With Him Right Now

Listening to Christian music with my kids is one of my favorite things to do. We sing at the top of our lungs, and I attempt to teach my kids to praise God wherever and whenever we can. The other morning, as we listened to music on the way to preschool, my four year old asked, "Mommy, is this song about God?" I replied, "Yes, it is." She exclaimed, "I just wish I could see Him! I miss Him so much! I want to die and go to heaven to be with Him right now and forever." At first, I gasped at the thought of her dying; then, I humbly praised God for her sweet desire, one that I should have every moment of every day. Oh, the faith of a child!

Psalm 84 (ESV) expresses a similar heartfelt desire:

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

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

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

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

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

This & That

Check out this documentary by Ray Comfort. It will take 33 minutes of your time, but it's worth it.

Parents out there, we can't underestimate the power of the words we speak to our children. Read that to see what I mean.

Last Week

Our pastor said something this morning that really stuck with me today. He reminded us if our joy is based on circumstances, then last week took our joy, but if we seek to find joy from the inside, they our joy did not waiver. He's so right.

No matter what happens in our country and no matter how crazy things get, our joy is based on the Spirit inside of us. We must seek Him to find joy amidst difficult circumstances. I have seen this to be true in my own personal life as well as other Christians' first-hand. Praise God for the peace that surpasses all comprehension!

Read this to see how God worked last week and is working still through Christians' lives in Boston.

A Loss for Words

“Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!”

    Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

Goals for 2013: Update

I hate making resolutions at the turn of the new year because I never keep them. This year, I made four anyway. Here's an update on how I'm doing (and not doing):

1) Read through the Bible in a year.

I'm almost a week behind, but I am dedicated to finishing. I was almost a week behind once before, and I caught up one weekend. I plan to do the same soon.

2) Get organized.

My goal is to finish by the fall. I'm taking it one project/area at a time. So far, so good.

3) RUN, not run/walk, my first 5K.

I'm back on the bandwagon. I ran once last week. I hope to run twice this week, and then return to three times a week next week. Something always happens when I get back to three times a week that makes me stop or slow down again. We'll see...

4) Learn how to use my fancy camera that I've had for three years.

I haven't even started. In fact, I let someone borrow it, and I might have to postpone this one until next year. 

Advice for New Wives

During the ten years I've been married, I've been given some really good (and really bad) advice regarding marriage. Here are the top ten (or eleven) things I wish someone had told me before I got married:

1. Marriage is hard. Don't buy the world's philosophy: "If it doesn't come easy, let it go." Work hard at making your marriage the one you want.
2. Don't be naive. Your marriage might seem easy at times, but that could change in a flash--for anyone.
3. You are only responsible for yourself. You cannot worry yourself to death about what your husband does or does not do. You must control your actions, thoughts, and words. You cannot control his, so don't try.
4. Your house doesn't have to be perfect. Do not neglect it though. You will only cause yourself more stress, which will cause your husband more stress. Ask your husband to help when necessary. It's his house, too.
5. Seek to be your husband's helper. Try to make his life easier. It will make yours much easier, actually. It sounds strange, I know, but it works.
6. Don't say no in the bedroom unless you have good reason. Satan wants you to neglect your husband's needs, and he will give you a million reasons to do so. Don't listen to him.
7. Your husband's greatest need from you is not sex; it is respect. Don't treat him like a child, even if he is acting childish.
8. Try to look your best for your husband and no one else. You know he's attracted to you because he married you; you don't have to become a supermodel all of the sudden. Just be the best you that you can be.
9. Respect his time and schedule. Don't expect him to do things you want to do without asking him; don't plan things for him without asking (unless it's a surprise for him, of course); and don't invite people over without asking. It's his house, too!
10. Treat him the way you want to be treated. Don't sit around waiting for romance. Be romantic!

Most importantly, ask for help! Tell your husband when you need him; go to older godly women for advice when necessary; and don't hold things inside and expect your life to miraculously get better. No one can read your mind but God, and even though He can read your mind, you still need to ask Him consistently for the marriage and the life you so desire--ones that glorify Him.

Let's Git Reel

Okay, okay, the title's misspelling is obvious and purposeful. Some of my English students, nevertheless, do make those mistakes more often than I would like. A trained eye catches them; an untrained eye does not always. There's a different mistake Christians make that most people notice without any problems--being disingenuous. Even my four year old can sense when something is false. She'll say to me, "You joking, Momma. Right?" After reading Romans 12, we should, however, heed Paul's words:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

How will we show others we are genuine? By not being like the world. How do we achieve this when everything around us tells us to conform? By the renewal of our minds. How do we renew our minds? By reading and studying scripture. Then, and only then, can we discern God's will, which will show in the way we live out our lives. Non-Christians will see clearly that our decisions are not based on keeping up with the Joneses or the like, but to honor and glorify God in heaven.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

How will we show others we are genuine? By using our gifts generously. When we serve the Lord, we will give freely and cheerfully of ourselves in our homes, churches, and workplaces. 

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

How will we show others we are genuine? By loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. By regarding sin with hatred and disgust. By holding on to all good things. By serving the Lord (and not money). By rejoicing, hoping, praying. And by giving to other Christians through our homes and other resources. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

How will we show others we are genuine? By the way we sympathize with others. By the way we humble ourselves. And by the way we treat our neighbors (whether Christian or non-Christian). Our neighbors may persecute us or commit all sorts of evil against us. The world would react with vengeance; true Christians do not. They seek to live in harmony with all so far as it depends on them. They know that Christ has it under control, so if a Christian harms you, Christ paid for that sin on the cross, and if a non-Christian harms you, that soul will pay for his sin on judgement day if he does not turn from his wicked ways and seek the one who saves. 

When the world sees us acting and reacting differently to the myriad of situations we face daily, the world cannot deny our genuineness. Christians will be strengthened and encouraged; non-Christians will come to know Him. So...let's GET REAL already! (I'm talking to myself as much as I am to you.) Let's do this for the glory of God! We don't have time to waste!