Be sure to check out our newest product addition–our son’s artwork. View “Instruments at Rest”. These prints look beautiful in a rustic picture frame! Check back often for new designs!
“I started to ask myself the hard questions: Who is going to raise my child someday? Will the nights and weekends be enough?…
Instead of asking for a sign to point me down my specific road, I should look at God’s road map for motherhood. What did He expect of me? What did He want me to know?
I was already familiar with Titus 2 and Proverbs 31, but now I read them with a different eye. Instead of dismissing them as chauvinistic or as historically isolated (as I was prone to do as a girl-power collegiate), I looked to try to learn what God might be telling all women, including me as a future mother….I remember finding it [guidance] one place I didn’t expect — in Matthew 15…“
Read more of “Why I’m at Home” by Heather Koerner
The most recent news from Samaritans, the medical sharing program of which we are members:
“The health care bill that was passed Sunday night by the U.S. House of Representatives, often referred to as the Senate bill, contains a provision that exempts members of health care sharing ministries from the bill’s requirement for individuals to purchase health insurance. This is the bill that is awaiting the President’s signature. We are continuing to watch the reconciliation process, an effort to make changes to the Senate bill after the President signs it, for anything that would take away this exemption. Please be in prayer.
Although we have been given protection, we are very concerned about the effect this bill will have on all the American people, our health care system, and the economy, if the provisions of this bill are actually implemented. While many of the provisions will take effect soon, the individual and employer mandates to purchase health insurance are not scheduled to take effect until 2014, after the next presidential election. We need to continue to pray for God’s intervention in this situation.”
I encourage you to consider taking part in this fabulous ministry (provided it remains an option) as it is economically far more affordable than health insurance, contains very comprehensive coverage and is a biblical–not socialist–approach to “bearing one another’s burdens”.
“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him…………Gather the people sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children………….”
The House vote was expected this Sunday. We are fasting Saturday.
“Our first child was born nine months (and fifteen minutes) after the ceremony. I set aside my career in graphic design to be a Mom. It was during this time that I discovered daytime talk shows and first heard commonly held myths expounded by intelligent audience members.
“Nowadays, a family has to have two incomes to make ends meet.”
“Nowadays, it is impossible for a young couple to get into the housing market.”
“Nowadays, families cannot afford to raise more than two children.”
As if the message could magically be shot back through the television tube, I raised my fist and shouted, “It is not true, it can be done!” And so began my quest to prove that it could be done – that it was still possible to raise a large family and buy a house without two full-time incomes….
Over the years our average income has been less than $30,000. In less than seven years we saved $49,000, made significant investment purchases (vehicles, appliances, furniture) of $38,000, and were completely debt free! That is an annual savings/investment rate of over $12,500 per year, or 43% of our gross income.”
In the monologue by Katharina from “Taming of the Shrew” she says, in the closing lines:
“And place your hands below your husband’s foot: In token of which duty, if he please, My hand is ready; may it do him ease.”
It may be the most nagging opposition to biblical marriage: the idea that “woman was created to help the man”, (1 Corinthians 11:9, Genesis 2:18) and perhaps the most misunderstood one. But when we do understand it, it radically changes us and brings a powerful transformation to our marriage.
It is a thrill, not an offense, that God delighted to create me for the express purpose of completing my husband. Wives are a powerful instrument in the advancement of God’s Kingdom when they comply!
It bothers us because I think we are not “other-worldly-minded” enough. We should be about seeking first the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of ME. And if we are about our Father’s business, our only concern is the instruction He has given us best suited to fulfill His plan, not whining about how we think our roles should be redefined to sound more politically correct.
The Bible uses the language of “one flesh and “joined together.” The image is not of a family where two autonomous people live side by side. It’s more intimate than that; it’s one mission, one force, one vision and two people completing each other to accomplish that mission.
“Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” The command to mankind remains. There is so much more there than a population hint! It is man, oriented to the world (garden), and his wife, oriented toward him, helping him “subdue”–cultivate–their part of the earth, pursuing a life of fruitfulness in all areas–literally and figuratively speaking,
“The log is not greater than the fire; the fire burns because the log enables it.”
What does that look like practically? It’s different for each marriage. But wherever God has placed our husbands, he has given him a “subduing command” and that is where we are to assist him with our own unique gifts and abilities.
I am his helper. There are a million ways I can help him, from making sure he has clean underwear, to editing his State of the Union address. We are a team and he needs me. He may need me to make phone calls, handle details of the day to free him up somewhere else, pack his lunch, save his money, call his mom, send a thank-you card, or other details.
Going beyond that, he needs me to run a household, help in training our children, prepare our home for encouraging others through hospitality, extending our family’s purpose day to day, building a godly legacy.
The part of us that balks at “promoting another’s vision” is not properly understanding our role. When we grasp that we are “one flesh”, then promoting my husband is beneficial to me! (Think Christ and His bride.) The log is not greater than the fire; the fire burns because the log enables it. (Sorry, I’m sitting in front of my wood stove as I write this.)
Ask your husband how you can best help him. Just the asking lets him know that you desire to unite with him in a purpose. This may be the first time such a thing has crossed your mind! But once he knows you want to help him by making life easier and assisting him as an heir in the grace of that life, the united front strengthens and you begin to build a more powerful legacy than either of you could ever build alone.
“Keeping my home is only partly about cleaning, cooking and managing the affairs here. It is foremost about keeping in the sense of guarding. And what more important to guard than the united front that is my husband and me?”
C.S. Lewis said, “We need to be reminded more than instructed.” Truer words could not be spoken.
The “elder ladies” in our church hosted a marriage seminar Saturday. It was a much-needed breath of fresh air, both convicting on many levels, and inspiring to the point of action. It may take several posts for me to pass along the encouragement.
(Disclaimer: these are not posts about “whether or not a Christian woman should submit to her husband” or “whether the Bible teaches differences in roles for husbands and wives”. If you’re interested in that debate, I’m sure there are other places for that. My time is limited, and while debate about some issues is a part of this blog, I’ve searched the opposition to its end, and still hold the Bible as my authority and maintain that is speaks clearly and absolutely regarding marriage. I will guard our time here and try to prevent fruitless debate with those who have a different worldview regarding marriage. Also, posts like these inevitably lean toward the “what ifs” and hypotheticals of marriage. These posts are for Christian women who are in non-abusive marriages who wish to follow God’s design for a more fruitful and rewarding relationship.)
So I came away, though everything we heard we had heard before, with a freshness of purpose. Isn’s it funny how the same information can still be so enlightening again and again?
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We want happy marriages (though the goal is not happiness)…check.
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We know God speaks on the subject…check.
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We faithfully live in accordance with that word…not so much!
The beginning point continues to be, for me, that I must make my marriage a priority. If you happen to live with a loving, easy-going husband like mine, it’s easy to let marriage slip down the list of priorities.
But what a dangerous place for us to put our most important, earthly relationship! So my very first slap-in-the-forehead moment at the seminar was this:
Keeping my home is only partly about cleaning, cooking and managing the affairs here. It is foremost about keeping in the sense of guarding. And what more important to guard than the united front that is my husband and me?
If you can picture a family like a house. I like to think of the foundation as the worldview of the family. A Christian couple should have a biblical foundation. All inside the house is treasured and sacred. It is the fundamental starting place for the advancement of the Kingdom. But the door…ah, that most important part. The door is the marriage. The security of the entire house depends on the sturdiness and security of that door. When the door is neglected, begins to deteriorate, the entire house stands to be ravaged.
Do I consider my marriage worthy of fierce protection? And do I prioritize it so that I’m doing my part to guard it? Or do I trust in a false sense of invincibility?
I have to raise my hand at this point and say, “guilty”. I have often let other things demand more of my time and attention and I am committing anew to change that.
Marriage is the lifeblood that flows from my personal life to family, community, church and culture. It’s seems too obvious, but I don’t think we are believing and communicating how important this relationship is! My marriage, in large part, sets the precedence for my children’s marriages. And all our marriages comprise the picture of the gospel. It is the relationship through which God chose to depict His love for us and our response to Him.
The way we love our spouses tells the world how we love our Lord….ouch.
“We are the Body of which the Lord is Head,
Called to obey Him, now risen from the dead;
He wills us be a family,
Diverse yet truly one:
O let us give our gifts to God,
And so shall his work on earth be done.”
As we’ve discussed the idea of church nursery and children’s ministry, I wanted to restate something I mentioned in the comment section from a recent post: This issue is not about “right and wrong” as much as it is about “wise or not”. It’s not about attacking your church and its intentions, it’s about the challenge to think, possibly about positions you may haven’t thought of before.
I challenge you to ask questions.
“What is worship?” “How does age-segregation in the church affect the body?” “Does age-segregation hinder the ‘older teaching the younger’ model from Scripture?” “From whom do children learn to worship in spirit and in truth?”
These thoughts by John Piper are a beautiful and timely word for the discussion of family togetherness at church (excerpts only–full article can be read following the link):
“God-centered worship is supremely important in the life of our church. We approach the Sunday morning worship hour with great seriousness and earnestness and expectancy. We try to banish all that is flippant or trivial or chatty.
Stumbling block…The greatest stumbling block for children in worship is that their parents do not cherish the hour. Children can feel the difference between duty and delight. Therefore, the first and most important job of a parent is to fall in love with the worship of God. You can’t impart what you don’t possess.
Togetherness...Worshiping together counters the contemporary fragmentation of families. Hectic American life leaves little time for significant togetherness. It is hard to overestimate the good influence of families doing valuable things together week in and week out, year in and year out.
Catch the Spirit...Parents have the responsibility to teach their children by their own example the meaning and value of worship. Therefore, parents should want their children with them in worship so the children can catch the spirit and form of their parents’ worship.
Children should see how Mom and Dad bow their heads in earnest prayer during the prelude and other non-directed times. They should see how Mom and Dad sing praise to God with joy in their faces, and how they listen hungrily to His Word. They should catch the spirit of their parents meeting the living God.
Something seems wrong when parents want to take their children in the formative years and put them with other children and other adults to form their attitude and behavior in worship. Parents should be jealous to model for their children the tremendous value they put on reverence in the presence of Almighty God.
Not an excessive expectation…Children can be taught in the first five years of life to obey their father and mother when they say, “Sit still and be quiet.” Parents’ helplessness to control their children should not be solved by alternative services but by a renewal of discipline in the home..
Not all over their heads..Children absorb a tremendous amount that is of value….
Music and words become familiar. The message of the music starts to sink in. The form of the service comes to feel natural. The choir makes a special impression with a kind of music the children may hear at no other time. Even if most of the sermon goes over their heads, experience shows that children hear and remember remarkable things.
The content of the prayers and songs and sermon gives parents unparalleled opportunities to teach their children the great truths of our faith. If parents would only learn to query their children after the service and then explain things, the children’s capacity to participate would soar….
Sunday worship service is not useless to children just because much of it goes over their heads. They can and will grow into this new language faster than we think—if positive and happy attitudes are fostered by the parents.”
“I believe one of the greatest crutches in the church is the nursery. Parents who have neglected to train their children have very little encouragement to do so when there is a place to hide them. The father who should be up in arms by the time he gets home from church because of the embarrassment to which his child subjected him ends up going home with a clear conscience while the nursery worker takes a handful of aspirin.” –Voddie Baucham