A Drink for Weary Moms

Isa. 55:1-3 - Come, everyone who thirsts come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear that your soul may live; and I will make with you and everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

As moms, our lives can and generally do spin into the daily monotony of screaming kids, diaper changes, spilled sticky fill in the blank, dirty dishes, mountains of laundry, cooking, cleaning, and more cleaning as the littles follow you around like an aura of dust and filth, undoing what you just did in 2.61 seconds. Add to that grocery shopping, homeschooling, discipling, gardening, miscellaneous activities, and oh yea, supporting hubby and making him happy too. When we finally get a breather, we are bombarded by picture perfect Pinterest and Instagram houses and families whose kids must not have hands because there is not a fingerprint to be found in their perfect white paradises. Girls, we are drained, exhausted, spinning plates and juggling, and there comes a time when we know we are at the end of our rope. We are out of gas and we're just ready to quit. We don't have the energy to shepherd our children, we'd rather parent from the couch. And romance???? Let's not even go there... LOL! So what do we do?

Our culture tells us that we need more "me time", a girls' night out, a retreat, a vacation, more shopping. While these things are nice and not inherently bad or wrong, they are not what you need. They are not going to sustain you and nourish you much more than a candy bar will. Sure, they may give you a quick burst of energy in the short term, but in the grand scheme of things you will still crash if you are not receiving true nourishment of your own personal time in the Word. What we really need is a change in perspective that comes from drinking from the well of living water found in the scriptures. You see, if we aren't abiding in the true vine (as beautifully illustrated in John 15), our focus gets all out of whack, and we begin to think and act like this life is all about us and our comfort, our ease, and our happiness. And when we come to verses like Luke 17:7-10, we aren't comforted. We look at that servant and think, "Of course I want to come in and relax at the table, but this servant doesn't get to." And ultimately, this servant displays an attitude of humility, recognizing his undeserved gift from the master and a willingness to persevere in serving.

So our first perspective shift comes by knowing WHO GOD IS and WHO WE ARE. It comes in realizing that man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, (Westminster Shorter Catechism #1). Once we realize this by faith, then we also realize the truth and comfort of Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Now, as you take up the yoke of Jesus, it may be that you are convicted to simplify your schedule, extra activities, or maybe not. But what WILL happen, is that as you go throughout your day, you will realize that you are glorifying God by cleaning the toilet, changing diapers, picking up the toys, cooking the meals, etc.  Instead of these things seeming mundane, now you can realize that you are serving the God who created the universe, the God who sustains each star, the God who formed your inmost being, the God who converted your heart; something that you did not deserve and can never repay. How can you not love and gladly serve such an awesome Savior? The joy of the Lord becomes your strength throughout your day, because you have discovered and abide in your first love. From that joy, you now have strength to serve your husband, your children, your home, and your family in Christ. Because you are drinking from the vine, out of your heart are flowing rivers of living water. Do you see that? Your circumstances didn't change, but by letting the Lord change your perspective, the burden/load/work becomes more joyful, lighter, and you recognize there is a greater purpose which is bigger than you.

The other perspective/focus adjustment I want to address comes from Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. There are so many applications in this little nugget of Scripture. Our blessings generally come with responsibilities: no garden - no canning, no chickens - no cleaning the coop, no cattle - no feeding them in the winter, etc... You get the idea. But here's where it hits home to me EVERY TIME: I wouldn't have diapers to change if I didn't have a baby. I wouldn't have shoes laying all over the house if there were no feet to wear them, I wouldn't trip over toys if there were no kids to play with them, I wouldn't have fingerprints to clean up if I didn't have children, I wouldn't have a sink full of dirty dishes if we didn't have food, etc... Do you get the point, Sweet Mom? All of this is so worth the blessing of a home, food, and a family. So the next time you feel frustrated, remember this proverb and let the Spirit speak its truth into your life.  I'm thankful for the dirty diaper because it means I have an Elijah and he eats and is healthy. I'm thankful for the EIGHT pairs of shoes not put away because it means I have many healthy, active children who fill them.  I'm thankful for the sticky fingerprints on the fridge because it means my children have abundant healthy food to eat. I'm thankful for each of these blessings in disguise because by them, the Lord is sanctifying me (Romans 8:28-29).

So weary sisters, come to the fountain of the pure word. Drink and be refreshed! Worship and abide in your creator. Let your focus be fine tuned to your Savior through the Word EACH DAY. There, and no where else and in no one else, you will find rest for your souls.

Here's What I've Been Reading in May...

I am a book addict. I love to read, I always have. There was a time in my life many years ago, though, that I felt guilty if I read anything but the Bible. I thought that if I had extra time, that the best way to spend it was in the scriptures, so I didn't allow myself to read anything else. While that school of thought may not be all bad, my position changed after listening to some good teaching. This particular person recommended reading GREAT BOOKS that can help you grow in your faith and theology. That was so freeing... and it makes sense! Just like I can learn from my local pastor or a solid pastor online (sermon audio is my absolute favorite resource), I can read the writings of Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, Spurgeon, Calvin, Augustine, etc... and learn from them too! So my book addiction began to be fed with a vengeance! Homeschooling has also opened up a plethora of great literature resources that I never would have found on my own! So I am hoping, little by little, to do a brief review of a few books a month. Some months I may have a certain theme I'm hi-lighting, other months it will just be a random mix. But I am fairly certain that you won't find any of these on the NYT best sellers list.

And as a disclaimer, I still do recommend spending the bulk of your reading time in the scriptures: the inspired, inerrant Word of God. That being said, I'm also fairly selective as to what I will read. I only have a limited time, so I want it to be time well spent. I want to renew my mind with things that are consistent with a Biblical worldview. Sooooooo, let's get started!!

  THE CROWN AND COVENANT SERIES by Douglas Bond

Duncan's War, The King's Arrow, Rebel's Keep

These books are widely available but here is the link to the set from Amazon.

 Do you want to learn more about the Scottish Covenanters of the 17^th century? (Trust me, YES you do!) The Crown and Covenant trilogy by Douglas Bond is a captivating, historically accurate account of the persecution and plight of the reformed church in Scotland between 1660-1688.

Grace withereth without adversity. The devil is but God's master-fencer, to teach us to handle our weapons. - Samuel Rutherford  The trilogy follows the M'Kethe family (fictional) as they endure the persecution under King Charles II and strive to walk according to the Word of God. These fictional characters are ingeniously woven into the lives of the true historical men and women from the killing times and the years surrounding them. Duncan's War, King's Arrow, & Rebel's Keep are a must read for junior high age to adulthood! This is a fun way to brush up on your history, and it will inspire you to emulate the firmness of faith demonstrated by our spiritual ancestors. By the way, you can't go wrong with reading anything by Douglas Bond!!! His historical fiction novels are just fantastic!

 A CHURCH IN THE HOUSE - a sermon by Matthew Henry

 Here is the Amazon link.

 

Years ago I listened to a sermon that told about a woman who upon returning home from church spent 3 hours pouring and praying over her sermon notes. This sermon by Matthew Henry is one that could be prayed and meditated over for years!

A CHURCH IN THE HOUSE – A sermon concerning Family Religion was preached on April 16, 1704. This book is a transcript of that sermon and is a must read for anyone who is passionate about restoring daily worship back to the christian household. (No, it is not advocating skipping corporate worship and doing church at home. Rather it is a call for daily family worship.)

Matthew Henry breaks the subject up into three main parts and expounds upon each providing scriptural basis and life application for the areas of DOCTRINE, WORSHIP, and DISCIPLINE. He speaks at length about incorporating the scriptures, catechizing, specific areas of family prayer, Psalm singing, and the discipline needed to implement this high privilege. Don't miss this invaluable resource which ends with MOTIVES and practical application concerning implementing daily family worship. "If you do not have a church in your house, it is feared Satan will have a seat there. If religion doesn't rule, Satan will." - Matthew Henry

A PEEP BEHIND THE SCENES - O. F. Walton

Available as a free Kindle book here, or in print here. 

 

 A Peep Behind the Scenes by O.F. Walton was published in 1877 and sold over 2 ½ million copies. In fact, it outsold The Scarlet Letter by 2 million books! 

 

Rosalie's father is the god-less, heartless owner of a traveling theater company. Her mother is an actress and Rosalie was born into this not-so-glamorous lifestyle, void of the gospel, void of hope, and void of the glitz and fame projected to the circus-attending fans. One day an old man gives Rosalie and her sickly mother a picture of a shepherd rescuing a lost sheep with a verse printed on it. This began a spiritual awakening within them both, a hunger for the word, repentance, and a strong desire to tell others about the Good Shepherd.

Don't underestimate what the Spirit is able to do with a simple tract, a picture, a book, or even a simple question from a little child in the spreading of His kingdom. This is a great read for elementary school to adulthood, or even a family read-a-loud. Has the Good Shepherd found you?

THE TURQUOISE TABLE - Kristin Schell

Here is the Amazon link. 

 

The Turquoise Table is a beautiful little book filled with do-able and practical ideas facilitating outreach and building relationships within your community. There are a myriad of helpful examples and recipes to show you how simple hospitality and reaching out to your neighbors can be. While it is not filled with scripture, it is definitely written from a Christian perspective.

How often do you invite guests over? How well do you know your neighbors? Relationship is key in discipleship, evangelism, and bearing one another's burdens. This book will inspire you to start cultivating friendships right where God has planted you. This will be especially helpful if you live in town. However, as a country gal, I'm brainstorming on how to adapt it to those who live in the middle of nowhere...

I hope you enjoy these brief book summaries! I'm looking forward to posting more next month!

May our Daughters be like Palace Cornerstones - Psalm 144

I was recently invited to a baby shower for a baby girl. One of the gifts my girls and I made was a rustic wooden sign with the scripture from Psalm 144 which says: ...and may our daughters be like palace cornerstones. When I make scripture word art, I love meditating on the truths of the verses I am working with. I pray for the recipient of the creation and hope that it will be a blessing to them. That was the case with this verse/sign.  As I was meditating, I was wondering what the deeper meaning was behind these simple words: May our daughters be like palace cornerstones. So I began to do a study on the verse for my own personal devotions. About a week before the baby shower, I was asked if I would be willing to give the devotional. WOW! Yes, I thought... and I know EXACTLY what I'm going to talk about!

So below is a copy of the devotional that I gave. I left it in "speech" form, so as you are reading it, that's why it sounds like I'm talking to you.   The resources I used were Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, .Kevin Swanson's Family Bible Study series on the Psalms, and my own personal study of the scriptures. After the devotion, there is a list of a few of our favorite resources.


Before you begin, open your Bible to Psalm 144 and read it.... ENJOY!!!

May our daughters be like palace cornerstones...

Psalm 144

This Psalm is a Psalm of faith: in God's provisions, promises, and protections. We are going to look at a few different aspects of this Psalm, but focus mainly on verse 12. Towards the end of the Psalm, we see David (who represents a type of Christ) praying for two main topics: 1. a faithful progeny/future generation and 2. prosperity for the nation. Certainly (as indicated) a people are truly blessed whose God is the Lord! God has made promises about faithful posterity and prosperity in many places in scripture and we see here that David prays for those things already promised. Keep that in mind, as this applies directly to us as well.

We are going to focus (in the first place) on verse 12: “Our daughters as corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace”.

When I do an in depth study, I generally go to a lexicon and Bible dictionaries and study the words in the original language. I'm not a Greek or Hebrew scholar, so those are helpful resources. However, in this case I was disappointed! There were no rich goldmines, synonyms, or deep thoughts for the word cornerstone or cornerpillar. Basically, what you see is what you get. So then I had to ask myself: What is the function of a cornerstone, and how does that apply to our girls? A cornerstone is an integral part of the foundation (of a palace in this case), and it helps hold together two walls. Like I said: nothing earthshattering here.... But how does this apply to our daughters? We are going to talk a bit about two different ways our daughters function as cornerstones. I'm sure there are more, but time is going to constrain us to just two. As I speak of each of these functions, realize that when I say “daughters”, I'm referring to GROWN UP DAUGHTERS who are (hopefully) functioning as cornerstones. So picture your little girls in your mind and fast forward a decade or two as we look at their future roles.

***CORNERSTONES BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES:

Matthew Henry said that by daughters, two families are united and connected to their mutual strength. It took me awhile to decide if I agreed with that or not, because at first thought it seems like the man as head of the family would be the one binding families together. However, after reflecting upon my experience (which I'm not trying to promote as a method of Bible study), it is the daughter/wife who has the power to bring families together or drive and keep a wedge between them. Think of families you know which have been filled with strife. Is it the son or the daughter that typically resists reconciliation and relationship? We certainly don't want to raise daughters who are easily offended, hold grudges, or who are unforgiving and selfish. We want them to exhibit 1 Cor. 13 love and to be humble peacemakers. As anyone who has been married for any length of time knows, there are ample opportunities for offenses, discord, and for Satan to work in the in-law relationship. We want to raise our daughters to do everything in their power to bring Christlike unity into the inter-family relationships. In Romans 12, we are told that “as much as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all” and also “repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all”. So after reflecting, I agree with Matthew Henry, our daughters are cornerstones between two families and can strengthen both of them. ...or tear them apart.

***CORNERSTONES BETWEEN HER FAMILY AND GOD:

My dear friend and prayer partner and I were discussing daughters as cornerstones and their roles within their own families, namely with their husband and children. The daughter who has now become wife and mother has the opportunity to be the cornerstone between her family and God. Again, I'm a firm believer in male headship, and I'm not trying to discount that. But our daughters as wives have the opportunity to be a helpmeet to their husbands in a physical and spiritual sense. She can pray for him, encourage his spiritual walk, and encourage his accountability with other godly men.... OR NOT. She can be supportive of him in family worship... OR NOT. I won't go in to a lot of application on the marriage aspect of this cornerstone since this is a baby shower and not a bridal shower. But I'm sure you get the idea.

But another major arena in which our daughters have the opportunity to be a cornerstone is the influence that they have upon their children. Even if they work outside the home, and especially if they stay home and/or homeschool their children, our daughters' impact on that next generation is hard to overestimate.

Again, as I'm speaking of daughters, we are still looking into the future at what role we see them performing. In the physical sense, the daughter is the one who will decide how nutritious of food she will feed her family: fast food, pre-made, gummi-worms, fresh, organic, whole, frozen, etc... She will decide how they are clothed, bathed, or how clean the house is kept, etc... In the spiritual sense, the daughter (who is with the children most of the time) will either actively or passively determine what goes into the hearts and minds of her children. Will she lead them to God? Or away from God? What kind of story books will she read to her babies? What is the worldview behind the toys she allows into her home? What kinds of songs will she sing to them? Will they be babysat by the TV? What kind of shows will she let them watch? What will she do during naptime? Will she fill her own mind with godly, nourishing things or soap operas? Proverbs 14:1 says: The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.

As you can see, our daughters' influence on the next generation is very great. Discernment must not only be made between right and wrong, but between right and almost right. Will our daughters be a cornerstone between their families and God? That is what we pray. That is what David prayed.

Now that we have looked at a deeper meaning of the word “cornerstone”, we need to glean some truth from the 2^nd part of this verse.

ESV – cut for the structure of a palace

NAS – fashioned as for a palace

NIV84 – carved to adorn a palace

NKJV – sculptured in palace style

KJV – polished after the similitude of a palace

We see words like cut, fashioned, carved, sculptured, and polished. Notice that the cornerstone wasn't just picked up out of the quarry and set into the foundation. There was a lot of work done to it to get it prepared “just right”. In the same sense, when God gives us our daughters as little 6ish pound packages all bundled in pink, cute and perfect as they are, they are hardly fit or prepared to be a cornerstone. When I speak of “daughters” from here on out, I no longer am referring to them as the grown up product. I'm referring to them in their current state as diamonds in the rough who need to be prepared. There is much work to do and a whole lot of “fashioning” to accomplish. As firm believers in God's sovereignty, predestination, and His hidden will, we must not make the grave mistake of neglecting His revealed will, especially in the bringing up of our children. God gives us many promises and instructions for raising our children in His word. We need to cling to these, pray over these, and seek wisdom in implementing them, because this process of fashioning will be a real battle, in fact, a war.

Going back to the beginning and rest of the Psalm, we see that God is the one who has ultimately defeated the enemy and allowed David to triumph. BUT, we also see that despite that, God TRAINED David's hands, even his fingers, for the war. DON'T MISS THIS: God won the battle. God trained David to fight. It applies to us... particularly in the battle for the hearts and minds of our children. We have to actively be fighting: on our knees and in our decisions and actions. Thankfully we have the entirety of Scripture before us, to guide us, to train us. Our pastor has been preaching on Eph. 6, and it is very applicable in preparing us for the battle.

This brings us to the next truth in raising our children/daughters: THERE WILL BE A WAR! THERE IS A WAR! Unfortunately, not every parent recognizes this fact, and to miss it is a costly error. According to this Psalm, who or what is the enemy? Those whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand swears falsely. In our culture, we are bombarded with false teachers, false Christs, false gospels, and very inviting ½ truths. Discerning the enemy is not easy. Remember that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. And we can find him in our movies, TV shows, advertising, educational systems, books, music, the liberal left, even in twisting scripture... But that's nothing new, there is nothing new under the sun.... We need to be prepared and fight the battle well for the hearts and minds of our children and daughters as we endeavor to cut, polish, fashion, and sculpt them to one day be palace cornerstones.

***Application – How do we apply this to our daily lives?

1. Immerse yourself in the truth!

-Daily read God's Word.

*Always be systematically reading through the whole Bible! The pace doesn't matter so much as that you are constantly working through it in a scheduled manner: once/year, twice/year, once every two years, etc... You CAN do this. I prefer using the chronological plan.

-Be studying passages in depth.

Regularly do topical studies, spend time on what your pastor is preaching on, use resources like Ligonier online, listen to teachings available on SermonAudio, etc...

-Memorize Scripture – long and short passages... YES YOU CAN!

Memorize with a friend, memorize with your children, memorize passages that will help you in areas of temptation in your life, etc...

-Know the truth about God – Study Good Doctrine

WSC, Westminster Confession of Faith, Knowledge of the Holy by Tozer, AW Pink's Attributes of God. The scriptures warn us of thinking that God is like us. Know his attributes! Beware of cotton candy theology! This is where Satan easily invades our minds and hearts with stuff that sounds good and sounds biblical... but is not! Don't get sucked in by your emotions!

2. Be vigilant about what is coming into your home!

Titus 2:5 uses a word that means working at home/keepers of the home/guard of the home. You are the guarding over what in entering into your domain. What are you letting in? Where is Satan deceiving you? ---TV, movies, books, people, devices, clothing, music, toys... What is the worldview behind them? Remember how Absalom stole the heart of David's people? Don't let “well meaning” and seemingly innocent things come and steal your daughters' hearts.

*Example – what are the roots of Barbie? Did you know she was modeled after a doll sold as an adult novelty in Germany? She was sold in bars, tobacco shops, and adult themed toy stores. Does she portray a model of a polished cornerstone that we want our daughters to emulate?

YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR ENEMY AND BE EVER SO WATCHFUL AS HE TRIES TO INVADE!!!

3. Have a vision – know why you are doing what you are doing and convey that to your children. This helps protect against legalism where you have the actions without the heart behind it. Why do we learn to read? So we can read God's word. Why do we learn to write? So we can write about God's Word to others. Why do we learn to speak well? So we can accurately tell others about the gospel. Why do we memorize scripture? So we will not sin against God.....

4. Don't underestimate the ability of your kids!

-Matthew Henry learned to read early and was reading the Bible independently at 3 years old.

-The WSC was written for children! Yet we have striven to make it easier and condensed it into just a few words. Our little kids are capable of memorizing it.

-Have your kids memorize scripture – even long passages! Have a systematic review system in place. Every kid is different, but they are capable of a lot! My 7 year old has several chapters and verses memorized... including the entire sermon on the mount.

-Lack of diligence on the parent's end tends to be what limits our children... it isn't their lack of ability.

5. Teach them wholesome songs: The Psalter and Great hymns, set scripture to music

-We all know the power of music. What lyrics do you want flowing through your daughter's mind throughout the day? Truths about God? Or the indoctrinations of man? Don't be fooled into thinking that there isn't an agenda behind things like Disney's “Frozen” and “Let it Go”.

6. Read them Good Literature/ Provide them with Good Literature and Godly heroes/role models.

-Hudson Taylor, John Paton, Gladys Alward, Amy Carmichael, and Elizabeth Elliot are much better role models than Superwoman.

7. Bathe them in prayer and cling to the promises God has given to us in His Word.

This is not easy, it is not for the faint hearted, and it is EXHAUSTING! Sometimes battling Satan feels like the game Whack-a-Mole. You win one victory and he immediately rears his head in another arena. Persevere, Sisters! Each minute spent discipling your daughter is effectively fashioning her to be the polished cornerstone God is calling her to be.

So I'm asking all of you grown women here: Are you polished cornerstones between your families and God? Between your extended and in-law families?

And as mothers, grandmothers, and mentors, are you actively polishing these little daughters in our midst to be palace cornerstones?

Recommended Resources:

Standing on the Promises – Douglas Wilson

With the Children on Sundays – Sylvanus Stall

Knowledge of the Holy – Tozer

The Attributes of God – AW Pink

The Child's Book on Repentance – Thomas Gallaudet

Christian Heroes Then and Now series – Janet and Geoff Benge

Hero Tales – Dave and Neta Jackson

Training Hearts Teaching Minds – Starr Meade

Family Driven Faith – Voddie Bauchum

Shepherding a Child's Heart – Ted Tripp

Leading Little Ones to God – Schoolland

The Ology – Machowski

Large Family Logistics – Brenneman

The Shaping of a Christian Family – Elizabeth Elliot

Truth and Grace Memory Books

Dangerous Journey ---- a beautifully illustrated version of the Pilgrim's Progress

WSC set to music – Holly Dutton

Why, HELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO..... again!

CONFESSIONS of an ABSENTEE BLOGGER:

Well, I've been inspired lately to start adding to my much neglected blog!!! I'll tell you why in just a bit. But anyhow.... as I logged back into this site I realized that it has been nearly 3 1/2 YEARS since I last posted!!! 😲😲😲 Well, a LOT has happened with our family in that time: namely, we've GROWN by another little one.... (I know, you all are super surprised by that)!

We welcomed Elijah Knox into our tribe on September 12, 20016. Much to the disappointment of our girls, this made THREE boys in a row! We gals are super outnumbered now! He has been a huge blessing to our family, as they all have been.

We have joined the ranks of families with teenage drivers and now TWO high schoolers. I don't know where the time goes, but it sure flies! These kids have grown up sooooooo fast! It is certainly a reminder to be redeeming our time and be teaching them diligently (Deut. 6:4-9) as they are only entrusted to us for a teeny little while!!!

I can't possibly catch you all up in a single post, but I wanted to let you know what to expect in the near future. I'll be posting lots about our homeschooling journey, discipleship and scripture memory methods we use, products we love (can I get an AMEN for the invention of the Instant Pot), and a super awesome family worship resource we have been using the past several months. In addition, the kids and I have been flexing our creative muscles and making some great farmhouse and pet decor! We will be sharing some of those things with you as well! Finally, I have been appointed as our 2018 women's presbytery's literature coordinator, so I will be posting several book reviews and recommendations for the next several months. (That's the main reason for resurrecting my blog... I need a place to organize my thoughts in preparation for presenting these resources for next year's meeting).

So there you have it...😜 My hope is to post at least twice a month... more if the opportunity presents itself! I'm not really a facebook person, but I recently joined the ranks of Instagram. You can find us at: Wolf Creek Rustics (wolfcreekrustics). Hope to see you all there!!!