Sabbath Musings, Part 1

I wasn't born into a Christian household and neither were either of my parents; both dad and mom came to salvation after my brother and I had joined the family. As new converts, we were starting with a completely blank slate: pretty much all of Christianity was foreign to us and we were like dry sponges: we soaked up every bit of knowledge and instruction we could get our hands on.

It seems to me that the majority of the Church in America is dispensational in theology, so it's no surprise that the first church we joined, and subsequently every church we've been in since, was dispensational and as such it was this thinking that shaped our understanding of scripture, it's application and interpretation. A good chunck of the Old Testament was thrown out the window, labled as "Applicable to Israel Only" and one precious truth/doctrine that was thus discarded as "fulfilled" was that precious teaching of scripture regarding the Sabbath. We based our belief on Romans 14:5,
                                ^"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"

We basically believed that Romans 14:5 taught that so long as we were "persuaded" we had no biblical obligation to observe the sabbath as a day of rest from our labors. Of course we were not to forsake the gathering together of ourselves (Heb. 10:25) and so we attended church on Sunday, but it wasn't uncommon for us to stop at the store and pickup goat feed or groceries, or even go out to eat on the way home. We also often used Sunday like any other day of the way to get chores done, specifically ones that required dad's help as he had the day off. So we had a 7 day work week of sorts.

And then, I met, fell in love with, and married Reformed Baptist, Pennsylvania farmer.

Jonathan, using his oft quoted principle for undertanding the scriptures, "the clear must interpret the unclear, not the other way around" helped me to understand that Paul was not speaking of the Lord's day in Romans 14:5.

In this series on "Sabbath Musings" I am hoping to show you what Paul was referring to in Romans 14:5 and why we are still to observe a day of rest and worship based on the scriptures. Will you join me?

Communicating with our Children

Elise and I are home from the gathering of the Church this morning as neither of us are well. Jonathan and I thought it would be wisest not to expose Elise to any more germs than necessary during this time so that her body can focus on healing itself.

I've been listening to the Bradrick family's messages on "Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World" this morning while my baby girl is napping and, wow! have I been so challenged and encouraged in my role as a mother! Specifically I've been listening to Susan Bradrick as she talks about the training of children from birth to 3 months, which while I missed that opportunity with Elise I plan to take advantage of it with this new little one that we are expecting in June :-) Although, the point needs to be made, that while Elise is past the ideal time for the training that Susan lays out, she still needs these basic truths to be structured into her life:
- Establishing Communication/Relationship
- Time for Mommy and Daddy to be wrestling in prayer for the wisdom to discern her personality, her strengths, weaknesses and her sin nature so that she can be trained rightly.

Susan shares how we build a relationship with such a tiny, helpless infant by communicating with them through talking, not at them, but with and to. For example, rather than just giving instructions, or talking for the sakes of hearing ourselves talk, speak things such as, "Oh, you woke from your nap! Mommy is so happy to see you awake and cheerful. Why don't we change your diaper?" etc. It is sharing our thoughts, ideas and desires with our children.
We communicate not only through words but through our tones and responses, our actions, the world we 'create' for them, family relationships, music, scheduling, etc.

Overall I was amazed at how much we communicate without even realizing it! I was inspired to really put forth the effort to redeem my time with my daughter and communicate to her in all of life the goodness of God.

I hope to come back and address a few more of her points in detail, they were just so good! However, right now, Elise is up and  in need of her mommy. . .

Organization and the (infamous) ToDo List

The “ToDo List” and I tend to be the best of friends and worst of enemies. Since I am not the task driven, Type A personality, well organized kind of person I need a list to keep me focused and organized. Being the artistically-organized-wanna-be that I am I tried putting together a “Housekeeping Notes” journal but, while it may be useful to some people, I tend to hardly look at it, there's too many dividers and various notes that I find overwhelming. I've tried make notes on scrap pieces of paper, but those seem to either get lost or I forget to throw them away when I am done which leaves me with useless, messy paper piles - particularly on my night stand.

Enter the "1 Subject, 70 Sheets, College Ruled Notebook"! It fit well within my budget (a whole .50 cents!) and my personality. I just make up my daily todo list, which I don't lose since it's bigger and heavier than a single piece of paper and then I get to it. I don't have dividers for the books I want to read, projects I hope to accomplish, company I need to have over, menu planning, etc. because although those are good, I tend to get lost in so many categories. I am better off just looking at my bookshelf for something to read, looking around my house for my never ending list of projects, flipping through the church directory or walking around the 'neighborhood' for people to have over. The one category that I do have a separate paper for is menu planning. While I am still working on learning exactly how to menu plan successfully I am convinced that it is a worthwhile skill and that it will (eventually) save me time and money. 

How do/does you/your family stay organized?

If you are the "keeper of your home" what does this look like for you?

If you are a daughter, how does your mother do it? How would you theoretically like to implement the principle of organization in your own home some day?  

Take the Challenge to have a "Missional Homemaking" Perspective

One of my favorite homemaking and natural health/living blogs is "Passionate Homemaking".
Lindsay Edmonds, a woman passionate about glorifying God and speaking the truth of the Gosple.
I love reading what she has to share, I am always inspired in my role as a wife, mother and homemaker. The care and graciousness with which she communicates what she has learned and is learning about being a wise steward of what God has intrusted to her is uplifting.

Recently Lindsay spoke at a women's conference on "Missional Homemaking".
I highly encourage you take the time to listen to it and then go and seek wisdom from the Lord as to how you can apply the 12 points she outlines.

Wordless Wednesday: Blueberry pie

August is. . .

sweaty field work under a hot summer sun.

potato harvest

canning sun ripened tomatoes and peaches.

laundry flapping in the wind

apples from the neighbor to be made into applesauce

                                  green stained feet from walking through damp, freshly cut grass

Time to remember, rededicate

                                                      pray, and prepare for a new year. . .

Studies of Scripture

Elise drifted off to sleep while nursing and beside me, my husband had also, exhausted from six full days of laboring in the field. I slipped out from my place, nestled inbetween them, and headed into the office. The thought came that I ought to take advantage of this quiet moment to study scripture and pray. I retrieved my Bible and went to check my nightstand for my journal. As I walked softly beside the bed I saw the little face pucker, the mouth draw into a pout and a cry escaped the tiny lips followed by another and another, in rapid sucession.                                  -There goes my afternoon; -   
I picked her up and whisked her to the living room where we wouldn't disturb daddy. Laying her on the couch beside me I decided to try and let her fuss it out, and while she fussed, I pondered what to study, where in the scriptures to read. It soon became evident that she had not intention of sleeping. I held her, but she would not refused to be comforted while mommy was sitting, so I walked, until her eyes closed. Gently she was laid back down and I settled in with my Bible, Strong's Concordance and the Expository Greek dictionary, Lord, what shall I read, where in these 66 books of the cannon of scripture do You want my soul to feed?
John 3:16 came to mind. I've been pondering the Calvanistic doctrine of Particular Redemption (or Limited Atonement), searching the scriptures, wanting to be convinced for myself of what the Word teaches. What does it mean, God so loved the world that He sent His only Son? Does it nullify my understanding of limited atonement. Elise's cries fill the still air. With a sigh I walk with her, trying to soothe her. We sit in the rocking chair.  No, God's love for the world (greek: Kosmos) doesn't mean He died for all the world, it just means He loved the world. Elise is settled and back on her make shift bed in the living room, Lord, how do I go about studying the teaching of scripture in regards to the atoning work of Christ? Hebrews 9. Hebrews 9? Gary Martin read that passage in preparation for partaking of the Lord's supper this morning. I don't remember anything particular being said about who's sins were atoned for. . . With my daugher at last sleeping I began to read. At first the Inspired Word explains how the symbols of the first covenant pointed to Christ and the new covenant. But then I came to verse 28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Many. What word is that? Poloos, many. Used throughout the gosples to refer to the multitudes that followed Christ. I.e. it refers to a group of people, not all people. Hmm,
The sound of my husband reading Psalm 127 to my again awake daughter fills my ears; I still have more studying to do, more to meditate on, but I am thankful for the direction the Spirit has pointed me in.