I grew up in a small town with a small library. I went from the public school with a library to a small Christian school without a library. My reading world shrank somewhat at that time. Then, I got a job. Then, I went off to college where the only things I had time to read were textbooks and assigned reading.
From college, I entered the real world with more work than I ever could have imagined. Reading was something I could only dream of. The kids came and I began reading. You know the books I mean. Hop on Pop and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies and such things.
Then the kids began going to school and I realized I had a bit of time to read. These days, you will rarely find me without two or three books going at a time.
So, what do I have going?
A Tale of Two Cities is one of my all-time favorites. I have it downloaded on Nook so that it's easy to carry around. On iBooks, I have War of the Worlds which I've never read before. I also have A Journey to the Center of the Earth that I'm reading aloud to the kids.
Two other books sitting close by but not receiving as much attention are Lord, Heal My Hurts by Kay Arthur, and What's So Amazing about Grace by Phillip Yancey.
All of these books, I recommend. I will admit that I am having a hard time with the Yancey book. I can't read without tears. God's grace is a marvelous thing.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Safety first!
Life changes when you become a parent. You begin this crazy thing called "baby-proofing." You put pads on sharp corners and stuff plastic things into electrical outlets. You lock cabinets and put harmful cleaners up high. You bookmark the CPSC recall page and check it daily for any new recalls on baby products that you might have.
You buy expensive car seats. You measure the distance between the railings of the crib. You check for sharp corners and loose bits on toys. You wonder if that paint is lead free.
You cut all the straps off the hoods of the jackets. You call baby-proofing professionals to make sure your house is safe for that little one.
Then, little one grows and begins new challenges. He has to have helmets and elbow pads and knee pads for any activity he is going to participate in. It's crazy, really. We put so much time and effort into making sure our little ones are physically safe from harm.
How much time, though, do we put into their spiritual safety? Do we know what they are watching on television? Do we know what they are saying on Facebook? Do we know what is in those books they are reading?
Have we talked to them about loving God and neighbors? Do we leave that all up to the preacher?
Have we really stopped and taken careful stock of what the preacher is preaching? Have we taken the messages apart and put them to the Scripture test? Have we put as much thought and effort into that as we have the physical safety?
How spiritually safe are our children?
You buy expensive car seats. You measure the distance between the railings of the crib. You check for sharp corners and loose bits on toys. You wonder if that paint is lead free.
You cut all the straps off the hoods of the jackets. You call baby-proofing professionals to make sure your house is safe for that little one.
Then, little one grows and begins new challenges. He has to have helmets and elbow pads and knee pads for any activity he is going to participate in. It's crazy, really. We put so much time and effort into making sure our little ones are physically safe from harm.
How much time, though, do we put into their spiritual safety? Do we know what they are watching on television? Do we know what they are saying on Facebook? Do we know what is in those books they are reading?
Have we talked to them about loving God and neighbors? Do we leave that all up to the preacher?
Have we really stopped and taken careful stock of what the preacher is preaching? Have we taken the messages apart and put them to the Scripture test? Have we put as much thought and effort into that as we have the physical safety?
How spiritually safe are our children?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
I Sing the Mighty Power of God
I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.
There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Laying aside every weight
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us that we have to lay aside weights and sins that easily beset us.
In the last thirty years, I have often been told that the weights are things like bad attitudes, or difficult pasts and such things. While those may be true weights, I have in these past seven years been learning that the weights are also the ideals that my religion has called fundamental to the faith. (I have already addressed some of those ideals, but there are others. Many others.)
Some of these ideals that have become fundamental to our faith are music standards and dress standards among other standards. We base our fellowship upon who follows or does not follow our standards. I know of a pastor who has in the past five years quit fellowshipping with churches of "like" faith in his area because he disagreed with some of their "low" standards. There are churches in his area that he tolerates because their students attend his school, but he has something negative to say about them all.
If the "high" degree of our ideals forces us to judge other believers to the point of separating from them, then I must ask whether our ideals have become a weight.
In my case, when the trial of my faith hit me so hard, what I found was that the ideals were indeed a weight. They neither sustained me through my trial and grief, nor did they give me hope or increase my faith. I found them to be in the way of my view of God. Because they provided absolutely no benefit to me in the trial, I was forced to rethink them.
When I found that they were merely ideals and not true fundamentals, I was able to look at them in a new light. I was able to set some of these things aside as weights. These are things that caused me to judge my fellow Christians unjustly. These are things that caused me to think too highly of myself. These are things that are not necessary to my Christian walk. These are the things that were producing unnecessary guilt.
These are the weights that must be put aside. If I am to thrive in Christ, I must lose those things that hindered me.
I suppose that this and my previous posts can be considered my own 95 Theses. I have nailed them to the wall. I refuse to judge another Christian based upon my own ideals. Any ideals that I choose to live by are mine alone. I have no right to impose them upon another.
This does not mean that there are not sins that I or others commit. Gossiping is still a sin. Fornication is still a sin. Pride is still a sin.
This has been a long hard journey for me. Some of my steps to freedom have been scary. But God has not been displeased with me. He still is faithful to point out my areas of loving myself more than Him and others. He still shows me my areas of bitterness and pride. But I confess to having a new joy in my Christian walk. The ideals of others that I once believed to be commands are no longer my measuring stick. Yes, I am free.
In the last thirty years, I have often been told that the weights are things like bad attitudes, or difficult pasts and such things. While those may be true weights, I have in these past seven years been learning that the weights are also the ideals that my religion has called fundamental to the faith. (I have already addressed some of those ideals, but there are others. Many others.)
Some of these ideals that have become fundamental to our faith are music standards and dress standards among other standards. We base our fellowship upon who follows or does not follow our standards. I know of a pastor who has in the past five years quit fellowshipping with churches of "like" faith in his area because he disagreed with some of their "low" standards. There are churches in his area that he tolerates because their students attend his school, but he has something negative to say about them all.
If the "high" degree of our ideals forces us to judge other believers to the point of separating from them, then I must ask whether our ideals have become a weight.
In my case, when the trial of my faith hit me so hard, what I found was that the ideals were indeed a weight. They neither sustained me through my trial and grief, nor did they give me hope or increase my faith. I found them to be in the way of my view of God. Because they provided absolutely no benefit to me in the trial, I was forced to rethink them.
When I found that they were merely ideals and not true fundamentals, I was able to look at them in a new light. I was able to set some of these things aside as weights. These are things that caused me to judge my fellow Christians unjustly. These are things that caused me to think too highly of myself. These are things that are not necessary to my Christian walk. These are the things that were producing unnecessary guilt.
These are the weights that must be put aside. If I am to thrive in Christ, I must lose those things that hindered me.
I suppose that this and my previous posts can be considered my own 95 Theses. I have nailed them to the wall. I refuse to judge another Christian based upon my own ideals. Any ideals that I choose to live by are mine alone. I have no right to impose them upon another.
This does not mean that there are not sins that I or others commit. Gossiping is still a sin. Fornication is still a sin. Pride is still a sin.
This has been a long hard journey for me. Some of my steps to freedom have been scary. But God has not been displeased with me. He still is faithful to point out my areas of loving myself more than Him and others. He still shows me my areas of bitterness and pride. But I confess to having a new joy in my Christian walk. The ideals of others that I once believed to be commands are no longer my measuring stick. Yes, I am free.
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