musical monday

One of my favorites...it's kind of fast (for my preference!) but I pray that it causes you to think about the Lord today.

When I Think About the Lord

Have extra time on your hands?

(Ha Ha!) ...I have fallen in LOVE with this blog.  And if you are looking for great things to do with your kids, then you just may fall in love too!

Also, I just found this blog that I think is going to be GREAT as well!

...They both cater to my non-existent creative side that wants to have cool things to do with Elijah!

and here is another...I've got to stop looking!

a challenge to women

A friend of mine shared a great message from John Piper with me years ago and it continually resonates in my mind.  I hope it will challenge and encourage you today.

1. That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.
2. That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.
3. That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.
4. That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching. That meditation on Biblical truth be the source of hope and faith. And that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.
5. That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God would open to you; and the power of faith and holiness would descend upon you; and your spiritual influence would increase at home and at church and in the world.
6. That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God undergirding all these spiritual processes, that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers and believers of these things.
7. That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific role, that you not fritter your time away on soaps or ladies magazines or aimless hobbies, any more than men should fritter theirs away on excessive sports or aimless diddling in the garage. That you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.
8. That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to Christ and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.
9. That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.
10. That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children who hope in the triumph of God, sharing with him the teaching and discipline of the children, and giving to the children that special nurturing touch and care that you are uniquely fitted to give.
11. That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world. That you not only pose the question: Career vs. full time mom? But that you ask as seriously: Full time career vs. freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom— to be in the employ of someone telling you what to do to make his business prosper, or to be God's free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God'sbusiness prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or yuppie lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the family and advance the cause of Christ.
12. That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life's ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment choices, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding God's will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else's chapter or whether it has in it what chapter five will have.
13. That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might, and maximizing your joy in ministry to people's needs.
14. That in all your relationships with men you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the Biblical vision of manhood and womanhood; that you develop a style and demeanor that does justice to the unique role God has given to man to feel responsible for gracious leadership in relation to women—a leadership which involves elements of protection and care and initiative. That you think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as he must do) in shaping the style and setting the tone of your interaction with men.
15. That you see Biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women in relation to each other not as arbitrary constraints on freedom but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God's ideal of complementarity. That you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld but by the countless roles offered. That you turn off the TV and Radio and think about...

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musical monday

Yesterday at church as we sang Jesus Messiah, I was overwhelmed (again) with the fullness of the song.  It's another great song that Chris Tomlin wrote and it points you straight to the power of the cross and the tremendous debt Christ paid for our sin.  This song is one of my favorites, drawing me into a deeper worship.
  
The lyrics are below, in bold, with my own expansion of the words in parenthesis.  May this song lead you in to worship today.  Not sure what or how to worship?  Check out a recap of our pastor's Worship Made Simple message below the song.

He (Christ) became sin (belonging to this world)
Who knew no (not in any degree or manner) sin 
That we might (have a chance to) become His 
Righteousness (declared innocent and guiltless)
He humbled (lowered in condition, importance, or dignity)
himself and carried (bore the weight, burden of) the cross 

Love (being patient, kind, and not envious or proud) so
amazing (overwhelming)
Love (not behaving rudely or seeking its own) so (very) 
amazing (astonishing)

Chorus: 

Jesus (Son of God) Messiah (promised Deliverer)
Name (renown) above all names 
Blessed (worthy of adoration) Redeemer (Restorer)
Emmanuel (God with us)
The rescue (liberator) for sinners (evildoers)
The ransom (redeemer) from Heaven 
Jesus Messiah (expected Savior)
Lord (Master) of all (everything)

His body (substance) the bread (sustenance)
His blood (vitality) the wine (drink offering)
Broken (crushed) and poured out (flowed forth) 
all for (with the object or purpose of) 
love (not being provoked or seeking any evil)
The whole earth (not heaven) trembled (shook from fear)
And the veil (something that covers, separates, screens, 
or conceals) was torn (permanently divided)

Love (rejoicing in the truth and bearing all thing) so amazing
Love (hoping, enduring, and never failing...is God) 
so amazing (awe-inspiring), yeah (yes!)

Jesus (the Christ) Messiah (anticipated Redeemer) 
Name above (higher in rank, authority, or power) all names 
Blessed (Holy) Redeemer (Savior)
Emmanuel (Jesus)
The rescue (Redeemer) for sinners (you and me)
The ransom (the sum or price paid or demanded) 
from Heaven (perfection)
Jesus (God) Messiah (expected Liberator of a captive people)
Lord (King) of all (each of us)

All (every) our hope (confident expectation) is in You (Savior)
All (the sum total of) our hope (trust) is in (founded in) You 
All the glory (adoration, praise, worship) to You, (the one true) God 
The light (source of illumination) of (found in) the world (darkness)


Worship Made Simple (John 4:20-24)


1. Worship is DIRECTED to the Father 
There is only one God and he is the object of our worship.


2. Worship is DESIGNED for any location 
If you are a Christian, then you are a sanctuary for worship!


3. Worship is DISCOVERED through Jesus Christ 
You need a relationship with Christ, then he enables you to worship.


Any questions?  Feel free to e-mail me!

great giveaway

If you are at all interested in making your own baby food, then there is a great giveaway here.  It's a Fresh Baby baby food making kit!  I have two of the Fresh Baby storage trays and I would LOVE to win so that I could have two more.  It also comes with an instructional dvd and a cookbook.  I love making Elijah's baby food and when I finally ran across these storage trays online, it made it even better!