Safely Home

3 of my children had their first swim meets this morning and it was a great time followed by an ice cream social. We then said good by to some dear friends (like family) that are moving. We got home and rested for a bit because we had a tornado of a week and then my precious wee one got a fever. Soo, although I feel terrible for her it's one of the few times I actually stop and do something I love and that's to read. So although now I hold her in one arm on the couch with the computer in my lap, minutes ago I was reading Randy Alcorn's "Safely Home". Boy do I feel like a spoiled brat of an American. My biggest struggles are juggling life homeschooling, part-time working, church, paying bills in a timely manner, keeping my home in a semi-clean state, striving to be a good help-meet to my husband and raising precious gifts for the Lord. We're not hungry. We have a home. We're free to come and go as we like and really free to do sooo many things. However, if I lived in China or another country where Christianity is outlawed, I may be asking myself every day (as the main character of the book has thus far) is this my last day Lord? Wow. Makes a few dishes in the sink and a load of laundry to fold seem very unimportant. I may get up at 3 am. on a Sunday morning to sneak to another believer's home that may take me up to an hour of bicycling with my husband and one child (that I was allowed to have because they sterilized me during my c-section so I could hold no others after my one) to get to another believer's home just to worship with others. I must wonder would my selfish American self compromise and worship at home at a more convenient hour with my own family in a more safe, secretive manner so as not to compromise my job or more importantly the lives of my family. Would I choose to serve God no matter the risks to my family? I'm okay risking myself but my children? Risk these precious children (whom I must remind myself aren't really mine at all but on loan from God in the first place). I must admit I'm afraid I may compromise too easily. My deepest desire would not to but I pray my flesh wouldn't outweigh my heart.

My prayer: Lord, keep me focused on You, Your Kingdom and Your Path. Please don't let us forget our "brothers and sisters" in the world who suffer daily for You. Please don't let us live such comfortable lives that we are more worried about who the next American Idol is than praying for the church world wide. And please allow my heart for You to outweigh my selfishness. In other words to truly be In Christ, so that I choose as Christ would and not my fleshy me. Let me not live in an eros prison but on the Agape Road of fellowship with you. (We're studying about this in Church on Wed nights....Bob Mumford's "The Agape Road"....great study...) And please let my children grow up more concerned with the Your Kingdom, Your people, Yourself Jesus than what fancy car they may drive, what title they may carry, what newest fashion's they may don or what movie is out that "everybody" is talking about. Amen

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A ministry of Voice of the Martyrs

Be Content in All Things

Certainly our contentment does not consist in getting the thing we desire, but in God's fashioning our spirits to our conditions. Some men have not got a foot of ground of their own, yet they live better than other men who are heirs to a great deal of land. I have known it in the country sometimes, that a man lives upon his own land, and yet lives very poorly; but you find another man who rents his land, and yet by his good husbandry, and by his care, lives better than he who has his own land. So a man by this art of contentment may live better without an estate than another man can live off an estate. Oh, it adds exceedingly to the comfort of a Christian. ..... If I become content by having my desire satisfied, that is only self-love, but when I am contented with the hand of God, and am willing to be at his disposal, that comes from my love to God. ...If I am contented because I have what I desire, perhaps I am contented in that one thing, but that one thing does not furnish me with contentment in another thing; perhaps I may grow more dainty and nice and froward in other things. If you give children what they want in some things, they grow so much the more coy and dainty and discontented if they cannot have other things they want. But, if I have once overcome my heart, then this makes me content not only in one particular but in general, whatever befalls me. .... When I have got his grace of contentment, I am prepared to be contented in all conditions. Thus you see that contentment brings comfort to a man's life, fills it full of comfort in this world; the truth is, it is even a Heaven on earth. What is Heaven but the rest and quiet of a man's spirit; that is the special thing that makes the life of Heaven, there is rest and joy, and satisfaction in God. So it is in a contented spirit: there is rest and joy and satisfaction in God. You have Heaven while you are on earth when you have a contented spirit..."The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Burroughs 1648

'I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content' Philippians 4:11

Grace, Grace, Amazing Grace

God's

Riches

At

Christ's

Expense



Grace is the heart of God's love and the hand of His power constantly moving toward me so that I can be all He designed me to be and do all the He desires me to!



(Pastor Wade Trimmer)

Sin

Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay,
and cost you far more than you are willing to pay.

Unknown quote but learned from Pastor Wade

5 Great Truths that Changed the World

Martin Luther

1) No Priest but Christ (Heb 7:24-25)

2) No Sacrifice but Calvary (Heb 7:27)

3) No Authority but Scripture (II Tim 3:16)

4) No Confession but at the Throne of Grace (I Jn 1:9)

5) No Justification but by Faith (Romans 5:1)

Charles Spurgeon - The Church in Thy House - Philemon 2

Is there a Church in this house? Are parents, children, friends, servants, all members of it? or are some still unconverted? Let us pause here and let the question go round--Am I a member of the Church in this house? How would father's heart leap for joy, and mother's eyes fill with holy tears if from the eldest to the youngest all were saved! Let us pray for this great mercy until the Lord shall grant it to us. Probably it had been the dearest object of Philemon's desires to have all his household saved; but it was not at first granted him in its fulness. He had a wicked servant, Onesimus, who, having wronged him, ran away from his service. His master's prayers followed him, and at last, as God would have it, Onesimus was led to hear Paul preach; his heart was touched, and he returned to Philemon, not only to be a faithful servant, but a brother beloved, adding another member to the Church in Philemon's house. Is there an unconverted servant or child absent this morning? Make special supplication that such may, on their return to their home, gladden all hearts with good news of what grace has done! Is there one present? Let him partake in the same earnest entreaty.
If there be such a Church in our house, let us order it well, and let all act as in the sight of God. Let us move in the common affairs of life with studied holiness, diligence, kindness, and integrity. More is expected of a Church than of an ordinary household; family worship must, in such a case, be more devout and hearty; internal love must be more warm and unbroken, and external conduct must be more sanctified and Christlike. We need not fear that the smallness of our number will put us out of the list of Churches, for the Holy Spirit has here enrolled a family-church in the inspired book of remembrance. As a Church let us now draw nigh to the great head of the one Church universal, and let us beseech Him to give us grace to shine before men to the glory of His name.

Believer's Are Father's Specials!

Based on Ephesians 1:3-14

Sovereignly Chosen (elected us)
Positionally Holy (Justified/sanctified us)
Experientially Changed (regenerated us)
Completely Accepted (reconciled us)
Incredibly Secure (adopted us)
Avowedly Valuable (redeemed us)
Legally Cleared (forgiven us)
Securely managed (sealed us)

From: Pastor Wade Trimmer

Today's Quote

Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you yourself shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God.
Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

Listened to A.W. Tozer on Peter and Corrie Ten Boom while folding clothes tonight on sermonindex.net. Great resource!

Thanking the Lord for another beautiful day. Thanking Him for being able to teach my children, be at home with them, giving me a job that I can work with them, a job that blesses not only me but missionaries, giving me a church that I can call home and Christian friends I can call family. Bless the Lord Oh my soul and let EVERYTHING that is within me bless His Holy Name!!

Fun in the garden

Worked on my herb garden today. The kiddos veggie garden is doing well. We've already eaten a few weeks of Nicholas' lettuce. The tomatoes are flowering, the cuc vine is growing, the rosemary and lamb's ear are doing well but once again my lavender didn't survive. Can't figure out the trick to lavender. One of my favorite herbs but can't get it to survive. Planted a ton of seeds today and going to plant sunflowers tomorrow.

Great day at home with the family. We ate lunch at my mom's and took a great ride in the country. It was a beautiful spring day.

This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.

The Family Poem

Herbert Russell, the ruler of his home

Gives glory to Jesus; the one true God alone.

That he may become a man after God's own heart

and that love to his children generationally departs.



Cynthia Dineen, the bearer of God's light,

Will judge and disern the wrong from His right.

She will shine forth in this world with God's precious love.

She is a true gift from the Father above.



John Russell, God's joy shines on his face.

To the world he will show God's precious grace.

He will become the man of prayer he was prophesied to be

And spend many a day down on his knees.



Nicholas Brian will be victorious and strong in the Lord.

The Word he shall yield - his mighty sword.

The battles of life will be fought and won

because he will seek power from the Son.



Timothy Levi will grow to be an honorable man.

Seeking the Lord for His holy plan.

His joy will be contagious to other in this life.

To join them to the Truth, his source of Light.



Praise Elizabeth will praise the Lord all her days.

She has a testimony of life that cannot be swayed.

She will give her oath of allegiance only to Christ.

And His life will radiate throughout her life.



Michael Elijah will be bold for the Lord.

He will express God's character to a lost dying world.

God's glory and grace he will share unashamed.

His fervor for Jesus shall never be tamed.



Emily Ruth, what an incredible joy

Will forever be in the Lord's employ

A true friend she will strive to be

and win many a heart for eternity.














~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Herbert = Bright, Ruler; Russell = Like a fox
Michelle = Who is like the Lord; Rene = Reborn
Cynthia = Bearer of God's Light; Dineen = Judged
John = God is gracious; Russell = Like a fox
Nicholas = victory; Brian = Strong one
Timothy = Honored by God; Levi = Joined to
Praise = Praise; Elizabeth = Oath of God
Michael = Who is like the Lord; Elijah = the Lord is God
Emily = Industrious; Ruth = Friend
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote from Amazing Grace

Before we watched the movie we read a lot of great stuff out of "Amazing Grace of Freedom. The Inspiring Faith of William Wilberfore the Slaves' Champion". My favorite quote from the book is as follows: "So, the question is, what will you do with the gifts you have been given? Will you put them in a drawer and pursue a comfortable life? Or will you choose to defy the odds, step out and confront the injustice in the world? Many choose mediocrity because it's easier than reaching for greatness. My prayer is that you will internalize the life of William Wilberforce and make a difference in your world, whoever and wherever you are."
What a great challenge! I don't want to settle for mediocrity. That may mean I don't watch as much television, read as many books, enjoy as many "me" things that would distract me from the purposes and plans God has for me. May I choose the best things from God and not just the good things of the world.

Quote from Mother Teresa

"How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers."