We decided to go adventuring today.  So we headed ten minutes up the road to the Eklutna Historical Park.  I began to tell the children a little bit about where we were before we entered.  The children decided to have a little fun with me.  They asked me if I was depressed.  After assuring them that I was not they then proceeded to ask why I was bring them to a cemetery.  Apparently, the only reason to visit a cemetery is if you are depressed.  This of course was all in jest.  And I guess I am a little crazy but I actually do like to visit cemeteries. I love to visit churches too, so this was the perfect place.

So, on to the Eklutna Historical Park.  This is a great place to visit if you are interested in different cultures and the convergence of the Athabascan culture with the Russian Orthodox Church’s influence.  This is a cemetery with the Native Spirit Houses as well as the old church and the new church in which services are still held.  I have several neat photos to share so it may take more than one posting.

The interior of Alaska is home to the Athabaskan Native Peoples. Specific to the Eklutna area are the Danaina or Tanaina, Athabaskans. These colorful spirit houses are a uniquely Athabaskan tradition; according to cultural beliefs.  Spirit houses were built by the family after the person’s death.  A wonderful and unique mix of this native tradition with the practices and beliefs of Orthodox Christianity can be seen in the cemetery. The graves of the Athabaskan people are marked not only with their traditional spirit houses, but also with an Orthodox Christian Cross. There are also graves marked only with crosses, honoring the resting places of the Orthodox non- native members of the church.
Info. via Eklutna Historical Park–Orthodox Church in America

The Athabascans at the time did not have a written language so the houses were marked with the colors of the family to identify them. They were made to only last about a year because they believed that the spirit of the individual hovered above ground for a year and lived in these houses. Today, the park restores the houses for educational purposes. They would also place items dear to the individual in the houses. If there was a smaller house inside of a larger house it indicates a mother and child. You can determine the approximate age of an individual by the size of the houses also. A small child for instance has a very tiny house. Houses with fences around them indicate a person of prominence within the community. The shapes along the ridges of the houses also help in identification of a family.

This is still an active cemetery, meaning that people are still buried here.  In fact, we saw family members coming to care for the graves of loved ones.  They will first bury the individual and cover them with a blanket.  They wait, if I remember correctly, about four months then build the houses.

This was the grave that was being tended to; they removed all of the dead flowers.  If you look at the corners you can see how the blanket is secured over the grave.

Here is one where you can see the blanket with the house on top.  You can see the distinctive colorings as well as the markings along the roof ridge.  The cross in front is the Russian Orthodox Cross which I will share the details of with you in another post.

A very old house in which the shelter covering it is falling apart.

A very elaborate Spirit House.  The children learned things about this lady by looking in the windows and viewing items within.  This lady knew how to knit.

An example of the different sizes.  A child verses an adult grave.  This is also a good example of the coloring and ridge markings of different families.

And of course no trip would be complete without a moose.  Notice the blanket covered grave behind him.

I will share more about our trip in future posts so check back during the week.

A people who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted because their countercultural lifestyles stick out like a sore thumb. When family patterns are reformed, it is so public that everyone notices. Family, friend, co-worker and church member are easily offended by family reforms. – Scott Brown

The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

R. C. Sproul

via Modern Reformation – Print Friendly.

Ok, so I swiped this from another blog that I read. Thank you Nate over at Presbyterian Thoughts for typing it all up!

What I found so interesting is that my hubby was talking to me about this very issue just last night!  He was sharing about what he is reading, listening to, and learning in his Nouthetic Counseling studies. It is a definitely something to Ponder.

JG Vos, in the 1940s, asked the question, “What mistaken idea about guilt is common today? I believe that his answer is just as relevant 50 years later:

“Today it is very common to confuse the feeling of guilt with the fact of guilt. Popular notions of psychiatry have led many people to suppose that there is nothing to guilt beyond the feeling of guilt, and that if they can manage somehow to get rid of that troublesome feeling of guilt, that they will have nothing to fear.

The legitimate practice of psychiatry deals with neurotic or mentally abnormal individuals only. Such persons may have an abnormal feeling or complex of guilt which destroys their happiness and usefulness, and which is entirely different from their real guilt before God. It may be possible to relieve such an abnormal feeling of guilt by psychiatric methods. But real guilt before God cannot be affected one whit by psychiatry. Guilt remains guilt, regardless of whether we are obsessed by it or unconscious of it.

Real guilt is not a mere subjective feeling, but an objective fact concerning a person’s relation to God. A person may be so hardened in sin that he is entirely unconscious of his guilt, and vainly imagines himself to be a righteous person on the road to heaven. By the special work of the Holy Spirit a sinner is brought under conviction of sin and then realizes himself to be guilty before God and deserving of eternal punishment in hell. Imaginary guilt or the mere feeling of guilt may be removed by psychiatry, but real guilt can only be removed by the blood of Jesus Christ, the sinner’s substitute.”

So feeling guilty? If you are then Jesus is the real answer. He taught us to pray, “forgive us our debts”. So many in our culture attempt to medicate away what only the blood of Christ can heal.

Church-of-England-Congregation-Stand-up-to-Sing-a-Hymn-

When visiting a church this past weekend I once again saw the blindness of the people of God.  I wondered if anyone else noticed.  This particular church is pretty laid back.  The service begins with a few songs and a prayer to allow for the late comers.  I have heard this spoken by the greeters that the first 10 minutes of the service is for people to get their coffee and to dwindle in to the service.   After the first 10 minutes (the couple of songs and prayer) the congregation sings one more song and then breaks for greeting time and to send the children to their classrooms.  The children’s Sunday school hour is during the worship service.

This particular Sunday there was a guest speaker.  Just as the congregation was being told to greet one another and the children could be dismissed to their rooms the title of the sermon and the scripture reference were displayed on the power point screen.

Getting our Kids to Jesus

Matthew 19:13-14  Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

My husband and I simply laughed but it was not because it was funny!  Do people not see????  Do they not understand???  Do they just not care???  Do they seek comfort for themselves over the task and calling of raising godly offspring rather than simply passing the baton along???

Just as the message of getting our children to Jesus and the scripture speaking of letting the children come and not being hindered lights the overhead board, there was a mass exodus of parents escorting their children from the worship service and returning with coffee cup in hand and chatting with one another (even after the music to call us back to worship was being played).

Some may be saying, “Well, they were going to learn about Jesus.”   I do not have a big problem with Sunday school classes or the like, but I do, however, take issue with that comment in this context.   Why does a church plan the children’s Sunday school hour during the worship hour?  Why must the children’s lessons conflict with the worship time?  When are the parents to teach their children how to approach the Lord Jesus in corporate worship?  Why is it not important to worship the Lord as a family unit?   This seems to me to be a hindrance in permitting the children to come unto the Lord.

Most importantly, why did everyone seem oblivious to what they were doing?  While looking at the message of  “getting our children to God”, rather than embracing the opportunity to worship the Lord of Lords and King of Kings together with their children they rushed them off and out of their hair so they could have an experience all to themselves.  What does that teach?

Many questions and thoughts to ponder upon.  Anyone else feel the sadness as I do or do you just see me as over reacting?

Here is yet another R.C. Sproul devotion for you to ponder upon as you consider the law of God.

Reaping the Benefits of the Law

by R.C. Sproul

Let’s continue the experiment we began in the previous meditation. Study the excerpts from the apostle Paul that accompany this reading. Does this sound like a man who believed the law of God has no place in the Christian life? Read Paul’s writings carefully and you will find a man whose heart longed for the law of God as much as David’s.

The law drives us to the gospel. The gospel saves us from the curse of the law, but in turn directs us back to the law to search its spirit. The law of God is still a lamp to our feet. Without it we stumble and trip and grope in darkness.

For the Christian, the greatest benefit of the law of God is its revelatory character. The law reveals to us the Lawgiver. It teaches us what is pleasing in His sight. We need to seek the law of God–to pant after it–and to delight in it. Anything less is an offense against the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Coram Deo: Pray this prayer: “Thank You for Your law, which is a lamp to my feet. Give me a heart that longs for and delights in Your law.”

Romans 7:8: “But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.”

Romans 7:12: “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.”

Romans 7:22: “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.”

I have on occasion been called legalistic, a pharisee, and even a heretic. I am not; being one who is passionate about the law of the Lord, striving to live a holy lifestyle, and having an expectation that others who claim to be followers of Christ to live according to his WORD does not a legalistic pharisee or heretic make. If you are a Christian, do you love the law of God? Do you long for the law of God? Do you want his governance or your own, or even the governance of the world? These are things to think upon and evaluate.

I want to share this short devotion on the matter………………

Longing for God’s Law
by R.C. Sproul

A survey by George Gallup Jr. revealed a startling trend in our culture. According to Gallup, the evidence seems to indicate that there are no clear behavioral patterns that distinguish Christians from non-Christians in our society. We all seem to be marching to the same drummer, looking to the shifting standards of contemporary culture for the basis of what is acceptable conduct. What everybody else is doing seems to be our only ethical norm.

This pattern can emerge only in a society or a church wherein the law of God is eclipsed. The very word law seems to have an unpleasant ring to it in our evangelical circles.

Let’s try an experiment. Read the passages from Psalm 119 that accompany this devotion. Try to crawl into the skin of the writer and experience empathy. Try to feel what he felt when he wrote these lines thousands of years ago.

Does this sound like a modern Christian? Do we hear people talk about longing passionately for the law of God? Do we hear our friends expressing joy and delight in God’s commandments?

Coram Deo: Do you long passionately for God’s law? Do you express joy and delight in His commandments?

Psalm 119:97: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

Psalm 119:11-12: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes!”

Psalm 119:131: “I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for Your commandments.”

It is one thing to say we love the word of the Lord but if our lives trend after that of the world our words mean nothing. This evaluation of our life and our longing for the law of God can indeed wane. Sadly enough, I have often found myself saying I love the law of the Lord but finding that my life at the time was not displaying that statement to be true. I must repent and pray for that passionate longing to return! I must be obedient to seek after God, & his word, & his truth.

I want to end this post with one of my favorite hymns. It is one many have not heard and many would cringe when trying to sing.  BUT it is one that I love because it reminds me to long for and to love the law of God.

I have posted this hymn on my blog before but I want to share it once again.

Most Perfect is the Law of God
From Psalm 19:7-11 and Psalm 119:97

Most perfect is the law of God, Restoring those that stray;
His testimony is most sure, Proclaiming wisdom’s way.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

The precepts of the Lord are right; With joy they fill the heart;
The Lord’s commandments all are pure, And clearest light impart.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

The fear of God is undefiled And ever shall endure;
The statutes of the Lord are truth And righteousness most pure.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

They warn from ways of wickedness Displeasing to the Lord,
And in the keeping of his Word There is a great reward.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

I have often contended that there is no such thing as a carnal Christian.  A  truly regenerate person is not one who lives carnally.  The church today often makes it acceptable to live carnally and excuses it away as a natural part of the developing Christian life.  This is a sad state of affairs indeed.   There is a GREAT quote I would like you to ponder today.  Here is an excerpt:

there is no such thing as the so-called “carnal Christian.” Rather, he writes, “The apostle denies that anyone actually knows Christ who has not learned to put off the old man, corrupt with deceitful lusts, and to put on Christ.”

The Thirsty Theologian: Tough and Tender.

Please take a minute and read the whole thing over at the Thirsty Theologian.  It is a very short read!  Please come back here and leave your thoughts!

Still on the theme of marriage and the church:

Ephesians Chapter 5:

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [1] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Now that we have read some scripture on the matter, consider the following quote I found over the weekend. I long for your thoughts and discussion afterwards.

It is possible (but not right) for baptized believers to act in their lives as though the gospel were not true. How many conservative husbands are outraged if some liberal preacher says that Jesus did not rise from the dead, when their daily treatment of their wives makes the same statement? At least the liberal only states his heresy occasionally. (Douglas Wilson, Reformed Is Not Enough, p. 168)

There have been several things this week that have caused me to try and hold back tears. Many of them are on a related subject, marriage. I am so thankful and so blessed to have the husband that I do. We have been blessed with a wonderful marriage. It is not one without struggles, every marriage takes work. We have a great God and have been blessed abundantly. It almost brings me to tears of joy to think of the abundance of grace, mercy, strength, and blessings the Lord has provided us in our marriage.   A cousin of mine recently celebrated 23 years of marriage!  In my family that is unbelievable!!!  I know some of the struggles they have gone through and know of the amazing working of God in their lives.  As I think upon this tears of joy begin to well up inside of me!

However, this week I received news of the pending divorce of some dear, dear friends of ours.  You hear of how divorce is just as common in the church; nothing makes that more strikingly evident than to realize that you know those who are going through it.  Tears of brokenheartedness for our friends well up inside. 

Tears for the state of the church are also building.  In the desire to minister to those of divorce, accountability and shame have been removed.  Yes, I said shame.  We are not to be shaming others but sin should carry shame.  Sin is shameful.  We are to hold others accountable.  This (holding others accountable) should be a part of our ministry to those who are struggling.  God desires reconciliation and provides the way and the healing.  It is not an easy road but how great and big is God??? 

In my husband’s line of work, he sees almost on a daily basis marriages falling apart.  It makes us more thankful for our own.   I have been contemplating this week my many tears.  Maybe it is just hormonal (my usual excuse-LOL) but maybe, just maybe, it is as it should be.  We should be in a place where we are brokenhearted and mourn over the sinfulness of this world, we should be brokenhearted and mourn when Christians choose the path of the world rather than God’s plan, and we should well up and cry tears of joy for the great, great God we serve and his many mercies toward us.