Wuv, Twue Wuv

Thought for today:

She may say, "I used to be so energetic, but all these people take, take, take from me and now I have no time to just be me!" And the world gathers around and comforts her and says she needs some time to follow her dreams.

But the Christian woman needs to see, "I used to be so boring! Now my character has some depth, some people to love, some hardships to bear. Now I have some material to work with." (Loving the Little Years, Jankovic, p. 61)

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, how thankful I am for the noise, the mess, the unrelenting needs, the general challenge and gift it is to have people in my life (in fact, in my very home), who are precious instruments of grace and growth to me.

Lo, I Come

Read this in 365 days with Spurgeon Vol. 6 this morning (it's yesterday's text):

Mr. Moody tells a story, which I would fain hope may be true; for one would like to hear something good about a Czar of Russia, and especially about our once enemy, the Emperor Nicholas. The story concerns a soldier in the barracks who was much distressed by his heavy debts.

He was in despair, for he owed a great deal of money, and could not tell where to get it. He took a piece of paper, and made a list of his debts, and underneath the list he wrote, "Who will pay these debts?" He then lay down on the barrack bed, and fell asleep, with the paper before him. The Emperor of Russia passed by, and, taking up the paper, read it, and being in a gracious mood signed at the bottom, "NICHOLAS."

Was not that a splendid answer to the question? When the soldier woke up and read it, he could scarcely believe his own eyes. "Who will pay these debts?" was the despairing question. "Nicholas" was the all-sufficient answer. So are we answered, Who will bear our sins? The grand reply is "JESUS." He puts his own name to our liabilities, and in effect, that he may meet them, he says, "Lo, I come."

Your debt of sin is discharged when you believe in Christ Jesus. "Without shedding of blood is no remission;" but the blood of Jesus Christ, God's dear Son, cleanseth us from all sin. You are not now to bear your own sins. Behold the scape-goat, who carries them away into the wilderness! Yea, Jesus says, "Lo, I come!" He takes our sins upon himself, he bears their penalty, and we go free. Blessed word—"Lo, I come": I come to take your weight of sin, your burden of punishment. I come to be made a curse for you, that you may be made the righteousness of God in me.

Sinner, stand out of the way, and let Jesus appear for you, and fill your place! He sets you on one side, and then he sets himself where you have been. Jesus is now the one pillar on which to lean, the one foundation on which to build, the one and only rest of our weary souls.

Isn't that a good thought with which to start the day?

The whole sermon is available here.

Thoughts on Motherhood

From a newsletter, here are some thoughts on motherhood from Nancy Wilson:


Thoughts on Motherhood by Nancy Wilson

From a grandma's point of view, here are a few things I would want to tell myself back when my children were still at home:

1. Repetition is a glorious thing! Enjoy the repeat performance every day.
2. Steward the events (the planned and especially the unplanned) of each day with contentment.
3. Pray more! Worry less. Much less.
4. Express praise and thanks every chance.
5. At the end of the day, never say I didn't get anything done!

And just to be fair, here are a few things I'm glad we did for our kids when they were little:

1. After-dinner reading that sometimes stretched on for hours.
2. Hot towels from the dryer after baths.
3. Jammie rides for ice cream and a visit to grandparents.
4. Open tap on the milk in the fridge.
5. Bedtime songs and stories.

Self-Esteem

From Pastor Sam's blog...

Here’s what G.K. Chesterton said in his book, Orthodoxy:

Once I remember walking with a prosperous publisher, who made a remark which I have often heard before; it is, indeed, almost a motto of the modern world. Yet I had heard it once too often, and I saw suddenly there was nothing in it. The publisher said of somebody, “That man will get on; he believes in himself.” … I said to him, “Shall I tell you where the men are who believe most in themselves? For I can tell you. I know of men who believe in themselves more colossally than Napoleon or Caesar. I can guide you to the thrones of Super-men. The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums. … It would be much truer to say that a man will certainly fail, because be believes in himself. Complete self-confidence is not merely a sin; complete self-confidence is a weakness. Believing utterly in one’s self is a hysterical and superstitious belief.”

For Dads

Here is a free PDF of Pastor Dad by Mark Driscoll.

Some good thoughts on what it means to shepherd the flock of God entrusted to you, in your home.

12 Things to Tell Your Daughter

I don't have a daughter yet.  But I think this is a good word nonetheless.

HT: Chatting at the Sky

Car Seats

This is just a helpful blog post that clarifies some good ... and/or dangerous car seat information.

Some of the points were new to me, so I thought it may be helpful for others too.

May the Lord preserve and keep our little ones safe from harm.

Parenting Young Kids

Here is a good list of suggestions for parents of young children.

I found it helpful and encouraging ... although I don't necessarily subscribe to every single point.  May the Lord help us raise counter-cultural, God-fearing, joyful, helpful, faithful, Spirit-filled kids.

Quick to Listen

Here is a good post for mothers on why it is important to listen first and listen well to our children.

HT: Femina

Freely Give

Here is a real good post for mothers (and everybody) and why we can freely give, in all different ways.

HT: Desiring God

Distraction

Distraction has become an assumed presence in life. A typical work day (at least in my particular role) involves more interruptions than actual pre-meditated tasks.

There is a grace for bearing the unplanned, but we may fall into a pattern of shallow, distracted thinking if we don't counteract the landslide of activity.

Here is a very thought-provoking blog entry on that idea.

HT: Desiring God

Fabulous

Consider and act accordingly.

To Hell with the Devil and His Destructive Lies

John Piper:

But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.

The Duty of Prayer

And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? Do I go to pray with many of you on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m., and Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., and Friday at 6:30 a.m., and Saturday at 4:45 p.m., and Sunday at 8:15 a.m. out of duty? Is it a discipline?
You can call it that. It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater. It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers. It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns. It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food. It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water. It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid. It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin. It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey. It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.

Means of Grace: Gift of God

I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer.
God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there are spiritual means of grace.

HT: Justin Taylor

Hunger and Thirst

I read these in Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

I suggest that if we are truly hungering and thirsting after righteousness we shall not only avoid things that we know to be bad and harmful, we shall even avoid things that tend to dull or take the edge off our spiritual appetites. There are so many things like that, things that are quite harmless in themselves and which are perfectly legitimate. Yet if you find that you are spending much of your time with them, and that you desire the things of God less, you must avoid them. ... There are so many things that I cannot condemn in and of themselves. But if I find I spend too much of my time with them, and that somehow I want God and spiritual things less and less, then, if I am hungering and thirsting after righteousness, I shall avoid them. (76).

A searching question. What makes me a bit less interested in things of God, or what seems a bit more compelling, satisfying, or enjoyable than seeking Him?

Women of Truth

Pastor John gave a great message on why it matters if we believe in truth and why he believes the Bible is true.

HT: Bethlehem Baptist Church 2012 Women's Conference

Sow and Reap

A good, thought-provoking blog post about the harvest that's coming and what we're sowing these days...

HT: Femina

Grieving a Loss

Whether you have experienced a great sorrow or loss, or if you just know someone who has, this message is an excellent word.

I think just about everyone should listen, if for no other reason than to learn a little bit better how to love those who are experiencing sorrow.

Long Ago

Ben and I were just looking at some old photos of Victor. Old, being 4 1/2 months ago. That feels like such a long time ago already. He was just a tiny little peanut then.






I remember that moment when I first saw him after birth. He was swooped away by the NICU team, so I didn't get to hold him immediately. But they brought him over to me for just a few minutes, swaddled in a little blanket, before taking him downstairs to his room. I did love him. But I didn't know him.

I used to look at him sleeping and think he looked like a baby doll, such precious, perfect little features. And when he woke up, I had lots and lots of moments of bewilderment. What do I do with this little person? He would cry. And I would cry, not knowing how to help him.

We've had him in our arms only half as long as I carried him during pregnancy, but we just love learning about our little son.

He has never declined a meal, no matter how much I have tried to "cluster" them in the evenings.

He thinks it's hilarious to watch his daddy do sit-ups.

When extremely hungry, he scrunches up his nose, gulping down the first mouthfuls of milk.

He holds my fingers when he rides in the Baby Bjorn, brave to face the world, as long as momma is right there.

He loves people, giving out happy, whole-body smiles generously at church.

When he wakes up from a nap or night of sleep, he cries until we come in and turn on the light, and then he catches our eye and gives a huge, slow smile and pulls his legs straight up in the air and rolls onto his side.

He's never real thrilled about getting in the carseat.

When Victor is crabby, his favorite activities are going outside, standing up on someone's lap, and snuggling on momma's shoulder, while we smile into the mirror.

Although normally mild and content, when tired or hungry, he can absolutely bellow. This normally hits us by the end of a long Sunday at church, which is when we know it's time to make our exit. :)


What a precious gift it is, to see this little person grow. We've had 4 1/2 months with Victor and love him more as the days go by, love that aches to see him thrive, to see him grow into a man of God, to see him trust Jesus and walk in the light all his days.

O Jesus, keep our sweet little Victor in Your arms and guard him from evil and from harm. Thank You for the exhausting, perplexing, and endearing adventure of parenthood. Let us honor You in it.

Men and Boys

Here is a good post about how father can influence their sons.

HT: MOB Society

Little

If you're a mom, you've spent an exhausting day which (upon further reflection) bears no apparent fruit of productivity. You've carefully wiped all the counters down, only to find that two seconds later, they are both smeared with remnants of food and stacked with dirty dishes (most of which have cemented-on residue). You've cleaned that little teeny bottom with tender loving care, only to hear the world's biggest blow-out as soon as you sit down.

So if you are struggling (or have struggled) with a sense that all your labors may not really be counting for much, this is a really encouraging blog post.

Advice

One thing about being a mother is that I have entered the brave new world of motherhood advice. It's incredible how many brilliant, contradictory, illuminating, and confusing suggestions fly around once you have a little tot to rear...

Thank you, Marcy, for this article (and your prayers!). Helpful perspective (and mighty true!).