Tuesday, November 22, 2011

more thanks

41. celebrating the Happy 1st Birthday of our precious niece Juliana Mae.

42. getting a break from school, and being well enough to enjoy it

43. two successful days of pie making at the bakery

44. time to catch up on laundry and house cleaning

45. finding new Amish romance books to read over this week's break

46. restful manis/pedis with my sister Sarah on Saturday

47. winning splendid eBay auctions for two figurines for my nieces' birthdays

48. grace to wait for God to multiply the seed of faith in my heart

49. being able to listen to uplifting Christian radio, especially Power 88

50. the freedom to celebrate my Savior's birth and remember all that He has done for me

51. an offer from the grandparents of a CIAS family to provide a MUCH NEEDED vacuum for the school in barter for their tuition

52. paying off our television this month

53. alertness to hear the Holy Spirit's direction and quickening

54. much-needed rain

Saturday, November 12, 2011

thanksliving

33. warm socks for cold evenings

34. the romantic simplicity of watching my old "Anne of Avonlea" vhs

35. Tricia's made-from-scratch deliciously warm and comforting chocolate pudding this evening

36. sleeping in this morning

37. a successful grocery and Thanksgiving dinner shopping excursion (all I need now is the turkey and some fresh greens!)

38. a pretty plum & gray printed top at Target yesterday

39. a 20 oz. Shakespeare from The Drowsy Poet. soooo hot and yummy!

39. cute little orange pumpkins on our table- Corrie Lynn's very own "punkin patch"

40. the cutest hearty little laughs from Julieana as she tossed Meg's colorball today


Psalm 30:12
"That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."

Saturday, November 5, 2011

state of the church

"The true man of God is heartsick, 
grieved at the worldliness of the Church, 
grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, 
grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. 
He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church 
no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil."
-Leonard Ravenhill
No matter how much we try to fit in and be comfortable with those around us, no matter how close to the world our lifestyle tends, there is yet a great chasm between the broad and narrow ways (Matt. 7). And sadly, Jesus says that few will find the narrow way that leads to true life! The more I read about the faith of our fathers, the more I think that modern Christians have missed it.

Several weeks ago, one of my FB acquaintances posted that his church was having a Wednesday prayer and worship evening, so he invited everyone on his friends list to come. And then he said, "Come out and support our pastor." I recoiled, "WHAT?!? What does supporting a pastor have to do with worshiping and praising and magnifying and spending time before our AWESOME GOD?!" Besides missing the point, his post reflected a "churchianity" that I don't share or believe in. God calls us to Himself, to worship Him, to commune with Him, to let Him change us into His image, and to let Him turn us into ministers of His saving grace. Not to follow a man or a dogma or doctrine.  Or get hung up" on one issue or another, totally missing the whole picture of our purpose for existence and life here on earth in view of eternity.

Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 3 when he was confronted with Christians who wanted to segregate and divide Jesus' followers into "camps of belief." He first states that some ministers plant seeds and some water them, but God is the one who  gives the increase. You almost think he is dismissing his own role in the ministry process, yet he says that every man shall "receive his own reward according to his own labor." So, yes, the church does play an important role in the spiritual life, but "supporting our pastor" should not be a motivation to spend an evening with our Maker and Savior!

I counsel and talk to students and parents every week who have no tools of the Kingdom, no power of the Holy Spirit, and no victory over their flesh, sin, and the devil to live a dynamic Christian life. It is sad but true. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the tide or spiritual and Scriptural ignorance that surrounds me (and I am not talking about my immediate family here!). I can only do my part to stem it and shine the light towards paths of righteousness, and leave the rest to the Lord! 

Case in point...several months ago, I had to call for an intervention meeting with the parents of one our struggling students. Only the mom could make time in her schedule to come. And when I asked her if she and her husband prayed over their children, she looked at me with a blank look and didn't know what to say. I still can't fathom the feeling that crashed into my spirit as I sat there, realizing that this parent didn't really care about their child's spiritual welfare. She could cry and weep all she wanted, but when the rubber hit the road, she wasn't willing to do what that Bible says to train up and intercede for her child(ren). 

Demonic apathy is rendering us powerless...it has crept in and stolen our zeal and thirst and hunger. In Matt. 11:12, Jesus was talking to his followers about John the Baptist, and explaining why John was so different and why he couldn't be like everybody else around him. And He ends with, "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force."

"May the things of this world so lose their power over us that we do not in the slightest wish to be "worldly"; nay, we even delight in not remaining 'in the world.'"
-Watchman Nee 

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