“For you that are parents, or to whom the education of children is comitted, I beseech you mind the duty which lies on you. … For to what purpose do we desire them before we have them, rejoice in them when we have them, value them so highly, sympathize with them so tenderly, grieve for their death so excessively, if in the meantime no care be taken what shall become of them to eternity? … If you neglect to instruct them in the way of holiness, will the devil neglect to instruct them in the way of wickedness? No, no, if you will not teach them to pray, he will teach them to curse, swear and lie. If ground be uncultivated, weeds will spring up.”

~ John Flavel

This past weekend the ladies from the church we attend threw a baby shower for the baby and me.  I have had many a baby shower thrown for me and my newborns but this was by far the biggest blessing of them all.  I love these ladies so much!

Everything was perfect!  There was a cute little safari theme with little monkeys,  a dessert made especially for me with my favorite ingredients, and an amazing group of loving ladies to share conversation with!  These ladies are there to share joys and struggles and to offer encouragement.  There were even the adorable little baby gifts!

BUT…….

What I loved most…..

about the day was that this baby shower was not filled with the typical baby shower games.  Those can be fun but that is really all they are.  My friend who organized the shower suggested something completely different.  Instead of playing the usual baby shower games we had a time of group prayer.  I had several prayer requests that I sent to my friend and she shared them with the ladies who attended.  It was so amazing to have such a godly group of ladies praying over me, my newborn son, and the rest of my family!

They prayed for our little Nathan, that he would grow into a strong, godly, young man.  That he would come to know the Lord at an early age and live a life honoring the Lord.  That he would be healthy.  That God would be preparing a godly wife for him even now.  They prayed for me and for my husband as we teach and train him.  That I would be patient even amidst sleepless nights.  That I would have compassion.  That I would not grow weary and that I would rely upon the Lord in the great task of being a parent.  They prayed the same things for my husband as he leads our household.  They prayed for our family with our upcoming move. They prayed for our other children, for our schooling, and for there to be a good relationship cultivated between our newest son and our oldest who has already moved out.

It was such an unbelievably sweet time of prayer!  I do not ever recall people praying for our family in such a way!  It is an amazing blessing that I will always cherish!

I think of all the gifts that we received that day the time of prayer was by far the most special, most desired, and most needed of them all!

As I thank the Lord for my new son and my entire family, I will be thanking him for the church family he has blessed us with.

Thank you Lord for each of those ladies!  Thank you Lord, that we can come before your throne in prayer!

Thank you ladies of Faith PCA Anchorage!  Thank you for showering us with prayer!!!

There is a great article over at Your Sacred Calling.  It is worth the read and make sure to devote some time to prayer and personal reflection.  May our lives be glorifying to God in all things.

John doesn’t believe in celebrating Christmas, but he enjoys a glass of wine with dinner. His friend, Carl, believes alcohol consumption, even in moderation is wrong, but he has the most beautiful Christmas tree you’ve ever seen.

Jennifer believes in adhering to Old Testament dietary restrictions, but feels the freedom to wear modest pants. Her sister-in-law would never put on a pair or pants, but she thinks Jennifer is being legalistic about not eating pork.

**********

Typically, those who falsely accuse others of legalism have unresolved guilt or sin issues of their own. Some, because of a legalistic or idolatrous past, assume others are walking in the same sin in which they themselves have struggled.

**********

Recently, I received a comment from a reader on another post that hit the nail right on the head. I’ve modified it here to fit the broader problem:

Calling others legalistic based on outward appearance is itself legalistic and hypocritical. Some of those who say that they have left legalism have really just exchanged one form for another and are still judging the spirituality of others based on how they are perceived by the ex-legalist.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE…

via Your Sacred Calling » Legalism: Yours, Mine, and Ours.

PLEASE COME BACK AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ME!

About a year or so ago a dear friend shared a CD with me.  She said that a friend of hers put these CDs together and thought that we would enjoy them.  The children LOVED it so we decided to purchase the rest of the catechism cds and have been enjoying them ever since.

The other day a very well known blogger posted about these very cds.  Challies posted about Songs for Saplings along with other music for children.  Challies wrote:

Songs for Saplings is James and Dana Dirksen from Porland, Oregon. They have recorded four albums, one of which follows an A,B,C format while the other three are questions and answers, much like a catechism. I suppose these albums will largely appeal to younger children. They are quiet and acoustic.

He is correct in his assessment of the cds. They are geared toward younger children. But they are beneficial for the entire family.  The catechism cds do appeal to older children more and more in the second and third cds.  There is a great variety in the style of music on each cd. You can even listen to excerpts on their website.

What I love about them is that the children (and us parents) learn the great truths presented in the Westminster Catechism which is derived directly from scripture. Each question and answer also contains the scripture that teaches the truth. This way your children are not only learning the doctrinal truth but the scriptures that proclaim that truth.

Songs for Saplings is a ministry of the Dirksen family and this is what they state on their website.

We create lively, fun songs that attempt to deliver the deepest of Biblical truth in a format that your children will love to listen to. We want them to understand who God is and what He has done, as well as what He wants your children to do and to be. We hope that you will benefit from these CDs and use them to help teach your children about our God and his great love for us.

With Christmas time approaching, what better gift could you give than the gift of music which teaches and proclaims the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ?!

I am pleased to announce that I can offer you a 20% discount off of your order when you buy CDs from their website. This includes the “12-pack bulk pack” which a lot of people order for gift-giving. This does however exclude the 24 and 48 CD bulk packs, which are already heavily discounted.

All you need to do is enter the following code as you go through the checkout: mamaarcher
It’s really simple.

Hopefully you will find this really helpful as you order CDs this Christmas!

As you seek to grow your little saplings……

into strong oaks of righteousness…

Songs for Saplings can be a musical and fun tool for you and your family to use and enjoy!

that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
(Isaiah 61:3b)

Visit SONGS FOR SAPLINGS and order your CDs today! Order some for your friends and family too! Don’t forget to enter the discount code for your 20% off!

Please leave a comment and let me know if you plan on making a purchase and what you think of their music and ministry!

Regardless of whether you order, please tweet, email, and share on Facebook so that others can take advantage of the discount offer!

One thing that tends to ruffle my feathers is when other Christians under the guise of offering support blast you with condescension.

Has this ever happened to you?

If you are going to offer support and encouragement to someone. Simply do that. Don’t first proceed to lay out all that you have endured expecting the same situation for that other individual. Don’t proceed to lay out all of the things you have struggled through like it is a list of your qualifications and authority on the issues. THEN say you simply want to be available when all of these horrible things happen to the other. ESPECIALLY, when the other person has not even eluded to the fact that they NEED or want your intervention.

That is not supportive or encouraging; it is condescending!

Simply say, “Hey, if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

That would be like me talking to a mom of a few who just had another child and saying something like the following.

“Oh, I know what it is like. You will struggle with this, this, this, that, this other thing, and that. Don’t be surprised if this, this, and this happen too. I don’t want to discourage you at all. But I am a mom of ten so, let me know if you ever need a shoulder to cry on.”

Would this not only be discouraging but also condescending? Doesn’t a statement like that negate the fact that this person is already a mother and experienced the trials of motherhood. Not to mention that just because one struggles with some things doesn’t mean that the other individual will!

Wouldn’t it be better to say, “Congratulations, let me know if you ever need anything. I would love to come by and hold that sweet baby for you or anything else you might need.”?

Let us be careful. When offering support make sure that is what we are actually doing. It should be about helping the other person not about propping up what we believe our expertise it! That is just selfish and arrogant and it will backfire.

It is easy to state what one believes but it is not always so easy when those things are put to the test, or must be put into practice, or when circumstances do not fall into the plans we have for our lives.  It is one thing to say that you believe God to be sovereign but when life doesn’t go the way you think it should it makes one come face to face with that belief.  Do I really believe that God is sovereign and even though I do not see the good can I trust that God knows what is best?

I am going through this once again.  We are preparing for an unwanted move.  If it were up to me, I would NEVER leave Alaska.  Our next assignment (which I am not sharing at this time) is not one that I am looking forward to.  Not only are we going to have to move from my beloved Alaska but we are moving to the one place I DIDN’T want to go!  Not only are we moving but we are moving earlier than anticipated because it is a special assignment.  This messes up all of my plans for late spring and early summer.  It is also a shorter than normal assignment so I have another back to back move to look forward to.  It interferes with graduating children too.  We may not even have time to get our house ready to put on the market and will need to be renting it out.  Long, LONG, distant landlords was not necessarily appealing to us.  Not to mention, we will have no snow!  To top it all off we will be leaving behind our eldest child.  We will be a long way away!

BUT,

I DO believe that God is sovereign!  I know that he has a plan for us and that I do not always see the big picture.  I know that God can tell that I am a little confused and in disagreement with his plans at the moment but I am still trusting.  I am trying to get my children to understand and to trust, all the while struggling with it myself.

This is where the rubber meets the road.  Will I trust even though it doesn’t seem best to me?  OR, Will I fight and fight the whole way?  I really do not have the energy to fight and I have learned along the way that God doesn’t change what is best for me just so I can have what I think might be best.  Not to mention, that if I were honest, I would never want him to anyway.  I simply wish that my ways were his ways.  Isn’t that horrible!!!!  This is where prayer comes in.  I do not even want that kind of thinking and desire in my heart.  I should want HIS ways to be my ways not the other way around!

This is part of the military life that many do not talk about.  Most military families love the moving and the adventure.  OR at least they say they do!  It is fun moving and going new places and seeing new things but I am one who grew up in the same small town and see the benefits of living that way.  It is becoming more and more of a struggle for me to pack up and move.  I am one of those rare or at least seemingly rare military wives that struggles with the “pack it up and move on” kind of lifestyle.  Is it a bad thing that I struggle?  I don’t think so.  Do I wish that I didn’t have this struggle almost every time we move?  Of course.  But God teaches me through each of these moves to trust him more and more for numerous things.  It tests my faith each and every time.  Some times it is easier than other times. Sometimes harder.  This is one of those harder times.

I continue to remind myself of the great God that I serve, of his love not only for me but for my entire family.  I try to rest in who he is!  I remind myself that he is indeed sovereign and I am simply, me.  His wisdom far exceeds my own and I must trust him!  I will trust him!  I even need to trust him to help me to follow him with a cheerful heart even when he leads me where I do not want to go.

I will share more about our new assignment later.  For now, please just pray for me to have a cheerful heart concerning this move.  Momma tends to set the tone for the whole family and most of the children are struggling as well.

God is good.  This assignment will be what is best.  I desire to be open to God’s best for our lives.  I pray my own will, heart, and desires will fall in line and that my trust in my Savior will grow more and more through this journey.

Many will say, “Oh, come on, it is just a move!” …….. Well, for right now, I think it is much more……… It is an opportunity (though one I didn’t ask for) to grow, trust, and hopefully to cheerfully pass the test of the rubber meeting the road!

I haven’t share these in a while.  Thought it would be a good thing to do today.  I don’t know how many of my readers are on twitter but I wanted to share some of my favorite tweets from recent days.  Now, there are things that I HATE about twitter, especially when people are to busy tweeting to truly be worshiping during church.  But there are some things that I love about twitter.  The main thing is that there are such great thoughts, ideas, and truths that are shared in a much more articulate way than I could ever phrase them.  So, here are the ones I would like to share with you.  Please tell me your favorite, tell me why, let me know what you think about twitter.  If you don’t follow me on twitter yet, please do so! The link is in the sidebar.

• RT @jaredcwilson: “We don’t need to bum people out about sin” some preachers say……”32 lifeboats will clutter the deck” the decorator of the Titanic said.
• RT @BDHouse: “Wise” people are just biblically prepared and equipped for whatever might come along, and humble enough to accept their need.
• RT @MJRyman: God doesn’t love us because of our worth, we are of worth because God loves us. (Luther)
• RT @tweology: RATIONALISM is the doctrine that the human faculty of reason is the supreme authority for faith and life.
• RT @llanphere: “God uses suffering to put His grace on display.” -John MacArthur
• RT @Ligonier: We cannot change God. God is unchangeable. If changes are to be made, they must be made in us. -R.C. Sproul
• RT @llanphere: It’s extreme madness 2so hate God & His law that u cant stand 2hear it &yet affirm that we r made righteous by it. M. Luther
• RT @BDHouse: We must not be satisfied with a Christian faith that allows us to live at the center of our own world.The Savior is the center.
• The law makes afflicted souls thirst for Christ. Christ requires thirsty souls whom He lovingly&graciously allures & calls unto Him. -Luther
• RT @dahlfred: “Many have become immune to Christianity by contracting a mild and unbiblical form of it” – Randy Alcorn (via @sarcasticxtian)
• RT @burk_parsons: RT @RefTrust: I hear people say, “Doctrine divides.” Of course doctrine divides, but it also unites (Sproul).
• RT @ReformedGlory: “A world where everything was easy would be a nursery for babies, but not at all a fit place for men” Charles Spurgeon
• RT @llanphere: Lots of Christians talk about their desire 2′go deeper’,but they don’t want doctrine 2 B the solution.What’s the alternative?
• RT @RaeWhitlock: It is not the Christian’s call to make the Gospel palatable, but rather understandable
• RT @JohnnyTechnoX: Mr. President, there is no such thing as “people of no faith”. Even atheists have gods of their own making.
• RT @llanphere: The gospel is not primarily about your happiness and satisfaction, but God’s. Yours is a bonus.
• RT @RefTrust: There is no thought, no word, no act, and no area of human life that is not affected by sin. – Joel Beeke
• RT @llanphere: “Our Lord did not come to tell us what we have to do in order to save ourselves; He came to save us.” – Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• RT @NationsBeGlad: When suffering happens, grieve with those affected, don’t just throw Romans 8:28 at them. @RandyAlcorn #dgnc
• RT @LaneChaplin: “It is a sad fault in many Christians that they cannot do anything unless all the world is told of it.” – Spurgeon
• RT @DiscipleMyChild: “You may be quite certain that if you love God it is a fruit, not a root.” – C.H. Spurgeon ~
• RT @Ligonier: Prayer is not a cavalier, casual matter; but prayer is a matter of personal intensity. -R.C. Sproul
• RT @ReformedRlin: Some Christians pray, “Lord, I want to know You more” but totally neglect the Bible. Now how ironic is that?
• RT@RefTrust: Calvinism is no mere religion of “head knowledge”.It is a religion of head &heart.-Daniel Hyde in Welcome to a Reformed Church.
• RT @jimelliff: Devotionalism often prevents good men who ought to be teachers fr going on w God. Discipline yourself to study the Bible!
• RT @LaneChaplin: “Paul was Nero’s prisoner, but Nero was much more God’s.” – William Gurnall
• RT @Ligonier: Reformed theology so far transcends the mere five points of Calvinism that it is an entire worldview. -R.C. Sproul

I am not sure about the exact details of how this all came about.  But there is a lady that my hubby has conversed with while over in Afghanistan.  She runs a support the troops group.  Most of the ladies in her circle are from Washington State plus a few others.  This is a wonderful group of Christian ladies!

She has sent my hubby several things that he has needed over in Afghanistan including a projector screen to be used in worship services.  During one of the many conversations this lady found out that we were expecting a baby and the idea of a baby shower via USPS was born.  My hubby never told me about this conversation.  He just waited until I mentioned what was going on.

One day a couple of months ago I received a package in the mail from someone that I do not know.  The package was full of handmade crocheted baby items in boy colors.  There was also a letter from the leader of this group.  She explained how she and her friends were supporting the troops at FOB Wright (where hubby is) with care packages and prayer.  She was excited to hear about the baby boy we are expecting and that she was thrilled to be able to put together this baby shower. Then she thanked me for sacrificing so much by having my hubby off to war and holding down the home front for our family.

I was stunned.  I simply could not believe it!  There were so many sweet little things in that package and I was very thankful for the generosity of the ladies in this group.   I was even more thankful that they took the time to acknowledge the sacrifice of each member of our family!  Little did I realize that everything in that package was from just that one lady!  For the last month or so I have received two or three packages a week in the mail containing cards, words of encouragement, prayers and support, blessings for our new little one, and a cute little baby gift!  All from people who do not even know us!

What an outpouring of love and gratitude!  Though it really shouldn’t, it often amazes me when people display the love of Christ so vividly especially to those they do not even know.  I will be ever grateful for the support of these dear ladies who care so very much for others!

Though the baby gifts are fun to receive I think the love and support is the greatest gift they gave!  Lord, thank you for these sweet ladies!  Bless their ministry to our troops and their families!

This is a claim that has been made against my family many times.  Often by children of other families.

“You have too many rules.”

“You don’t have to ask.”

“Why do you have so many rules.”

“You have to ask about that, that is just dumb.  We don’t have to ask.  Just come on and lets do it.”

Several other comments very similar have come our way as well.  My children were discussing this fact with me yesterday.  Apparently the comments were made again.  One child simply told their sibling to just respect the rules and quit trying to cause trouble.  I appreciated the maturity of that girl.  Needless to say, my children and I once again had our “why rules are important” discussion.

I will admit that we do tend to have more rules than most families these days, even other Christian families.  I see the families that often make the comments about us having too many rules and even my children will say that they think their friends would benefit from having a few more rules of their own.

My children do not go anywhere or really do anything without permission.  They do not get any food without permission.  We have rules for the trampoline.  We have rules on how to treat others, being fair, respecting others, sticking up for their siblings, and more.  Of course, these are not always perfectly followed but my children do know what is expected of them.

So, why so many rules?

First off there are a lot of us and rules help us to maintain some semblance of order and organization as well as safety.

More importantly it trains children to respect authority, respect boundaries, and to develop self-discipline.  How can a child be expected to honor, respect, and obey their Heavenly Father if they cannot even do so with their earthly father?

If a child never has boundaries to respect and an understanding of why they are important how can we expect them to have boundaries and be self-disciplined to adhere to them when they are older?  How can we expect children to respect authority if we have not trained them to do so?

Respecting authority, adhering to boundaries, and having good self-discipline are things that not only do not come naturally but are things that we most tend to fight against. Children must be taught these things from an early age.  It is something that adults need continual practice in as well.  As a child grows older parents can relax a bit on maintaining the standard or rules because children will begin to exercise that self-discipline more and more.  The struggle however is not something that is ever fully overcome.

I still struggle as an adult to respect authority sometimes.  I still struggle sometimes with boundary issues.  I still struggle at times with self-discipline.  If it is something that an adult struggles with on a daily basis imagine a child developing these strengths without any guidance or rules to practice with.

Children also learn through example.  Even as we ourselves struggle through these issues children will learn by our example.  They will learn as they see us doing what is right even when it is difficult.  Even us adults have rules we must obey.  Our children will learn most by us practicing what we teach.  But we must also be teaching them and providing them the opportunities to exercise that teaching.  They are not just going to pick it up by watching us.  If we were perfectly honest with ourselves we would admit that we are not always the best example.  That is why teaching along side our example is so very important.

So at our house we may have many rules.  There is a reason for that.  Even amidst the many rules my children thrive.  Children need direction, guidance, and opportunities to exercise what we are teaching them.  Even other children can learn from that as they struggle with the rules of our house and our children share with them the importance.

So, how about you?  Are you a house of many rules or few rules?  How do you teach your children to respect authority, adhere to boundaries, develop self-discipline, and to obey willingly and without reservation their Heavenly Father?

In worship the message was on Jeremiah and the struggle he faced in his role of preaching.  Jeremiah was great persecuted and physically mistreated due to the message that the Lord gave him to preach.  In Jeremiah chapter 20 is the contemplation that Jeremiah has concerning this struggle.

He struggled with the fact that if he continued to preach the message he would suffer pain.  He also struggled with the fact that if he did not he experienced a consuming fire inside.

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.  Jeremiah 20:9

Of course it has not been on the same level but I have experienced this somewhat.

I have suffered pain, turmoil, persecution, slander, alienation, and threats because of sharing that which the Lord has taught me.  I have at many times decided to simply be quiet when around certain individuals out self-preservation.  Maybe that is smart but more than likely it is simply a reliance on self to protect me rather than on God.

Some of those times when I have been silent I have often regretted it even while knowing that I most likely avoided a confrontation.  There are indeed times when we are to be silent but if those times of silence are led by the Spirit there would not be regret afterwards.

We must diligently seek and plead with the Lord to guide our conversations and other forms of communications so that we are indeed following the guidance of the Lord and not relying on ourselves.  We should be relying on God for our protection rather than always self-preservation.  This can be a very difficult thing to do especially when proclaiming the Gospel can and often does bring pain into our lives.

The fact remains that Christ died for sinners.  He has purchased his children with his blood.  We are not our own.  Our lives are meant to bring him glory.  Some of the ways we do this is through praise, worship, and obedience.  He calls us to testify and to proclaim.  This is regardless of the circumstances and the consequences.  He is our protector.  Sometimes though we are not shielded in the same manner that we desire to be.  Sometimes we experience pain, turmoil, persecution, and on and on.

We must resist the call of the flesh to preserve ourselves at the expense of the Gospel and to follow the call of Christ when the Spirit leads.  There may be pain that follows the proclaiming of the truth but the burning within will be more than we can contain if we remain silent.