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Waiting is not something I do easily. When I believe God has directed me down a path but I can't see the end, delays are wearying and faith-stretching.
Right now I'm in God's waiting room with three of my kids. All of us are anticipating futures to unfold and goals to be realized.
Patience is a quality God requires over and over in the Bible. God always has his own timeline and he is always on time. God's people have to continue on a course that he provides without knowing the destination schedule.
As parents of a young family, we feared raising children in such a crazy upside down world. We wondered how we would ever maneuver through the minefields of moral corruption. How could we raise good kids in the midst of so many bad influences?
We sought advice from those wiser and our reading lead us to a book by Chuck Colson, Against the Night, Living in the New Dark Ages. Where we saw a blurry dangerous world outside our front door, entering daily through our television screen, Colson saw clearly. Colson armed us with understanding of the ongoing moral slide in most areas of society—political, educational, financial even in the church. Understanding gave us courage and determination to say, ENOUGH, when it came to our children.
We realized that the goals that government schools had for our children were not our goals—not the goals that we felt God had for the children He had given us. We chose to stand up and counter that tide. We chose a different path for our family. We never looked back although it is harder to swim upstream at times.
My kids have almost all emptied the nest after 27 years of parenting. They turned out as moral, independent thinkers who do not buy the world's moral "anything goes" attitude which grows each year. They understand that this world is God's creation and they were created by Him for a purpose.
Thank you, Chuck Colson, for giving us wisdom and courage through your words. This is one family that was drastically changed through your writing and we've never regretted it.
Blessings,
Rhodema
America's oldest building date back just 250 years. As my husband and I travelled across England this summer, the ancient sites were the most impressive. It was common to see structures from the 1400's.
Bath, England provided a look at the oldest building, a Roman bathhouse from A.D. 70. At the same time the Christian church was in its beginning stages in the middle east, the goddess Sulis Minerva was worshipped as the source of the healing thermal waters in Bath.
The engineering feats of hot and cold running water, steam baths and heated flooring were marvels for A.D. 70. Interwoven in the daily bathing rituals was the worship of the source of the waters—the goddess Minerva. Her face, masterfully cast in gold could be seen in a nearby temple.
No explanation was given for the sudden exodus from the town. The rich temple and bathing facilities were abandoned, possibly when the Romans left England for good.
The building was left to ruin and the massive goddess disappeared—until only recently. Sewer workers found the golden goddess face down in one of the underground sewers.
How glad I am to serve an eternal God. He isn't thought up by man or crafted by an artist's hands. Worship of the one true God doesn't fall in and out of fashion.
But the LORD is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
Jeremiah 10:10
I'm a What Not to Wear fan. My daughter and I love to grab a cup of tea and savor the latest recorded episode together
The show takes place in NYC. The hosts, Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, "kidnap" the worst dressed women in America and work with them for a week to transform their appearance—and usually their opinions about themselves.
The women are nominated by well-meaning friends and family. The candidates have to take all of their clothes to the studio in NYC and agree to throw out whatever the hosts say goes. But, they get $5,000 to buy a new wardrobe with Stacy and Clinton's rules.
Before their clothes are tossed the women on the show are asked to select three of their favorite outfits and step into the 360 mirror to take a good look at themselves. Their faces usually show the dawning realization of the truth of their whacky clothing.
From here they get lessons on how to choose clothes that fit and flatter. The women shop with the guidance of Clinton and Stacy. To finish the new look, the women have a makeover with a hair designer and makeup artist.
What do I like about it? I think it's the total transformation that takes place within women. They go from grungy, frumpy, or just plain outlandish to polished and sophisticated.
The women on the show are all shapes, sized and ages. They don't all have perfect bodies. Yet, on the show they learn so much about how to dress themselves, fix their hair and put on makeup.
The outcomes are miraculous—not only on the outside appearance but usually within. The women's attitudes towards themselves are part of the transformation as well.
Redemption and transformation! I don't mean to over-spiritualize but the show reminds me of what Christ does in my life.
At times he takes me to the 360 mirror and peels my hands from my eyes to see the real me. I see my attitudes and actions that at times are down right ugly.
I see a different style to put on when I read His Word and learn the right attitudes. He models the righteous life that I need to follow.
After a season of learning to throw off the old and put on the new man in Christ, He spins me around in the style chair and I see the new creature in Christ that I've become.
God's calling doesn't promise a smooth road. Sometimes we can be smack in the middle of God's will and it leads us into criticism from those closest to us—even from those we respect and admire.
I am thinking about Mary and Joseph's calling. God had a plan to deliver a savior into the world. It required Mary to lay down her reputation and risk losing her betrothed, Joseph.
A woman found pregnant out of wedlock in those days could be stoned or turned out by her family and left to starve along with her child.
Joseph faced two choices when he learned of Mary's pregnancy before they had come together as one. Divorcing Mary was the upright path—the expected decision for one of Joseph's standing in the synagogue. This would prove to the Jewish community that he was not the father of her child. His reputation would remain intact. Proceeding to marry his betrothed was a confession of guilt.
Reputation was everything among the Jews.
God knew Mary and Joseph's hearts. He asked them to lay down their reputations and life plans for His greater purpose. He knew they would say, "Yes!"
I am challenged this season to examine my heart. Will I say "Yes," when He asks me to do hard things? I'm praying that like Mary I will say...
May it be done to me
according to your will.
Luke 1:38
Crafts with children during the Christmas season are some of our family's favorite memories.
Found this link with some great ideas: Real Simple Holiday Decorations.
Let us know how they worked out. Do you have a cyber link to other crafts or ideas you've used.
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