Proverbs 29:18

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁸Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.^(A)

Freedom from the Spirit of Anger

The other day I was listening to a sermon by S. M. Davis called "Freedom from the Spirit of Anger."  (The text of this sermon can be found here.)  When I began listening to it, I had in my mind that I was looking for ways to help my children in the area of their tempers.  I didn't realize how very convicting it would be for me.  I don't consider my self an angry person.  I am usually fairly calm, patient and don't lose my temper.  But sometimes I do, and oftentimes I am feeling irritated.  This is often directed toward my children and they know it.  I was very convicted that I have a spirit of anger within me.  Rev. Davis points out that there is no biblical justification for anger.

Psalm 37:8 says, "cease from anger and forsake wrath." Notice what this verse does not say. It does not say, "keep spiritual anger and forsake carnal anger."

Proverbs 19: 19 says, "A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again."

Proverbs 27: 4 says, "wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous." "Outrageous" means "like a downpour or a flood." It’s not possible to have a little bit of anger. Anger is a flood.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 says, "anger resteth in the bosom of fools."

Galatians 5: 19-20. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, etc." 

And "VICTORY IN THE AREA OF THE SPIRIT OTHERS SENSE COMING FROM YOU IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN VICTORY IN THE AREA OF ACTIONS OTHERS SEE YOU DOING."  I realize that I often spend entire days walking around with an attitude of mild irritation.  Let's face it, mothering is a challenge and child training can be frustrating.  However, my attitude of irritation has its roots in anger and self centeredness.  The worst thing is that I am teaching my children to also have a spirit of anger.  I am feeling so convicted by this.  The Holy Spirit and kindly been pointing out my anger to me the last couple of days.  So often I will be frustrated at something for something they did and have difficulty controlling my temper.  What they did would be very wrong and I would feel justified in my anger.  But there is no biblical justification for anger.

Through this I am brought to mind of Michelle Duggar.  I have always been impressed with the Duggar family.  One of the things that most impresses me is the sweet spirit of Michelle, the mom.  Childish tempers may fly and things get very chaotic, but manages to speak calmly and thoughtfully to her children.  As I listened to this sermon, I realized that she is a living, breathing example of someone who is so filled with the right Spirit, the Holy Spirit, that the spirit of anger has no place in her.  I am so grateful to be able to see that because I know that this is what God desired for me.  To live up to my full potential as God's girl, that spirit of anger within me must be shoved right out the door.  With God's help, it will be.

Why Jesus is the ONLY Way

Mourning a Loss

This has been a difficult week for me. I shared last year a bit about our family's struggles to find a new church home. We have found a new church that didn't exactly match our list of wants, but it feels right. I know it is the place where God wants us right now. One of our concerns through this transition was harming the close friendships that we had at our former church. There are many there that we love like family. Many of them are part of a women's bible study that I have attended for seven years. We have laughed and cried together, and had the blessing of praying over each other's needs.

I decided to continue meeting with this group at our old church because of those friendships that I value so much. However, through a conversation with a friend from that study, my eyes were opened to the fact that there is bitterness and resentment towards me and another member who also left the church but still attends. This really wounds me because I thought those bonds of friendship were strong enough to weather this transition we were making. Now, I see that they are not. So, the question is, now that I know this, what do I do? During my morning bible study a couple of days ago, I was studying about obedience and submission to God. At that very moment, I got a very strong sensation that this is the time to step away from that bible study. As I tried to ignore this thought, I went back to reading about obedience and submission to God. [sigh] I knew the painful choice that I must make.

This morning is the first meeting of this bible study. I feel pretty sad. I am mourning the loss of those close bonds with those ladies. However I do not regret my choice. I know that bowing out gracefully was the best thing to do, for if I stayed, I may become a stumbling block to others faith. If my presence causes negative, ungodly feelings in others, then I should not be there.

These verses come to mind this morning:

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:23, 31-33

As I grow in my understanding of God, I am realizing that this life here on earth is not about me at all. Our human nature is selfish and is naturally focused on our own needs and wants. I think part of the process of sanctification (becoming more holy and Christlike) is understanding that obedience to God is first. That knocks my own desires down the priority list. So, in this particular instance, I have a bible study that fills a need in my life for Christian fellowship with other women, but in obedience God I am giving that up because my needs do not outweigh the fact that I may be a stumbling block to others in their relationship with God.

So, I sit here at home this morning lifting up those who are still there in prayer, looking to God to provide for my needs of fellowship. I have no doubts that He will. He always does provide.

“Each child came to us directly from the presence of God and a parent's daily work is to lead the child back from whence she came --- back into the presence of God. To simply keep inviting the child into the transformative presence of God -- to live before Him ourselves.” Ann Voskamp (A Holy Experience)

I want to be a Wife of Valor

I am continuing my study of being a submissive wife to my husband, obedient to God.  The best description of a godly wife shows up in Proverbs 31:10-31.  It begins by saying that a "wife of noble character is hard to find."  Some translations say "virtuous" or "excellent."  The original Hebrew word used here is chayil. I find it odd that this word has been translated this way here because its definition is actually strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.  In the King James Version of the bible, it is often translated as army, man of valor, forces, valiant, strength, riches, power, and might.  So, although "excellent", "virtuous" and "noble" do fit here, they seem like only part of the definition.  When we think of a godly, submissive wife, a picture of a mousy doormat comes to mind.  I don't believe a doormat would ever be described as chayil.  According to this, a godly wife is a force.  She is a woman of action that makes things happen. 

Listen to this description:

"The woman described here is of priceless value. She has physical strength, mental strength, moral strength and spiritual strength. Above all she loves God deeply and reverently. She is characterized in this section six ways, and I'll point them out to you as we just look together at the Scripture...six ways. Her character as a wife, her devotion as a homemaker, her generosity as a neighbor, her influence as a teacher, her effectiveness as a mother and her excellence as a person...the sum of all of that makes the excellent wife. And I might add that this is no woman in particular but this is the woman that every woman should seek to emulate. She is rare, look at verse 10, an excellent wife...by the way, the word excellent in Hebrew means force, a woman of force, a woman of substance, a woman of strength would be another way to characterize her. It's excellent in the sense of her strength spiritually, morally, mentally, physically. She is a woman of substances. She is a woman who has made a dent in society. She is one who makes a difference. There's a force about her life. This kind of wife, he says, who can find? Very rare. Hard to find this kind of woman."

- John MacArthur :: Grace to You

What a wonderful picture to keep in the forefront of our minds as we strive to become the women/wives that God created us to be!  I am excited to study this further.  If you want to study with me, I am in Week #4 of "A Wife's Biblical Submission" (see right sidebar banner).  More specifically, I am here.

Submission vs. Obedience

Wives are called to submit to their own husbands.  This is commanded in Scripture.  (Ephesians 5:22, Ephesians 5:24, Colossians 3:18) I think it is hard for a modern day woman to know what that really means.  We have been raised in an age of feminism and the idea of submission is foreign.  We relate it to obedience.  Yes, it does look like obedience, but there is more to it.  There is the component of attitude.

God does not call us to robotically obey our husbands.  We are partners and helpers to them.  They can bounce ideas off of us and we discuss things.  The wife's opinion is just as important.  But ultimately, someone has to be in charge and make a decision.  God has set it up that way.  Jesus is the head over a man, and the man is head over his wife.  This provides a sense of order.  We, as wives, are called to defer to our husbands and submit to his God-given authority.  Not only are we to obey, but we need to do it with a good attitude.  Our husbands need to feel like we are on their team and not have to fight us at every turn.

So, today I will do an attitude check.  Am I cheerfully submitting to my husband?  When I do, I am ultimately submitting to my Lord.

What to study along with me?  Click the button on the right that say's, "A Wife's Biblical Submission."  I am working on week three.  God bless! 

"The people who know their God, stand firm and take action."  Daniel 11:32

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

18 Ways a Wife May be the Glory of Her Husband

(From "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace)

1. Ask your husband, "What are your goals for the week?"
2. Ask your husband, "How can I help you accomplish those goals?"
3. Ask your husband, "Is there anything that I can do differently that would make it easier for you?"
4. Be organized with cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, and cooking. As you fulfill your God-given responsibilities, your husband is then free to do his work.
5. Save some of your energy everyday for him.
6. Put him first over the children, your parents, friends, job, ladies' Bible studies, etc.
7. Willingly and cheerfully rearrange your schedule for him when necessary.
8. Talk about him in a positive light to others. Do not slander him at all, even if what you are saying is true.
9. Do whatever you can to make him look good, to accomplish his goals. Some examples are to offer to run errands for him, organize your day to be available to him with his projects, pray for him and make good suggestions. Give him the freedom not to use your suggestion, and do not be offended if he does not follow it.
10. Consider his work (job, goals, hobbies, work for the Lord) as more important than your own.
11. Think of specific ways that you can help him accomplish his goals. Examples are get up early in the morning to help him get off to work having had a good breakfast, take care in recording telephone messages for him, anticipate any needs he may have in order to attain a specific goal, and keep careful record of money spent to keep up with the budget.
12. Consider the things that you are involved in. How do they glorify your husband? Ask his guidance.
13. Be warm and gracious to his family and friends. Make your commitment to him obvious to them.
14. Do and say things that build him up instead of tear him down.
15. Dress and apply your makeup in an attractive manner that is pleasing to you husband.
16. When your husband sins, reprove him privately and gently, always giving him hope and pointing him to the Lord.
17. Encourage him to use his spiritual gifts in ministry.
18. Realize that just as God is glorified when man obeys Him, you husband is glorified when you obey your husband.
    

Modern Day Rib

I am continuing my study of what God says about being a wife to my husband. I have finished the book, "Creative Counterpart" and have begun to read "An Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace. Both books discuss what it means to be a biblically submissive wife, but are very different styles.

This morning, I took a break from the book and decided to read the the website I mentioned before, "A Wife's Biblical Submission." The link for this online study can be found in the sidebar to the right. I am reading from Week 2 of the study which discusses how the woman was taken from the man's rib. If you think about the purpose of a physical rib, it is protection. A rib is a delicate thing, but yet strong. It protects both the heart and the lungs.

It is interesting that God chose this rib to create woman. In general we tend to think about men as the protectors of women, but a wife plays an important role in protecting her husband. She protects his heart, by always loving and supporting him. Even if a man faces negativity all day long, he can deal with it if he comes home to a loving wife that supports him and respects him no matter what. If the reverse is true, no matter how much respect and kudos the world gives a man, he will be beaten down and weakened if he gets no respect at home from his wife. A rib also protects the lungs. The lungs take in air from the atmosphere. We, as wives, need to protect that atmosphere. How do we do that? Most importantly, we need to blanket his atmosphere with prayer. Next, we can make his home a place of peace and restoration. We can also choose to bless him with our words. We need to do this intentionally.

This role as protector is a totally new concept to me. I will have to remind myself of this role until it becomes habit, as well as pray for God to reveal where my husband has needs in this area and how I can respond.

Do you want to join me in studying about our roles as godly wives? I would enjoy discussing this with you. You can follow the link to the left or pick up one of the books that I mentioned. Leave me a comment and link to your blog. I would enjoy seeing how God is leading you.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:4


"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

On Being a Creative Counterpart to my Husband

No matter what you call it, help meet, creative counterpart, submissive wife, it is clear from scripture that is what God has called us, as wives, to be. The struggle in this day and age of feminism is to know what that looks like. Good examples are few.

In general, most women find the idea of putting their husband's needs above their own and serving him rather repugnant. We have been taught from an early age that submitting to any man is an archaic idea from the unenlightened past.

However, scripture clearly says that the woman was created for the man.

"For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man." 1 Corinthians 11:8-9

Man and woman were not created simultaneously. No, woman was created after man to be a helper to him.

"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.'” Genesis 2:18

I know that many women may find the idea of this rather offensive. I might, too, if it were not for the fact that I trust in god and believe in ther Truth of His Word.

So, if I believe that I was created by God to be a helper to my husband, what exactly does that mean? I know for a fact that my husband would be extremely irritated if I called him to consult on every little household decision or child behavioral issue. He would also hate to be married to a doormat. He has told me that it is a comfort to him that I am a strong, capable, independent woman.

So, I am searching the scriptures, being still, and listening to God to understand what being an ideal wife to my husband and fulfilling at least part of God's purpose for me looks like.

Striving to be a Submissive Wife

In my last post I mentioned that in my morning quiet time I was studying obedience. God has impressed upon me that serving God means obedience to God in all instances. I believe it is no coincidence that I got my hands on the book Created to be his Help Meet which discusses the concept of what it means to be a godly wife during this time. I had to read through the book relatively quickly to get through it all before it was due back at the library and felt as though I wasn't finished with this study. Well, I always say that our God is a God who provides. Yesterday I stumbled upon an online bible study called A Wife's Biblical Submission. This is an in depth study of Proverbs 31: 10-31. I have decided to participate in this and will be posting what God is teaching me through this study here on this blog.

For those of you who do not know me in real life and have just found this blog, here is a little bit about me:
My name is Trish. 22 years ago I married my high school sweetheart, Barry. We had our first date the day after my 15th birthday and there has never been another guy for me. We got married when I was 19 and he was 21. We have 6 children: four daughters ages 16, 13, 6, & 3 and two sons ages 8 & 17 months. We are a homeschooling family living on four acres in rural Indiana.

Our family leans to the creative side. I have a need to create. Some of my outlets for this are photography, digital scrapbooking, cooking, and sewing. My children, thus far, have followed suit. This is very evident in my oldest two daughters who are becoming amazing artists.

We also have a family business owning/managing two apartment buildings. This role is a constant challenge for me. It is definitely not my nature to be to be a landlord or a bookkeeper, but I am learning and growing and working on my attitude because I have come to realize that this is an area where I am truly a help meet to my husband.

I am hoping that through this study, I can learn more about my God-given role as a helper to my husband.

Obedience

This summer, I have been led to study "obedience" during my morning bible study and quiet time. God has shown me areas of my life where I am and have been disobedient to Him. This is a hard thing to look at. [sigh] But it is important that I see this. So, I have been seeking what God say in His Word about being obedient. There is plenty!

God has been showing me that it ALL is about obedience to Him. I have heard it said that as a Christian, our goal is to get to heaven and take as many as we can with us. That's not a bad goal, but I think it is somewhat incorrect. I think our goal should be complete obedience to God and His will. I do think that leading others to know Christ is a result of that obedience, but by having obedience to God being our first goal, it takes the pressure off of us to figure out how to make this happen. We just need to follow orders.

The first step in obedience to God is learning to listen. We cannot follow God's commands, if we do not clearly know what they are. So, how do we hear God? We can pray AND listen. We can read God's living Word. This is a powerful combination.

The second step is, of course, doing what God has said to us. I believe it is only through the power of God that we have the ability to obey. It is hard! Daily, we need to re-commit ourselves to God, offering our lives as living sacrifices.

I am not sure what I expected to discover exactly through the process of my study, but I have been a bit surprised by the areas of my life that God has brought to my attention. The first has been by weight/health. I am overweight. This didn't happen overnight, but has creeped up throughout our 22 years of marriage and bearing six children. But I am nearly double what I weighed in high school and at the beginning of my marriage. I have tried to drop the weight off by eating healthier, but have never been very successful and have just resigned myself to the fact that this is who I am at least during this busy season of my life. I don't have time to deal with dieting and exercise. God has convicted my that the fat that I carry around on my body is sin. It is the result of disobedient living. It is sin that I cannot even hide. It is there all around me. It weakens my testimony and my ability to serve God. So, I am committing myself to being obedient in what I put in my mouth and how I nourish my body. God has given me a plan. He has led me to steps/habits for weight loss and better living. I won't go into it now, but it means eating less quantity, cutting out the junk food and sugar, and increasing fruits and vegetables. Eventually, I know God is going to lead me to more activity and exercise, but we are taking one step at a time.

The other area that God is teaching me about obedience is in honoring my husband and being the helper that God created me to be for him. Many months ago, I put a book on hold at the library called "Created to be his Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. I had nearly forgotten about it because it had been so long ago. Well, it was finally my turn to check this book out at the library. I figured that since I had waited so long for this book, I would not be able to renew it when it comes due because others have it on hold, as well, so I decided to set aside my obedience study and jump onto this for the next few weeks. Little did I realize how this fits right in. God's timing is perfect. I do not believe that it is a coincidence that I got my hands on this book in the midst of my obedience study. So I am learning what it means to be my husband's helper according to God's Word. I didn't even realize how much work I need in this area.

I'll sign off with a verse from my study this morning:

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil.
Psalm 37:3-8

Seeking Church

We are still struggling with finding a church to call home. I feel like I need to write about this for myself to clarify my thoughts about it. Our family has been attending a Missionary church in a nearby little town. We have all been really enjoying it. As hubby puts it, if I were to make a check list of everything I was looking for in a church, this place has it all. But...something doesn't feel quite right to either of us and we can't quite put a finger on what that is. I told him that I think that is because it is not where God wants us to stay. I feel like God is taking us on a journey. Perhaps finding a church home is more about the process than the final outcome. I believe that we can worship God anywhere and in many ways. This has been forcing me to really think about what I feel is important to me in a church home.
Here is what I have come up with at this time:

• God is present.
• The BIBLE is taught. Members are striving to know the bible and live it out in their lives.
• I am challenged by the teaching.
• My children are taught from the bible, reinforcing what I teach at home.
• My (older) children are challenged to grow spiritually.
• Each of us is able to form strong connections with fellow believers who can uphold each other.

These seem to be the most important things to me. On a secondary level, I would love to find a place with a good group of homeschoolers. I am weary of being the strange, lone, homeschooling family. I would love for my children to interact with other homeschooled children. I realize that I can join a homeschool support group to fill this need, but I would not like to add one more commitment to my schedule. I would rather my focus be on church life. Also, I would love to find a church where our family's creative talents could be used and fostered. Our's is a family of artists. I love the graphic/digital arts and photography, my oldest draws exceptionally well and is a great photographer, my second daughter also draws and is especially talented with tiny clay sculpture and claymation. The rest are still fairly young, but I already a see artistry beginning to bloom in them. Since it is my prayer that they learn how to use these God-given talents for Him, where better to nurture these skills outside the home than at church?

We are planning to visit a new church this Sunday. This is always a challenge with a large family to try and figure out where everyone needs to go. It is also a bit unsettling for us all. It takes us out of our comfort zone and that is not fun. I pray that it is not upsetting to our children. I realize how hard it is for them to show up as the outsider. It is not easy as an adult either.

Satan's meeting (read even if you're busy)

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church." "We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth." "We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior." "Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.""So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ." "This is what I want you to do", said the devil:"Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.

"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children."

"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."

"Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive."

"To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblicalmusic constantly."

"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.""Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."

"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."

"Invade their driving moments with billboards."

"Flood their mail boxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs,sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products , services and false hopes."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives."

"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night." "Give them headaches too!"

"If they don't give theirhusbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."

"That willfragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."

"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death."

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."

"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."

"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation."

"Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead."

"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."

"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus." "Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!"

"It will work!"

It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme?

You be the judge!

Does "busy" mean:

B-eing

U-nder

S-atan's

Y-oke?

No one living in this present age can deny that there is a grain of truth to this little story. Busy-ness plagues most of us. Life is just very full. We live in an age where we are constantly bombarded with noise and information. It takes great effort to unplug from it all and give our minds a break. We have to consciously turn off all the noise and distractions and oftentimes remove ourselves to a quiet, solitary place. Even 2000 years ago, Jesus found that He needed to do this.

"Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got
up, left the house, went to a solitary place and He prayed" Mark
1:35

I try very hard to do this each day, but it take great effort and often something happens to mess this up. Either I oversleep or one of the children has needs early in the morning.

Jesus also talks about "pruning" in the bible.

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts
off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear
fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean
because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in
you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can
you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a
branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into
the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that
you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John
15:1-8

If a grapevine or a fruit tree is left unpruned it produces fruit on all of its branches, but because its energy, nutrients and resources are spread around to more areas, the fruit is smaller and not as good. If the vine or tree is pruned, the plant's energy is focused on fewer fruits and they are bigger and better. We, too, are like this. If we are busy with too many things, our energy is spread out too thin and we cannot devote enough to any one thing to do it well. If there is too much going on in our lives, it just becomes busy-ness and we begin to just go through the motions without doing anything with excellence.

So, the question is, what needs to be pruned away in my life? That is pretty tough. For myself, I could pretty easily prune away the television. The rest of my family would balk at this (especially my hubby) and we do spend a certain amount of family time together enjoying certain shows. For myself, I rarely just spend time sitting in front of the TV. I think I could even eliminate it more, though.

I also think I need to evaluate my personal hobbies, activities, and even school lessons for the kids. Even though most of these things have value and are "good" things, if there are too many, they put a strain on our lives. I think it is important to look to God to prioritize all of our activities. HE is the master gardener and knows which branches in us need pruning. Sometimes the pruning can be painful, but in the end it is worth it to produce good and godly fruit.

I am seeking God to prune me. Show me what things need to drop from my life and my time.

"I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. " Eph. 4:2-3 The Message

I want to RUN on the road God called me to travel. But there are many days I feel like I am doing it in "fits and starts" as the verse above mentions. I want to be steady and disciplined, but am not always. I suppose I get bogged down if I lose my focus on God. If my eyes are on Him, I can travel forth sure and steady. I do not need to go looking for what I should be doing, He will bring what He wants me to do before me as I travel this road. I need to remember this.

Preparation and the Armor of God

In my last post I discussed that being prepared has been on my mind of late. I made that nice little list of ways I felt it was important to be prepared, but later realized that there is something I forgot: Spiritual Preparation.

First of all, it is important to know where you will spend eternity. This life, as we know it on earth, is a short one. Beyond this life, I know that I will spend the rest of my time with my Creator, God. This is not because of anything I have done or how good I have been. It is only because of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. If there is anyone reading this who does not have this same security in this, please contact me I we can talk.

Secondly, beyond salvation, there is the preparation of knowing the Word of God and living it.

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you
may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted
with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:13-17

Paul talks about the armor of God in the book of Ephesians. Each piece is an important step of preparation. Verse 13, that I highlighted, stood out to me today. We need to know the gospel of peace and be prepared to give it feet. I think to do this, we need to know the Word of God backwards and forwards. The only way to know it like that is to be constantly reading it. This is very important preparation indeed.

Be Prepared

"Be Prepared."

That statement has been pressed in front of me today.

I was reading a blog by the sister of a woman who was in an airplane crash with her husband. She mentioned that her sister had just taken on the mantra "Be Prepared" the week before the accident. How fortunate because her house was in perfect order and well stocked making it so easy to care for the couple's four children. My mother is in a similar, although thankfully less severe, situation. She fell and broke her pelvis in two places. Since she will be off her feet for quite some time, she mentioned being thankful that the house was in order before it happened.



I can't help but turn my thoughts to my own home. [sigh] It's not so in order. It is messy, unorganized and even my own family members, and often even *I* can't find things. If something were to happen to me today, how difficult would it be for my family to function? I certainly hope, I don't feel burdened by this because something tragic is going to happen in my family, but it is making me think. I am not being a good steward of my stuff or my time when I am unorganized. For example, I spend way too much time digging through my big ol' pile of clean laundry to try and find a complete outfit for each of my kids each day. Of course it also takes time to sort, fold and hang all those clothes, too, but it is probably a better way to spend my time because there is way less frustration involved.



So, what does it mean to be prepared? I am thinking about this and here are a few ideas that I have come up with that I think are important for our family household:

1. Minimal clutter because clutter hides what's important.


2. Pantry stocked with items to make complete meals (still trying to decide how far ahead to stock for).


3. Clothing in order for all family members.


4. Medicine and first aid supplies stocked and organized.


5. Files organized enough that someone else can easily find things.


6. Emergency fund set aside.

I am sure I could come up with a much longer list, but I think these are the biggies. If these things were in place and in order, we would be better prepared if something happened to either Barry or me or if something happened to make us unable to get supplies.

Throwing Caution to the Wind

The Story About Investment
14-18"It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his
servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand
dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their
abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled
his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single
thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.
19-21"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came
back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him
how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did
your job well. From now on be my partner.'
22-23"The servant with the
two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. His master
commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'
24-25"The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have
high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no
allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good
hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last
cent.'
26-27"The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to
live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I
was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have
done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would
have gotten a little interest.
28-30"'Take the thousand and give it to
the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who
won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.'
-Matthew 25: 14-30 The Message

I have read this parable many times. The version I usually read it in uses the term "talents" instead of money which makes its hidden meaning more evident. God gives different gifts to each of us. These are talents are skills that come naturally. He does not give them to us to keep hidden under a rock, but instead to use. Through use, we become more adept at our skills. We hone our talents. God expects us to do this and to use them to His benefit (not just for our own selfish gain).

So, this is not a new concept for me even though it is something I should be reminded of regularly. What is a new idea that came out of the The Message is that God does not want us playing it safe. He wants us to do hard things and take risks. I don't think this means just any risk. But if we are in God's will, don't we have the best safety net there is? There is no better security than that.

So, I need to consider what areas of my life that God wants me to "go out on a limb." Some of our family's lifestyle choices could be considered throwing caution to the wind. Putting the size of our family in God's hands and allowing each blessing of a child seems quite crazy and risky to many people. There are days I think I am nuts myself, but I know in my heart that it is the right choice. I cannot imagine life without any one of my six children and if God decides to bless us with another I will joyfully accept that gift. Homeschooling is another area that I feel like I am out on a limb sometimes. It is a challenge and there are many days I would love to just hand the responsibility of teaching and training my children over to someone else. But God directed us onto this path and I know that it is the right choice for us.

I am wondering, though, where God wants me to go out on a limb right now. Where am I holding back and not using all of my God given talents? What area of life do I need to stretch? Something to prayerfully consider.