enemies have exulted, and cried out that the gospel of past ages was exploded, and might be reckoned as dead and buried. For one, I mean to sit over against the very sepulchre of truth. I am a disciple of the old-fashioned doctrine as much when it is covered with obloquy and rebuke as when it shall again display its power, as it surely shall. Sceptics may seem to take the truth, and bind it, and scourge it, and crucify it, and say that it is dead; and they may endeavour to bury it in scorn, but the Lord has many a Joseph and a Nicodemus who will see that all due honour is done even to the body of truth, and will wrap the despised creed in sweet spices, and hide it away in their hearts. They may, perhaps, be half afraid that it is really dead, as the wise men assert; yet it is precious to their souls, and they will come forth right gladly to espouse its cause, and to confess that they are its disciples. We will sit down in sorrow, but not in despair; and watch until the stone is rolled away, and Christ in His truth shall live again, arid be openly triumphant. We shall see a Divine interposition, and shall cease to fear; while they who stand armed to prevent the resurrection of the grand old doctrine shall quake and become as dead men, because the gospel's everlasting life has been vindicated, and they are made to quail before the brightness of its glory.—C. H. S., in sermon at the Tabernacle, 1878.
If you've been paying attention to the increase in oddity passing itself off as Christianity, it's pretty hard not to hear Spurgeon's words in the back of your thoughts.
On the flip side to all of this, even though so much of it is indeed discouraging and disheartening, there is cause for great joy, and there is hope.
Last year just about this time, Phil wrote about evengelicism being in a crisis. His thoughts generated a fair amount of commentary around the blogosphere and it was a good topic to consider and make a matter of prayer. One of the things he wrote:
"We don't need more hype and activity and mass movements. We need the pure light of God's Word—"the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises" (2 Peter 1:19). The alternative is a postmodern darkness that is shaping up to be worse than the murkiest spiritual gloom of the Dark Ages. We could sure use a new generation of Reformers."
To which I responded:
"I believe, evangelicism is not in critical condition, as it might seem. I believe evangelicism is also not in a crisis. I believe things are happening exactly as the Scriptures said they would. I also believe and know, there are still those out there in evangelicism, that hold to the faith, write about it, preach about it, teach about it, and encourage others in it. Sharing the gospel with the lost, holding Bible studies, going on missions trips, speaking at conferences, exposing false teachers and false teachings - holding such things up to the light of Scripture for close examination. Edifying, exhorting, and guarding the body of Christ, just as Scripture says we ought to be doing. I am encouraged. You should be also."
While Phil's words are indeed true, and while Spurgeon's words could easily be applied in our day, and while it may seem, on the surface, that there is much wrong about Christianity today (and there certainly is, and it should be a matter of prayer for each of us), God's word is still sure, and there is great hope and assurance in that.
Tim chimed in on this one with these comments:
"There is lots of bad news, but I would also suggest that we have as much good news now as we ever had, and certainly a lot more than there was in the time leading to the Reformation. We have multitudes of great teachers today - teachers whose work will by far outlive their time on earth. Teachers who, throughout their careers, have stood strong on the biblical principles that were rediscovered during the Reformation."
"We do not need a second Reformation. The first Reformation returned us to the principles that shape and define a biblical faith. What we need are Reformers, men who will humbly return to the Scriptures, asking the Holy Spirit to guide them to the truth, sparking the light that it might once more shine brightly into the gloom that is evangelicalism, and the gloom that is the world around us. We do not need a second Reformation: we need to rediscover the first."
Not only do I agree with both Tim and Phil, I believe we have those kind of men right now among us. They are in pulpits, they write books, they blog, they give lectures and speak at conferences all over the world. They teach classes, they're on the mission field, and they're standing firm on the sure word of God.
With the current state of modern evangelicism it's real easy to be discouraged. It's also much better to be aware that we do have among us, those men (and women) who certainly fit the description of "a generation of new Reformers".
And to God be the glory!
Welcome to the readers of Camp on This, the link you're looking for is here.
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I want to share with you something that blessed me this morning - on a completely different subject.
Worry - and worry about financial issues, specifically.
I've mentioned before here that I enjoy listening to the daily teachings of Pastor John MacArthur, and this past week he had a series on overcoming financial worry. It was EXCELLENT, and if you struggle with worrying about financial issues, let me suggest you stop what you're doing right now, and take some time to listen to what Pastor John has to say about this.
I'd love to be able to sit here and tell you that I don't worry about such things, but that wouldn't be entirely true. What would be true, would be to say that I worry less than I used to, or that I try very hard not to worry. However, I'm still not at the place where I'd like to be and just not worry at all.
There is such a stigma attached to money and financial issues, that it's almost surreal when you consider it. I confess, it's even a little awkward for me to write about it lest someone get the wrong idea about why I'm addressing it. Isn't that strange?
I recall saying once when I was much younger, "I hate money!". I said that after spending a good amount of time trying to balance my family's budget and come up with enough left over, to buy something for one of the kids. I don't remember what it was exactly, but it was something they needed, like shoes, or a new coat. No matter how I juggled the numbers around, I couldn't pay all the bills with what we had, and come up with anything left over. It was most frustrating, and I just sat there and cried.
While some things change, some things remain the same...
For no other reason than being blessed with the ability to budget well, I'm the one who does the family budget. I came up with a system years ago that I've been using ever since. It's a pretty basic chart of income v. debts and it's all done in nice neat columns, according to paydays. It's very orderly, and I'm into things being done neatly and in order. Must be the inner-control freak in me trying to express herself.
Something I do now that I did not do back then when I declared my hatred for money, is that I pray before I ever open the binder that contains the budget. For wisdom to direct the funds to the right place, at the right time, for the right amounts. For peace, that no matter what the numbers say, whether they are in the red, or in the black, that there will be peace and a reminder that He always takes care of us. ALWAYS. It's easy to get anxious and worry when we forget that He has always taken care of us in the past, and will do so in the future.
Going to the Lord in prayer before I make any attempt to manage the funds He's given us, has made all the difference in the world in how I respond to the results of financial budgeting. We're a large family getting by on one income and that's not easy to do. (In case you're wondering, my online store doesn't officially count as a second income right now - it only makes enough to actually keep the storefront open.) Everything is budgeted for, and I do mean everything. Right down to that .59 cent chocolate bar I buy at the dollar store for myself every two weeks, because at the grocery store it's 99 cents. Everything has to be budgeted for because one mistake or one oversight will mean we play catch-up for weeks, sometimes months. Going to the Lord in prayer before attempting to successfully do any of this, is absolutely essential for me.
Pastor John shared a passage this morning that was pivotal for me in understanding the key to not worrying about financial matters. Now remember I said I am not yet in the place where I never worry, but by His grace I'm getting there!
Here's the passage:
Matthew 6:
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Do you see those words highlighted in green? Those are the things we worry about.
See the words in red? That's for us to remember and take comfort in. Our Heavenly Father knows perfectly well what we need. He knows when the kids need new shoes, or when one of us needs medicine. He knows when the rent is due and He knows when the car needs an oil change. He knows these things, and we know He knows these things but for some reason we tend to forget, that we know, that He knows these things. That's why we worry! We worry because we forget.
Not long ago I read "Christianity is a religion of remembering". Something about that struck me and I thought about it all day. It was such a simple, but such a profound statement, that it's one of those hallmark moments in your Christian life that you do remember, and shapes the way you think. When we remember that He knows every need we have, and remember that He has always provided for us in the past, we can take comfort and rest from worrying about today, or tomorrow, or next month.
The words in blue - that's our instruction! Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It could be said that this means being busy being faithful. In prayer, in the word, reminding ourselves that worry has no place in a faithful heart, and not dwelling on our circumstances, but trusting in the one who controls them.
When we purposely and intentionally set our minds on the sovereignty of God, we don't have time to busy ourselves with worrying about new shoes, or new coats. It's not always easy, and I still fall very short of this at times but every time I do, He's also faithful to remind me that it's Him in control in the first place.
That changes everything.
I hope this has blessed you in some way today.
Well, blogger commenting is on the fritz today so I can’t leave a comment over at Steve’s place. Probably for the best anyway since this turned out to be a lot longer than I intended and I doubt Steve wants a mini-blog post in his comment section.
As some of you know, Campi (like many others over the last couple of weeks) recently took on the issue of Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church Seattle, using foul/vulgar language. I think it’s safe to blame Tim, since his book review is what set this in motion. :o)
At any rate, Campi’s taken up the conversation at his blog with Mike Gunn, a former pastor at Mars Hill who came along to defend his friend Mark Driscoll. During Campi and Gunn’s exchange in comment section, the topic of the true gospel came up. You’ll actually have to read through the comment section to get where this is going, but here’s the gist of it, the last I was able to read it:
If I have this straight, Steve Camp, myself and others (conservative, Victorian-era blinded, evangelicals, I’m assuming, which likely means YOU if you’re a regular reader here) have:
1. Lowered the standard of the gospel
2. Created cultural dictums
3. Lowered the bar of holiness
4. Preached a weak, man-made gospel to the lost
5. Neglected the root of the problem of sin, which is the depraved heart of man
6. Neglected to call individuals to true repentance
Hmmm….
I have a hunch Mike Gunn has confused Steve Camp with Steve Buscemi, and confused myself with Carla Tortelli. It’s understandable, it happens a lot. Right Steve? 
It’s as obvious as the chair I’m sitting in that Mr. Gunn has not taken the time to read much of anything either Campi or myself have written about the gospel, man’s depravity, holiness, or genuine repentance. Had he actually read anything on these topics on my blog or Steve’s he would have never said that.
So, why did he say that? I’m not sure – the topic is cussing & swearing from a Christian leader, and somehow it went here. Somehow, “prominent theologian” Eugene Peterson has figured into this, in that his insights into the way we read & understand Scripture have been all kinds of messed up and (get ready folks, this is a whopper), it’s OKAY to use cuss words in our modern context, because the Bible has plenty of cuss words in the cultural context the actual texts were written in.
Read that last part again, I'll wait.
Apparently it was Mr. Peterson who “has brought some of the intent of the language out in his translation”, according to Mike Gunn. So there you have it folks, Mr. Peterson , prominent theologian (according to Mr. Gunn), has assured us that our use of vulgar, offensive, demeaning, obscence, improper, irreverant gutter-speech is perfectly okay because there is intent in the language of Scripture that we’ve all missed and only the non-Victorian-era-Christians have come to see.
We’re moralists you see, because we’ve been hoodwinked by them pesky Victorians that told us we needed to stop acting like barnyard animals and clean up our act – and that this is all that’s needed to be a fine upstanding Christian. As long as we don’t cuss & swear and/or run with barnyard animals that do, our Victorian era teachers & preachers have assured us (and we’re just gullible enough to believe it) that we’re doing just fine, spiritually.
The only problem with this is, the very people accused of believing this DON’T believe it. I might as well have accused Steve Camp of being a 14 year old girl, then railed on him based on a false assumption. It’s ridiculous, but this is where this particular conversation is going.
Oh and by the way, Mr. Gunn: “you don’t know our context, so don’t pretend to”. In regards to the needs of the people in the Seattle area, rest assured many folks do indeed know the “context” of Seattle and the greater, surrounding Puget Sound area. Some of us happen to be from there. Some of us know exactly the “context”. It’s an area filled with sinners in need of a Savior. It’s an area filled with new agism, hyper-liberalism, sin, broken people, despair, hopelessness and no light. And that darkness isn’t from the clouds & all the rain.
The cultural context of the people in Seattle is EXACTLY the same as it is in just about any other area – people living in a world filled with sin, hating the truth, and needing Christ. What folks in the Pacific Northwest need is the same thing folks in the Desert Southwest, Upstate New York, Florida beach communities, Midwest Farmlands and any other geographical/cultural setting:
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Some days, are better than others. It's just the way it works out. Some days the amount of responsibilities, failed plans, miscommunication with kids, spouses (or friends), unfinished tasks or errands, etc., can just make you feel overextended and/or like things are out of control. I had one of those days today and it reminded me of something that I wrote several years ago when I was having an especially good day.
I don't very often repost something I've written before but sometimes those old writings come back to be even more appropriate later on, than they were at the time. Slightly edited from it's original version:
A Biblical Lesson on Blessings
Like pretty much everyone else, I have friends who get "down in the dumps" at times, and might feel like God isnt moving in their lives, or that they just arent being blessed in any way. Or they might feel like they arent doing anything for the Lord that might worthwhile, or giving Him the glory. Recently, I gave some advice to a couple of different people who were feeling like this and spoke to me about it. I would like to share a little of that advice here, and challenge everyone reading this, to try it for themselves.
Most Christians have heard the song, or the phrase "count your blessings", but not very many of us actually do it. There is a wonderful promise in the Bible that I think many of us overlook (including myself), so here it is:
Matthew 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.(9) Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?(10) Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?(11) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
God DOES bless His people. God DOES move in the lives, minds, homes, and hearts, of His people. I think sometimes we just cant see it, for numerous different reasons. Sometimes it's just easier to dwell on the difficult things, or perceived negative things that are going on in our lives at the moment, than it is to see past those things and rest in the assurance of God's blessings.
Sometimes God will allow His people to go through something painful , traumatic, or confusing. When this happens, I believe God demands our attention, for a specific purpose. I believe it's more important than ever that in those times, we anchor ourselves in the word and spend ample time in prayer.
I've personally been through many of these kinds of trials, and it took many OF them, for me to begin to see my life as the cup half full, rather than the cup half empty. I still go through these trials and even though I often have good advice to give others on this topic, I catch myself doing the very thing I advise against! (Doesn't that sound familiar? Do you ever hear yourself giving advice and thinking "why don't I take my own advice here?")
No matter what is or isn't happening in your life, there is a great peace within your heart, when you can rest in the knowledge that God hears our prayers, and answers His people with blessings.
With that said, here is the hands on, practical advice that will fix your mind and heart on the blessings of God and truly change your perspective:
• Go out and buy a spiral bound notebook, and across the front, in BIG BOLD letters, write "BLESSINGS". (I dont recommend using a computer word program, its too impersonal for this exercise)
• Every day, at the end of each day, or as the day progresses, whichever is more practical for you, list every single blessing that came your way, THAT day. Big ones, little ones, funny ones, private ones, family ones, no matter what kind, if YOU were touched by it in any way, list it.
• Do this FAITHFULLY, every single day.
• At the end of the day (if you've done this as the day progressed) or after you've listed that day's blessings, go back over it and read it to yourself. At the end of the week go back and read every days list, completely, and then spend some time giving God the praise He deserves, for the things on those lists.
• Do this for 1 month, faithfully, each and every day. I guarantee you, you will be surprised at the things God has been faithfully blessing you with, each and every day, that you never really took the time to consider, before.As you continue to do this, every single day, you will notice that you NOTICE the blessings when they come, instead of having to try to remember what they were, at the end of the day. You will find yourself, slowly but surely, becoming more and more aware of His providential hand on your life, each and every single day, all throughout the day. As a result of it, your praise and adoration for Him, will only deepen. You'll begin to understand this verse in a whole new way:
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
As you begin to really make note of the abundance of blessings God has filled your life with, it will bring you to a new understanding of humility, before your Holy Father in Heaven. You'll certainly have a deeper understanding of all the old clichés about "God is good, all the time", and "it is well, with my soul" and so on.
I would like to share with you all, just 1 days list, of all of the blessings God sent my way, so you can see a REAL example, for yourself. Some of your blessings might be the same as mine, but most will be different.
Thursday, April 26, 2001:
God has brought these blessings to my life, or my thoughts, today (updated 5 years later as well):
• My husband's job, that allows me to be a stay at home mom, with six kids. (Still a blessing, and with 1 more kid!)
• Being able to stay home and homeschool the kids. (still a blessing)
• The freedom I still have in this country to homeschool. (still thankful for this!)
• A reliable vehicle thats big enough to comfortably carry our whole family. (this too)
• Hearing the baby giggle and coo and clap, when he was cranky and fussing from 3 am till 6 am. (that baby is now nearly 6 years old and just a really good kid)
• Reliable daughters who watch over their baby siblings so that I can run errands or nap when Im pooped. (the older girls on on their own now, but my almost 16 yr old takes charge when I need her too - and this is definitely a blessing)
• Modern conveniences and technologies, such as my camera, the dishwasher, my computer, the cordless phone, that make my life more comfortable, and more enjoyable. (certainly grateful for these things, as I cooked dinner and spoke with a dear friend on the phone tonight!)
• Good friends who tell me when I've blessed them, and when I've messed up. (this actually happened just today, lol)
• Pre-mixed baby formula, disposable diapers and wipes! (yep, still grateful for disposable diapers for sure)
• The sleepy eyes, and sunny little innocent faces of my toddlers, first thing this morning. (I only have one toddler now, but is there anything more dear than seeing a baby's face in the morning, happy to see you?)
• Cardinals, because my 2 year old loves them, and seeing her so excited about seeing one, brings me great joy. (still blessed by this one, even though that 2 yr old is now 7, she still loves Cardinals)
• Hearing her sing Amazing Grace, on key, and word for word. (my 2 yr old now sings hymns with us every night, and it absolutely blesses my heart!!)
• Watching my 3 year old's eyes focus correctly when she puts her glasses on, and hearing her say each night "pray me my eyes?" (that 3 year old is now almost 9, and though her eyes still give her trouble, she has perfect vision)
• Indoor, hotwater heaters! (still a blessing indeed)
• The price of gas going down a few cents. (I was blessed by this just today)
• A gorgeous pink, yellow and purple sunrise. (and blessed by these, still - see the header pic? )
• Coffee! (yes it's certainly a nice thing to wake up and enjoy a cup of coffee)
• Hearing WONDERFUL news that a fellow chatter and sister in the Lord, received GOOD news from her doctor: NO CHEMO, all is clear! This might be my biggest blessing today. (not long after I wrote this list, this sister's cancer returned and just a few months later she passed and went home to the Lord. She was strong in her faith the whole way through it, and at the end smiled and said she was ready to meet Jesus. It hurt to say goodbye, but this blessed my heart in ways words cannot describe)
• People who devote their time to help in a common goal of mine. (still a blessing my life to have those who help, encourage and support)
• Naps! (oh yes, I'm always so grateful for the ability to rest up a bit in the
afternoon)
• Grocery bills that are lower this week than last (definitely a blessing with this many kids)
• People who pray for me, and my family, and our witness for the Lord. (one of the blessings I am most grateful for each and every day)
• Good friends who remind me of whats important (like the one I spoke to on the phone tonight!)
• Bible study in the book of Isaiah today (and having a Bible to study - this is a monumental blessing too many of us take for granted.)
In some ways, this might seem like a trivial list of things, but in reality it's not trivial at all. Every good thing I have in my life comes from the Lord. I have so many good things, but I'm often tempted to focus on the "bad" and that distracts me from realizing how much good there is there, and how grateful I really should be.
I would encourage anyone who has read this, to do the same lesson, and see for yourself, what you just might be overlooking. I pray it blesses your heart to do this.
Do you ever have one of those days where everything goes wrong, you can't express yourself for some stupid reason the way you need to be able to, and the harder you try to get a handle on the issues you're dealing with, the worse things seem to turn out?
Me either... I'm glad I don't have days like that. I'm especially glad I only (don't) have them once in a while.
If I had a friend that had days like this, what would I tell her? First, I'd tell her to pray. I'd likely remind her that everything's in God's sovereign hand and there is nothing going on that He doesn't know about. I'd probably remind her that this too shall pass, and that there are millions if not billions of people in MUCH worse situations, and as frustrating as things get sometimes, she should literally count her blessings and dwell on the "whatsoever things are true" passage. I'd even go as far as cautioning her to stay in the word and not make any decisions based on feelings, or emotional reactions. Us women tend to do that no matter how much we like to deny it. It's how we're wired, and something we have to battle against all the time, on our knees.
I'd hope that these words brought comfort, encouragment and assurance to her. I'd hope that prompting her to count her blessings and focus on those things which are good, would change her disposition from anxious and worried to thankful and at peace.
Time to go now and count my blessings, dwell on whatsoever things are true, stay in the word and let Him adjust my disposition.
Just a couple of things this morning.
You'll notice, if you ever browse the sidebar that is, that I've changed the image in "vote for my t-shirt". This is one of my newest designs & since the votes are cleared at the first of every month, it has zero votes as of today. The more votes, the higher the ranking, the more exposure and that makes us all very happy, now doesn't it? :o)
In yesteray's post Mode of Baptism, a side topic came up that hits pretty close to home, and is a very sensitive subject for me. I'm not prepared just now to go into further details so I'm just going to leave it alone. For now. I do appreciate all who shared their thoughts though, publicly and privately.
Have a great day :o)
