THE ORIGINAL FEMALE
by Nancy Campbell-www.aboverubies.org
Matthew 19:4 "And he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female."
Interesting! God didn't make two Adams. He didn't make two Eves. He created an Adam and an Eve. He created a male and a female.
The most common Greek word for 'woman' in the New Testament is gune which means 'woman, wife.' However, Jesus used a more specific word when he answered the Pharisees who asked him about divorce. He used the word thelus which comes from the root word thele. It literally means 'a woman's breast from which a baby sucks to find sustenance and to thrive.' Jesus described the female as a suckling mother. "This is how God made them in the beginning," he reminded them. And God has not yet made a new model!
There are many women who do not like to hear this description. To be a suckling mother seems degrading to a career woman. And yet this is who God created us to be. When we embrace children and suckle them at the breast we fulfill our highest destiny. We live in the glory of our femaleness. We find our greatest beauty. And we wield a mighty power.
The mother who embraces life and suckles a babe at her breast is not wasting her time. She is nourishing a child who potentially bears the image of God--a child who will come forth from her home one day to bring God's love and salvation to many. Maybe this child will be a mighty voice to turn a nation to God. And she nurtures a child for everlasting eternity. It is still true that "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."
When a mother nurses her baby she produces prolactin, which is known as the "mothering hormone." The more the mother suckles the baby, the more prolactin she produces and therefore the more motherly she becomes. God has divinely endowed the female with a maternal instinct, but when she suckles at the breast this maternalness is enhanced even more. She lives more in the anointing of who God created her to be--to reveal the maternal character of God--His love, compassion, pity and nurturing.
Some mothers say, "I'm only interested in quality, not quantity" and so they limit their children so they can supposedly give more to the one or two they choose to have. This is a false conception. As her two children grow and go off to school, she is mothering less and less and looks to find fulfillment elsewhere, often going out to work and establishing herself in a career. And so her children receive less of her time. Whereas, when a mother has another baby and suckles the babe at her breast, prolactin kicks in and the motherly hormones pour in again. Not only does her baby benefit from this loving hormone, but her whole family. The love and nurturing spreads out to all her children. This is how God keeps the mother protecting and delighting in her children in the home.
God also uses this description of the female as a suckling mother in Romans 1:26, "For this cause God gave them up until vile affections: for even their women (thelus) did change the natural use into that which is against nature." This is a very challenging Scripture to all females because it states that when a woman turns away from the natural function of how God created the female body to function--with a womb to conceive and nurture life and breasts to suckle this life, that God gives them up to vile affections. Isn't it amazing that we have become such a deceived generation that women do not want to be who they were created to be?
Please understand, I am not talking about mothers who are not able to conceive children or even those who are not physically able to breastfeed. We don't live in a perfect world and not everyone's bodies are functioning as God originally intended. God looks at the heart and our intentions, whether we embrace His ways or turn from His ways in our hearts.
He wants us to turn towards Him, not turn away from the way He created us.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, Above Rubies
PRAYER:
"Lord, please help me to be truly female as you designed me to be."
AFFIRMATION:
"As I hold this baby in my arms
I'm like a picture of you,
To nurture with your love is what
You made me to do."
______________________________________________________________________We are an unaverage American family living on 2.5 acres in Texas with our 5+ homeschooled children and a handful of farm animals. We are taking one day at a time and living under the Lord's grace. May you be blessed as you read and learn more about "our road."
Showing posts with label Biblical Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biblical Family. Show all posts
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I Am Dangerous!
Thank you Lord for sending the right words at just the right time. May you other mothers be encouraged today too!
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I AM DANGEROUS!
By Nancy Campbell-www.aboverubies.org
Exodus 1:12, "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel." The first chapter of Exodus tells us about the children of Israel living down in Egypt. Verse 7 says, "And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them." They were fulfilling the first commandment that God gave to man. Something powerful always happens when we obey God's commandments. They are not ordinary words to be discarded; they are life-giving decrees.
What happened in Egypt? The children of Israel became "more and mightier" than the Egyptians. (v. 9). They became a threat to them. And the Egyptians were grieved. The word grieved is the Hebrew word qutsand it means "disgusted, abhorred, horrified, afraid--actually vomiting is the primary understanding of the word."
This same Hebrew word is used in another passage where the children of Israel became a threat. In Numbers 22:3 it tells us, "Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many and Moab was distressed (quts) because of the children of Israel." Why was Moab so very afraid? Because the Israelites were multiplying! When a people multiply, they become scary. When they multiply, they take dominion.
Now here's the question. Are we, the people of God, a threat to the enemy in our nation today? Sadly, we have to answer no. For the last seven or eight decades, instead of multiplying, God's people have been diminishing. They have turned away from the infallible, immutable Word of God and followed their own desires. They have limited their number of children to the worldly 1.6 average. They have sacrificed bringing God's children into the world on the altar of careerism and modern culture-ism. And now the humanists and socialists are taking over.
There are thousands and millions of precious godly offspring who are not here! God has been deprived of His intentions. The world has been deprived of the godly offspring who fill the nation with His love, righteousness. truth, salvation, wisdom and justice. And of course, although many do not realize it, the parents themselves have been deprived.
But all is not lost. There are a growing number of families who are listening to the heartbeat of God. They are hearing His desire for family and for children. They are turning from their deceptions and opening their hearts to the children that He has destined for them to have, whether it is one or ten! As they obey God's first commandment something amazing is happening. The liberalists are starting to get scared! They are so horrified, they want to vomit!
Very recently a book was published by a radical feminist and published by Beacon Press, which promotes homosexuality and anti-Christian dogma. She wrote this book to expose Biblical patriarchy and fruitfulmotherhood. In this book she states that the parents who embrace children are "a movement we ignore at our peril." In a message to Barack Obama, she writes, "Fearless Leader--forget the fundamentalists in Iraq; these prolific Christians are the real bad guys!" In other words, fruitful mothers, embracing the children God wants them to have are dangerous! They are scaring the feminists!
The enemy, who hates life, who comes "to rob, kill and destroy" is scared of the godly seed! Mothers who are not deceived by the delusions of Satan, the robber of life, and who still believe in God's very first mandate to mankind are dangerous people! Isn't that exciting? You may think you are insignificant as you care for your children in your home each day, but mother, lift up your eyes! You are doing a powerful work. You are doing God's work. You are dangerous to the enemy. He is scared of you, because he is scared of the godly seed coming into this world who will hate evil and love righteousness, who will destroy the works of the devil and lift up the name of Jesus. And those who walk in deception and follow the devil's ways are scared of you too!
Don't you love being dangerous? Look out! Here we come--holding on to the Word of Life, walking in God's commandments, embracing the Godly seed and training them to be mighty warriors for God who will impact this world and fill it with His glory. Never forget--the more children a godly mother brings into this world...
The more scared the liberalists will become!
The more evil will be defeated in the land!
The more the kingdom of God will be advanced!
The more the gospel will be spread across the earth!
The more the image of God will be revealed in the earth!
The more the economy will boom in the land!
The more righteousness and morality will pervade the land!
The more righteous leaders will arise in the nation!
The more justice, honesty and truth will flood the land!
The more God will be glorified in the earth!
The more the nation will prosper and be blessed!
The more dangerous she will be!
And the more the statists will fear and tremble!
Keep being dangerous!
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES
PRAYER:
"Oh God, please help me to see clearly. Help me to realize the power of motherhood and the power of every child you give me to fulfill your plans in this world. Save me from holding back children whom you have destined to accomplish your mighty works. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
I am a dangerous woman!
Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.
If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to subscribers-on@aboverubies.orgTo unsubscribe from the Above Rubies Devotional, please use the link provided below:PO Box 681687, Franklin, TN 37068-1687, U.S.A.
*******************************************************************
I AM DANGEROUS!
By Nancy Campbell-www.aboverubies.org
Exodus 1:12, "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel." The first chapter of Exodus tells us about the children of Israel living down in Egypt. Verse 7 says, "And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them." They were fulfilling the first commandment that God gave to man. Something powerful always happens when we obey God's commandments. They are not ordinary words to be discarded; they are life-giving decrees.
What happened in Egypt? The children of Israel became "more and mightier" than the Egyptians. (v. 9). They became a threat to them. And the Egyptians were grieved. The word grieved is the Hebrew word qutsand it means "disgusted, abhorred, horrified, afraid--actually vomiting is the primary understanding of the word."
This same Hebrew word is used in another passage where the children of Israel became a threat. In Numbers 22:3 it tells us, "Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many and Moab was distressed (quts) because of the children of Israel." Why was Moab so very afraid? Because the Israelites were multiplying! When a people multiply, they become scary. When they multiply, they take dominion.
Now here's the question. Are we, the people of God, a threat to the enemy in our nation today? Sadly, we have to answer no. For the last seven or eight decades, instead of multiplying, God's people have been diminishing. They have turned away from the infallible, immutable Word of God and followed their own desires. They have limited their number of children to the worldly 1.6 average. They have sacrificed bringing God's children into the world on the altar of careerism and modern culture-ism. And now the humanists and socialists are taking over.
There are thousands and millions of precious godly offspring who are not here! God has been deprived of His intentions. The world has been deprived of the godly offspring who fill the nation with His love, righteousness. truth, salvation, wisdom and justice. And of course, although many do not realize it, the parents themselves have been deprived.
But all is not lost. There are a growing number of families who are listening to the heartbeat of God. They are hearing His desire for family and for children. They are turning from their deceptions and opening their hearts to the children that He has destined for them to have, whether it is one or ten! As they obey God's first commandment something amazing is happening. The liberalists are starting to get scared! They are so horrified, they want to vomit!
Very recently a book was published by a radical feminist and published by Beacon Press, which promotes homosexuality and anti-Christian dogma. She wrote this book to expose Biblical patriarchy and fruitfulmotherhood. In this book she states that the parents who embrace children are "a movement we ignore at our peril." In a message to Barack Obama, she writes, "Fearless Leader--forget the fundamentalists in Iraq; these prolific Christians are the real bad guys!" In other words, fruitful mothers, embracing the children God wants them to have are dangerous! They are scaring the feminists!
The enemy, who hates life, who comes "to rob, kill and destroy" is scared of the godly seed! Mothers who are not deceived by the delusions of Satan, the robber of life, and who still believe in God's very first mandate to mankind are dangerous people! Isn't that exciting? You may think you are insignificant as you care for your children in your home each day, but mother, lift up your eyes! You are doing a powerful work. You are doing God's work. You are dangerous to the enemy. He is scared of you, because he is scared of the godly seed coming into this world who will hate evil and love righteousness, who will destroy the works of the devil and lift up the name of Jesus. And those who walk in deception and follow the devil's ways are scared of you too!
Don't you love being dangerous? Look out! Here we come--holding on to the Word of Life, walking in God's commandments, embracing the Godly seed and training them to be mighty warriors for God who will impact this world and fill it with His glory. Never forget--the more children a godly mother brings into this world...
The more scared the liberalists will become!
The more evil will be defeated in the land!
The more the kingdom of God will be advanced!
The more the gospel will be spread across the earth!
The more the image of God will be revealed in the earth!
The more the economy will boom in the land!
The more righteousness and morality will pervade the land!
The more righteous leaders will arise in the nation!
The more justice, honesty and truth will flood the land!
The more God will be glorified in the earth!
The more the nation will prosper and be blessed!
The more dangerous she will be!
And the more the statists will fear and tremble!
Keep being dangerous!
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL, ABOVE RUBIES
PRAYER:
"Oh God, please help me to see clearly. Help me to realize the power of motherhood and the power of every child you give me to fulfill your plans in this world. Save me from holding back children whom you have destined to accomplish your mighty works. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
I am a dangerous woman!
Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.
If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to subscribers-on@aboverubies.orgTo unsubscribe from the Above Rubies Devotional, please use the link provided below:PO Box 681687, Franklin, TN 37068-1687, U.S.A.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Life Purpose?
One time I was asked "What do you want your children to accomplish in their life, higher eduction, a great job, money...?" My response was not any of the listed ideas, instead I responded with, "That my children know God and serve him!" To a non-christian or even a non-homeschooler that sounds like a sad and pitiful answer because our culture teaches us that fame, fortune and friends make us happy and successful in this life. But my purpose is not for what I (or my children) can achieve in this life, it's what comes after that I am more interested in. If I give my children the best clothes, house, toys, gadgets, elite education (by society's standards) in this life but they do not know Jesus Christ and serve him, they may have temporary happiness on this earth, but will spend eternity in Hell. To me, it is too high a price to pay! Hell is real and I am not going to waste these precious few years I have training and teaching my children on material things. I do not know when they will leave this earth so I have to make the most of every minute I have with them preparing them for eternity, not this temporary life on earth.
So how does this work as far as academics in our family? While I do believe that education is necessary in this life, I feel that it comes second to nurturing an intimate relationship with the Lord. Most of our education system from private or public school to higher education is a product of our culture. It is man's desire to climb up the ladder of education the way we do today, not God's. Does that mean it's bad or wrong, no. I do believe that God gives man knowledge and wisdom to pass on to others. However, when your child's life only becomes about doing well in school so he can go on to a university which in turn helps him to get a job that pays lots of money...then your focus is not in the right place. That is a worldly view based on what our culture and society have deemed important and successful in this life. The bible does not tell us that we have to receive an education to get to heaven. Our education system including college is man-made. The bible does tell parents that they are to "train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it(Proverbs 22:6)" and to teach his commands, decrees and statutes to our children. Train a child in the way he should go means training them to serve the Lord and live a productive life on this earth for His glory, not ours. This is what the Lord has for our family, it may not be the same for yours and that's ok!
So how does this work as far as academics in our family? While I do believe that education is necessary in this life, I feel that it comes second to nurturing an intimate relationship with the Lord. Most of our education system from private or public school to higher education is a product of our culture. It is man's desire to climb up the ladder of education the way we do today, not God's. Does that mean it's bad or wrong, no. I do believe that God gives man knowledge and wisdom to pass on to others. However, when your child's life only becomes about doing well in school so he can go on to a university which in turn helps him to get a job that pays lots of money...then your focus is not in the right place. That is a worldly view based on what our culture and society have deemed important and successful in this life. The bible does not tell us that we have to receive an education to get to heaven. Our education system including college is man-made. The bible does tell parents that they are to "train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it(Proverbs 22:6)" and to teach his commands, decrees and statutes to our children. Train a child in the way he should go means training them to serve the Lord and live a productive life on this earth for His glory, not ours. This is what the Lord has for our family, it may not be the same for yours and that's ok!
In our home, we have what I like to call "Life School" every minute of every day. They begin their schooling from the moment they are born. Now i don't mean they know how to read and write from an early age or do algebra equations at 8, but they are educated through every day life happenings. Cooking or baking provides lots of math and reading practice and making homemade laundry soap is a great science experiment. Letter recognition and counting can be done in the car or bath tub and learning colors is fun while doing the laundry. Just try finding a caterpillar and letting it spin a cocoon, then watching it emerge as a new creation, a butterfly. That is the most amazing science lesson and I don't even have to "teach" it to them. God provides everything we need! If we take advantage of every day teachable moments, our children are receiving the best education we can offer them, although maybe not according to our cultures standard.
I ran across this passage while reading Educating the Whole-Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson. It sums it all up!
"Christian home education is the shaping of a life, not just the preparation for a living. Your child needs to see that home education is preparing them for a higher purpose in life, and that their real hope is heaven, not the riches of this world. They need to know that their purpose in life is to serve God, not to make money and buy things. If you set their hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly things, then they will find fulfillment in whatever they do in this life because it is a means of serving God."
"Christian home education is the shaping of a life, not just the preparation for a living. Your child needs to see that home education is preparing them for a higher purpose in life, and that their real hope is heaven, not the riches of this world. They need to know that their purpose in life is to serve God, not to make money and buy things. If you set their hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly things, then they will find fulfillment in whatever they do in this life because it is a means of serving God."
I pray that we all will not bow down at the altar of this material world, but place our eyes upon the Heavens and find purpose in this life!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Time With The Lord
Motherhood doesn't allow for us to always do what we want, when we want when it comes to a daily devotion time; someone gets hurt, we have to change a poopy diaper, "i'm hungry", the phone rings, and on and on. I don't always have to the chance to sit for an extended time and just read my bible like i'd like to. I've struggled off and on with the guilt of not having a "daily devotion" early in the morning like many people say I should be doing. But i know that we are not all robots that perform and do things the exact same way, at the same time every day. God created us to be different. What works for one, doesn't always work for another.
Should we all be spending time with the Lord each day, reading his word and praying, yes! But it's not something that we should do because we have to so we can check it off our list. God wants our whole heart, not just a check mark on our daily list.
What i have come to know is that motherhood is about sacrifice. We give ourselves over to the care, nuture, and soul-shaping of the precious lives that have been lent to us. We sacrifice that savored one-on-one time we used to be able to spend with the Lord as long as we needed. For around 18-30 years (depending on how many children you have) a mother's life is not her own.
If 18-30 years sounds like a lot to you, it's really not in the span of a 100 year life, or even a 75 year life. It's really only like a couple of hours in the span of a day. That's scary to me and kind of sad. We really only have such a short time to teach and train our children before they are off on their own way. Yet, it is so important! Their future heavily depends on this time spent at home with you. Mothers give so much time in pouring out love, effort, emotion, and thought into our children's life so that they can one day, very soon, stand on their own. As a mother of young children, it can seem as if they are never going to grow up. You get caught up in the day-to-day of life that you forget how short a time you will have them, and before you know it, they are grown and starting their own family. Savor all that you can, it will soon pass!
All that being said, I know that God understands mothers, he came up with this job! He knows we are up many times during the night consoling a scared child, dealing with an ear infection, or nursing a baby (many times!). He knows that we are constantly pulled from one need to the next with hardly time to breath sometimes. He knows that we move at super-speed as we try to accomplish all of the day-to-day tasks it takes to run a household which are too many to name here. But, motherhood is only for a brief time and He knows that too! One day we will have the opportunity to sit for hours pouring over scripture and studying every word. One day we will be able to go to bible studies whenever we want.
For most mothers with children in the home, that is not today.
We have to soak up what He puts before us as we go through our day. It may be the question a child asks that causes you to pull out a bible and try to answer it, or maybe it's the devotion you do with them for school, or maybe it's something someone says that catches your attention, or maybe it's through the words of a song. It can be the words of encouragement from a friend or even a blog you read that day. Or maybe it's the way your husband reads a bible story to your children and it really blesses your heart. Whatever it may be for you, accept what the Lord gives you and apply it to your life. Don't live in guilt over not keeping up with someone else's standards.
Most of the time, for me, it's music. Everyday, the Lord teaches me something through the christian cd's that are constantly playing in my home. I can be at my wits end with crying or arguing children when a song will be playing that the Lord uses to calm my heart. Or maybe I am in a bad mood when i turn on a cd and everyone livens up as we sing and dance around the kitchen. Lots of times i am brought to tears through a song that brings me to repentance over my sins or they are tears of joy and thanksgiving when i am reminded of the blessing in my life. I know that God uses songs as a tool to bring me closer to him.
There are other times too. Like mowing the lawn. I love the quiet time i have as i sit and mow, even in the midst of at least one child on my lap. The loud sound of the mower drowns everything else out and i have time to think. Or, lots of times, it's when i am nursing a baby in my rocking chair. God has helped me sort out questions in my mind and shown me what i needed to see, all while rocking and nursing my baby. Lately, its been through the conversations i have with my 7 year old as i point out how we should treat others, from those suffering in other countries or just across town. I also pray all through the day as the need or chance arises.
My point is, that God can speak to us in many ways. For some, that may be a daily scheduled devotion time. For others, it's not. At this stage in my life, He touches and teaches me in the moment, not at a scheduled time. One day, it may be different.
But that's me. How does God reach you?
Don't live in bondage to someones else's idea or even mine of how you should be spending time with the Lord. Listen to him all through out your day. He is speaking, have ready ears to hear Him!
May you be blessed as you seek the Lord in your life!
Mothers
"Oh, mothers of young children, I bow before you in reverence. Your work is most holy. You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls. The powers folded up in the little ones that you hushed to sleep in your bosoms last night, are powers that shall exist forever. You are preparing them for their immortal destiny and influence. Be faithful. Take up your sacred burden reverently. Be sure that your heart is pure and that your life is sweet and clean." —J.R. Miller, The Family, pg. 106
If you have never read this book, I encourage you to do so. Vision Forum formerly sold it as Homemaking, but now is called The Family. It was written in the 1800's but i am so amazed how much it applies to us today. You will be encouraged in your daily walk through this life! I wish i could post so many more of the paragraphs that made me sigh, smile, cry, and laugh. It really is that good and worth the read!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
This is Our Road
As I was washing dishes in the kitchen yesterday and listening to a cd, a song came on that I've heard many times. I love how the Lord does this; I can hear a song 50 times and each time he reveals something new to me. It's always something i need to hear just at that moment, but that same thing didn't mean anything two days before when i heard it.
Well yesterday it was this..."This is Our Road" (from a cd by Serene and Pearl from Above Rubies, titled the same, about marriage. They have several wonderful cd's for mothers and a new one for fathers). A light bulb went off in my mind! The past 6 months have been a time of soul searching, stretching, humbling, and growing for me. Who am I..as a wife, mother, friend, child of God, stranger in public? Am I being who God made me to be or trying to be like someone else? Most of it has not been fun, pleasant, or pretty for myself or others close to me. But, I now feel that i am on the other side and the words, "this is our road" sums it all up. Our road is different from yours and that's ok!
I will explain all that, but just so you know, this is a very humbling thing for me. To share something so personal and even ugly in my personality I wouldn't have even dreamed about a year ago. Pride wouldn't let me. But i am not the same person, thankfully, and the Lord is using even this to help me change. I want to be real to all who read this and know me. I would never want anyone to look at me and my family and think that we have got it all together because we don't! No one does! We fail, sin, and mess up all of the time just like everyone else. Thankfully we have a God that forgives and moves us forward on our road!
Back to my story-
Back in the Fall, while we were at my in-laws, there happened to be a Duggar Family marathon, you know the family with 18 children in Arkansas, on cable (we don't have cable so this was fun for me!). Now large families are not new to me, although 18 is way past what I know, but i am used to the idea of a large family. Even they way they do things is not new, like how they organize their home, feed everyone, do laundry, drive a big van (bus), even they way they dress. Light Bulb!(in my mind), the way they dress. The long skirts, long hair, simple shirts, very modest. I totally can see myself and my daughters looking like them. But then i noticed the dad and boys. They dressed in nice khakies or pants with polo or button down shirts, always tucked in with a belt, lace up shoes, etc. That is not at all who my husband is or will ever be like! So this was the beginning of what the Lord had to teach me. Our conversation went something like this in my mind:
"Are you trying to be like someone else?"
"Whoa Lord, I thought you wanted me to be this way, dress how all these other women dress, act the way they act, train my children their way..."
"Who are you?"
"I am 'trying' to be a godly christian woman like many other godly christian women I know."
"Who did I make you to be?
"A wife and mother."
"To whom?"
"Kenneth and my children."
"I gave you a husband to be the head of your family. I choose him just for you and your children. Follow him! Don't look to other women, men, or even families. I have a plan for them and a different plan for you. Don't try to be something I didn't ever intend for you to be."
"Lord, show me who you made me and my family to be!"
The next 6 months were just that! He has shown and is still showing me who I am supposed to be. I have really learned to let go of comparing myself and my family to others. Not that that is always bad. I do think we need to have good examples to strive for, but when you are trying and trying to make something out of nothing and make it look like so and so, all you wind up with is frustration! Be real, be who God made you to be!
What i realized is that I was trying to make our family look a certain way and that's not really who we are. I really don't like wearing floor length skirts but i did it because that's what I thought godly christian women should do. But my husband never said he wanted me to or that he even liked or didn't like them. I just did it. When I finally asked him, he did have an opinion. He likes a more fitted style, not loose on my hips and shorter. I do still like and wear skirts but i love the mid calf length and more of a bohemian style. I also wear capri pants and jeans from time to time. It's all ok!
I really think I was wanting our family to appear to be the ipitomy of a christian, homeschool family. But we are not! I have tried my hardest to make us appear quiet, well behaved, and respectable looking family, but we are not always. That's not how God wired us. We are a loud family, my children don't always behave, they fight and bicker and sometimes it drives me crazy, sometimes i lose my temper and yell at them, sometimes we eat horrible, non organic food and like it! (yikes), a lot of times i make decisions for our family and never give my husband a chance to be the spiritual leader. The list goes on and on...but i know now not to be ashamed or embarrased of who we are because we are different and that's ok! Of course there are some things that we need to change, but right now, this is our road!
You may dress one way and me another, that's ok. You may discipline your children one way and me another, that's ok. You may bottle feed your baby and me breastfeed, that's ok! You may send your children to public school and me homeschool, that's ok too! As long as we are both seeking the Lord and listening to the guidance of our own husband, it does not matter how we do things, only that we are obeying the Lord!
But on the other hand, for example, if you or I dress one way, but our husband doesn't like it, that's not ok. If you or I are disciplining our children one way, but it's not Biblical, it's not ok! If you or I are reading books or watching programs that make us covet the way other families look, it's not ok! One thing i've learned, is to ask my husband. If there is something I am struggling with in my heart or mind, if i just present it to my hubbie, the problem is solved. He usually has an opinion about it and if not, he gives me his blessing to seek out someone elses opinion. But when I read something and decide that I am just going to change how we do things, it doesn't go over as well.
Another thing the Lord has changed, or is still changing in me, is pride. Now i don't think of myself as a prideful person but what i discovered is that appearing to not need any one else or their help, is a form of pride. I have never asked people for help. When they do offer it, i turn it down because i have never wanted to inconvienience them. I have never felt worthy of needing others help; i should be able to do it all on my own. Right? Wrong as the Lord has shown me. My whole life I have put up a very thick wall around my heart and emotions, very rarely letting anyone penetrate it. Only those who beat down that wall have found a place in my heart. I push everyone else away so they can't hurt me. But what the Lord has shown me is that people can't truly help me if they don't know me and how to help me. If i never share my heartaches, frustrations, and concerns, then i can't expect them to be there for me when i really need them. My sensitivities and hurt feeling always get in the way of true friendships. I have had to learn to let go of those and let my guard down and assume that people are real in their affections towards me, most of the time.
Through all of this life changing experience, I have also just come out of a dry season with the Lord. A time of complacency and ignorance as far as my relationship with God. I got busy with life and just kind of forgot to kindle our relationship. I always hate when this happens but know it's all my fault. I think i can get through life with out him and just slide from one day to the next without much thought or care. Forget to pray continuously, forget to speak tenderly to my children, forget to love the way Jesus loves, forget to read my Bible...and end up lost and lonely!
I love the Ross King song that says something like this, "break up your unplowed grounds, have you so soon forgotten me, lay all your idols down, and return to me." He talks about Hosea and Isaiah and how they also went through these times and what the Lord told them using the analogy of unplowed ground that needs tending to. Look those up sometime. I love the Lord! I don't want to forget him, even for a time. It's not a good place to be. The ground of my heart (and yours) has to always be plowed and planted and tended to if I want anything to grow. Complacency is where satan wants us to be, then he doesn't have to work so hard. I prefer to keep him running!
(If you've never heard of Ross King, he's local, I can't tell you how amazing his music is. The Lord uses most of his songs to teach me lots of things. You will not be disappointed with his cd's. Some are praise and worship and others about life. I have all of them and play them regularly in our home and car. http://www.rosskingmusic.com/ Click on the letters with boxes : )
I have come to be happy with "our road", the one the Lord has us on. It's actually very freeing to not be under the bondage of fitting into a certain mold, whether it be a homeschool mom, soccer mom, christian mom, or Oprah mom, etc. I actually find myself breathing a sigh of relief when i remember that i don't have to perform anymore or ask my children or husband to either! Be who God made you to be and your marriage/family to be. Don't try to be someone else; BE REAL!
So everytime I catch myself thinking, "why don't my children act like them," "why doesn't he do this like him," "why can't i keep it all together like her" the Lord gently reminds me that we are not them! We are unique in our makeup as a family, the way God made us.
Thank you Lord for grace!
Friday, January 30, 2009
WHAT KIND OF CHILDREN?
I have read studies that say at the rate Christian's are producing children in our culture today, our religion will die out within so many generations (I can't remember the number). In contrast to that, Muslim is the #1 fastest growing religion. The reason their religion is growing so much is not because of evangelism but because they have an average of 6 children per family who are then going on to produce many more Muslims. The average "christian American" family has the same number of children as non-christian Americans, which is around 2. Why is this? Why don't we look different than our culture? The easiest and most obvious way to advance the kingdom of God is to produce godly offspring. If we as Christians will quit trying to control our every decision in life, including when and how many children we have, then God can use us for his glory. Isn't that what we are on this earth for? The first commandment (dubbed The Genesis Charge) the Lord gives us in the bible is, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replinish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Genesis 1:27-28 Why is it that we feel compelled to obey all of God's other commandments but overlook or ignore this one, the 1st one (study the bible to learn more about God's Laws of First and their importance)! This commandment does apply to each and every person who is married and follows the Lord. And we don't just have to accomplish this with blood offspring, there are many children who need a godly family to adopt them. So, are you doing your part to replinish the earth with godly offspring?
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By Nancy Campbell - Above Rubies
Malachi 2:15 RSV, "Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord the God of Israel."
God reveals His heart about marriage in the above Scripture. He wants the wife and husband to be one. He wants them to be faithful to one another. He does not want them to be divorced. And He makes His reason for saying this very clear. The disruption of marriage tampers with the godly offspring. The thing that God looks for in marriage more than anything else is godly children. This is His heart's desire. He looks eagerly for the coming children. This is His plan for marriage.
It is the nature of God to want children in His image. And because we were made in the likeness and image of God, it is inherent in mankind to want to have children in our image. We long to see who they will be like. And yet we now live in a distorted age. Couples have been so brainwashed by humanist deception that they often refuse to have children, or at least limit how many they have. They live counter-culture to God's kingdom and to their own instinctive design. While they live to their own desires, God waits with patience to see children born in His image. Grandparents wait to continue the godly dynasty.
Each new precious baby is created in the image of God and He wants His image multiplied in the earth.
But even more challenging is that it is not just offspring that God looks for. No, it is godly offspring. The margin in my Bible says, "the seed of God." What kind of children are the seed of God? It is even more challenging again when we find that the Hebrew word is elohim. As you know, the name Elohim is one of the names of God, the first name that God introduces himself to us in Genesis 1:1. This is only one name of God and it occurs 2,570 times in the Bible.
Elohim is used 35 times in Genesis 1:1 to 2:4 revealing God's creative and governing power. He created this vast universe by His spoken word. Elohim is the one who brought "cosmos out of chaos, light out of darkness, habitation out of desolation, and life in His image." (Nathan Stone) Because we are created in His image, we also have the ability to create. God has put into our mouths the power of the spoken word. We can minister life or death by our tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) God wants us (and each new babe that is born) to create and speak for His kingdom and His glory. He wants the godly offspring to fill the earth with His words, His truth and His character.
Elohim also reveals God as a covenant keeping God. There are many Scriptures revealing this but here are a few.
Genesis 17:7, "I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God (Elohim) unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."
Genesis 9:15-17, "And I will remember my covenant... And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature..."
On Joseph's death bed he said, "God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Genesis 50:24)
When Solomon dedicated the temple he prayed, "There is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart." (1 Kings 8:23)
Elohim is a covenant-keeping God. He wants us to also manifest covenant keeping. This is how we reveal the image of Elohim. He wants each godly offspring to be a covenant-keeper. It is interesting that God talks about the godly seed coming forth in the context of a covenant keeping marriage. Malachi 2:14 RSV says, "The Lord was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant."
It is not having lots of children that will solve the world's problems. It is having godly children who will impact the nations for God. May God enable us to welcome the godly seed and train them to truly reveal the character of Elohim. There is no career that can come anywhere the enormity and power of this vision.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"Oh God, please help me to be a faithful covenant-keeper and to train my children to be the same."
AFFIRMATION:
I have the awesome privilege to raise the "seed of God."
************************************************
By Nancy Campbell - Above Rubies
Malachi 2:15 RSV, "Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord the God of Israel."
God reveals His heart about marriage in the above Scripture. He wants the wife and husband to be one. He wants them to be faithful to one another. He does not want them to be divorced. And He makes His reason for saying this very clear. The disruption of marriage tampers with the godly offspring. The thing that God looks for in marriage more than anything else is godly children. This is His heart's desire. He looks eagerly for the coming children. This is His plan for marriage.
It is the nature of God to want children in His image. And because we were made in the likeness and image of God, it is inherent in mankind to want to have children in our image. We long to see who they will be like. And yet we now live in a distorted age. Couples have been so brainwashed by humanist deception that they often refuse to have children, or at least limit how many they have. They live counter-culture to God's kingdom and to their own instinctive design. While they live to their own desires, God waits with patience to see children born in His image. Grandparents wait to continue the godly dynasty.
Each new precious baby is created in the image of God and He wants His image multiplied in the earth.
But even more challenging is that it is not just offspring that God looks for. No, it is godly offspring. The margin in my Bible says, "the seed of God." What kind of children are the seed of God? It is even more challenging again when we find that the Hebrew word is elohim. As you know, the name Elohim is one of the names of God, the first name that God introduces himself to us in Genesis 1:1. This is only one name of God and it occurs 2,570 times in the Bible.
Elohim is used 35 times in Genesis 1:1 to 2:4 revealing God's creative and governing power. He created this vast universe by His spoken word. Elohim is the one who brought "cosmos out of chaos, light out of darkness, habitation out of desolation, and life in His image." (Nathan Stone) Because we are created in His image, we also have the ability to create. God has put into our mouths the power of the spoken word. We can minister life or death by our tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) God wants us (and each new babe that is born) to create and speak for His kingdom and His glory. He wants the godly offspring to fill the earth with His words, His truth and His character.
Elohim also reveals God as a covenant keeping God. There are many Scriptures revealing this but here are a few.
Genesis 17:7, "I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God (Elohim) unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."
Genesis 9:15-17, "And I will remember my covenant... And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature..."
On Joseph's death bed he said, "God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Genesis 50:24)
When Solomon dedicated the temple he prayed, "There is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart." (1 Kings 8:23)
Elohim is a covenant-keeping God. He wants us to also manifest covenant keeping. This is how we reveal the image of Elohim. He wants each godly offspring to be a covenant-keeper. It is interesting that God talks about the godly seed coming forth in the context of a covenant keeping marriage. Malachi 2:14 RSV says, "The Lord was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant."
It is not having lots of children that will solve the world's problems. It is having godly children who will impact the nations for God. May God enable us to welcome the godly seed and train them to truly reveal the character of Elohim. There is no career that can come anywhere the enormity and power of this vision.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"Oh God, please help me to be a faithful covenant-keeper and to train my children to be the same."
AFFIRMATION:
I have the awesome privilege to raise the "seed of God."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Birth Control and Natural Family Spacing
This may not be of interest to everyone out there but I ran across this post i wrote on another blog several years ago. This is kind of our "how we do things" story.********************************************
"Children are a gift from the Lord. They are his reward... Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127 3, 5a
********************************************
Here is my story of letting go of control in family size and spacing babies.
For most women out there the thought of not knowing when and how many children they will have is scary, or worse, having too many and too close together, is worse! We want to be "ready" and not surprised by His little blessings.
I have always said, since i was young, that i wanted 6 children and of course every one laughed, but i see now that the Lord was preparing me for what He had in store. After our 2nd child was born, I read "A Full Quiver" by Rick & Jan Hess and "Be Fruitful and Multiply" by Nancy Campbell (both of which i recommend and have to lend out if anyone is interested). These books lay out a Biblical approach to family size and spacing. I also read a secular book called "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing" by Sheila Kippley and learned mainly what not to do, like use pacifiers and let your baby sleep through the night too early (by letting your baby be nourished and comforted through nursing on demand). The Lord really tugged at my heart to let go of trying to control when and how many children we would have. So, we decided to let go and just see what happened only using demand breastfeeding as a natural birth control.
Ok, so i thought, "here we go, I am going to have one baby right after another because everyone says breastfeeding does not work to space babies." I had given God control, but in my mind, doubted Him by assuming i would turn up pregnant any day. I went through countless pregnancy tests because i was just sure i was pregnant every few weeks.
FYI-I started my cycles back at 6 months of age after our 1st baby, but he used a pacifier, was on a schedule, and started solid foods at 4 months, which i know now, contributed to ovulating earlier. When he was 12 months, "we" decided we were ready to have another baby, which made them 21 months apart. Not that i would trade anything or that it won't happen again, but i had a really hard time adjusting to 2 babies that close together.
So back to my original story, months kept going by and i wasn't pregnant. I couldn't believe it! I thought God gave every woman who "let go" lots of babies one after the next. How foolish i was to assume God didn't know what was best for our family! He knows how much space needs to be in between each child and He won't give us more that we can handle or afford, because they are all his anyway. It's when we "control" things on our own, that we may make things harder for ourselves. My 2nd son was 19 months old when i finally had a cycle (by demand nursing this long most women will have 1-3 infertile cycles). The next cycle was fertile, and we got pregnant. So the spacing was 2 years and 4.5 months, far better than i could have "planned" to space them. And i have to say that adjusting to 3 children was by far easier, than having just one and then two.
God truly showed me how loving and caring He is about little old me and my family. He knows best! Only God knows how many more children we will have, but i hope it's lots. I can not imagine being "done" and never feeling a baby move inside me again or kissing and smelling a beautiful baby head, but whatever the Lord has in store, He will prepare us and provide. Children are truly a gift from God and will one day grow up to serve Him. How exciting to be part of that! How can I deny God my womb, when it isn't mine to begin with.
*****************************************************************
Addition- After our 3rd child was born, our story was a little different. I began my cycles when she was around 13 months but did not conceive again until she was 19 months. How ever the Lord chooses to space our babies is His own will. In this case, i went a couple of months, got pregnant, then miscarried, went a few more months, then got pregnant again. The spacing was again around 2.5 years-perfect!
We have been blessed again, 1 year ago, with another baby girl. We now have 2 boys and 2 girls. Everyone tells us if they could choose what pattern to have their children in, this is how they would want it. Funny thing is, this was God's plan, not our own. We could never plan as well as He can!~
We still don't know when or how many children we will have. We just take life day-to-day and wait for the Lord.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Advent Activities for Families
I just ran across a great website that has something called Advent for the Family which includes "Daily Bible readings, craft, activity and recipe suggestions to enhance your holiday season!" It is amazing and right up my alley since I need something in my hands explaining exactly how to celebrate Advent.
I know it's late to start it this year, but we are just going to skip all of the crafty stuff and recipes up to todays lesson. Even if you don't do it this year, bookmark it and try it next year. What a great way to keep Christ the center of Christmas!
There is also another way to celebrate the Advent season by creating a Jesse Tree. "It is a small, leafless tree decorated with symbols portraying Jesus' spiritual heritage." It's kind of like a study of Jesus' Family Tree which you make as you go. We made our tree out of long sticks and hung it from a light fixture above our table. Each day you read a passage and hang the symbol for it. We have sort of made a game out of figuring out which symbol goes with the day's reading and then guessing what it represents. Here is a similar picture of how our's looks.
Here is another website with Jesse Tree directions and a little different pictures. Let me know if any of you decide to try these out!
CHRISTmas!
This Christmas REMEMBER:
Jesus is Better than Santa!
Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh.
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year.
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies.
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited.
JESUS stands at your door and knocks...and then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa.
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap.
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is
"Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and our future.
He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly.
JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO!
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry!"
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me, for I care for you.
Santa's little helpers make toys.
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts,
repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle, but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree,
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.
It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.
May the Lord Bless and Watch over you
and your loved ones this Christmas 2008.
And may He prosper and bless
the work of your hands in the New Year!
********************************************
Although I did not write the above words (this is an email floating around), they represent what our family believes. We do not celebrate Santa at Christmas at our house, we celebrate Jesus! We teach our children that Christ was a gift to us from God and then he gave his life for us on a cross, so during the holidays we can give to others as a way to give back to God. It's not about what we want but about how we can bless others!
May you truely know the real reason for CHRISTmas!
Jesus is Better than Santa!
Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh.
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year.
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies.
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited.
JESUS stands at your door and knocks...and then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa.
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap.
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is
"Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and our future.
He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly.
JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO!
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry!"
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me, for I care for you.
Santa's little helpers make toys.
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts,
repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle, but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree,
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.
It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.
May the Lord Bless and Watch over you
and your loved ones this Christmas 2008.
And may He prosper and bless
the work of your hands in the New Year!
********************************************
Although I did not write the above words (this is an email floating around), they represent what our family believes. We do not celebrate Santa at Christmas at our house, we celebrate Jesus! We teach our children that Christ was a gift to us from God and then he gave his life for us on a cross, so during the holidays we can give to others as a way to give back to God. It's not about what we want but about how we can bless others!
May you truely know the real reason for CHRISTmas!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Why we don't celebrate Halloween
This is what I posted last year about halloween but it still pertains this year. I wrote below to do some research yourself on the origins of halloween and here is a link to my friends blog who has done some research already for you.
My aim is never to offend anyone, we all have to do what we feel is right for our own family and what the Lord is leading us to do. I do pray that if the Lord wants to use what I right on this blog to spur another person on, that the person be willing to receive it. You may take what I write and throw it out the window and may even think I am nutty or you may earnestly pray and see what the Lord would have you do. Either way, please know that my heart is pure in my desire to see others brought closer to the Lord and I love sharing what the Lord is doing in our lives. I also want a written account of my life to share with my children when they are older and they are wanting to remember what their mother and family was like.
Blessings to you all!
(Sorry this is sideways. It would take another 15 minutes to try to figure out how to turn it, so this is how it will stay!)
I get asked this often around this time of year, so here are my thoughts.
I believe that we, as Christians, are to be innocent of all evil and are called to be set apart from the world. We have to stand out in some bold way! Yes, it's fun to dress up in costumes and get candy, but if my children look and act exactly like every other child, then we are not shining our light for an ungodly world. If you leave it at costumes and candy, then there's really not an arguement. But, if you research the history behind Halloween (i recommend it) and it's roots in devil worship, how can a Christian even consider giving Satan glory by particapating in this "holiday?"
My children are not deprived by missing out on this event. They dress up in costumes on a regular basis and eat candy way too often. At this young age, their hearts are so tender and moldable that I can not subject them to so many images of death, evil, witchcraft, sorcery and not expect them to remember it and be affected by it. An image can never be erased once it is in your mind. As parents, we are responsible for what they see, learn, and hear. I take my job as a mother very seriously and don't want to look back with regret that I didn't do all i was able to protect them. To keep them innocent of all evil, i have to shield them from evil, including the movies they watch, the people they are around, the toys they play with, and who is allowed to influence their thinking.
This is where the Lord has us right now and it's not the same for every family. If the opportunity arises, when my children are older, to help at a festival to lead others the Christ, then we will participate. This year we celebrated October 31st just as any other beautiful day the Lord had made by roasting hotdogs and smores over a fire pit with our friends.
When ever i start to doubt they way the Lord has us doing things, i remind myself, "Our purpose is to please God, not people." 1 Thessalonians 2:4
My aim is never to offend anyone, we all have to do what we feel is right for our own family and what the Lord is leading us to do. I do pray that if the Lord wants to use what I right on this blog to spur another person on, that the person be willing to receive it. You may take what I write and throw it out the window and may even think I am nutty or you may earnestly pray and see what the Lord would have you do. Either way, please know that my heart is pure in my desire to see others brought closer to the Lord and I love sharing what the Lord is doing in our lives. I also want a written account of my life to share with my children when they are older and they are wanting to remember what their mother and family was like.
Blessings to you all!
(Sorry this is sideways. It would take another 15 minutes to try to figure out how to turn it, so this is how it will stay!)
I get asked this often around this time of year, so here are my thoughts.
I believe that we, as Christians, are to be innocent of all evil and are called to be set apart from the world. We have to stand out in some bold way! Yes, it's fun to dress up in costumes and get candy, but if my children look and act exactly like every other child, then we are not shining our light for an ungodly world. If you leave it at costumes and candy, then there's really not an arguement. But, if you research the history behind Halloween (i recommend it) and it's roots in devil worship, how can a Christian even consider giving Satan glory by particapating in this "holiday?"
My children are not deprived by missing out on this event. They dress up in costumes on a regular basis and eat candy way too often. At this young age, their hearts are so tender and moldable that I can not subject them to so many images of death, evil, witchcraft, sorcery and not expect them to remember it and be affected by it. An image can never be erased once it is in your mind. As parents, we are responsible for what they see, learn, and hear. I take my job as a mother very seriously and don't want to look back with regret that I didn't do all i was able to protect them. To keep them innocent of all evil, i have to shield them from evil, including the movies they watch, the people they are around, the toys they play with, and who is allowed to influence their thinking.
This is where the Lord has us right now and it's not the same for every family. If the opportunity arises, when my children are older, to help at a festival to lead others the Christ, then we will participate. This year we celebrated October 31st just as any other beautiful day the Lord had made by roasting hotdogs and smores over a fire pit with our friends.
When ever i start to doubt they way the Lord has us doing things, i remind myself, "Our purpose is to please God, not people." 1 Thessalonians 2:4
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Children are a Gift from the Lord!
Wow- I am again so blessed by what Nancy Campbell has to say. Even though we only have 4 children I get the many of the questions she lists below all the time. My favorite response to "You have your hands full" is "I'd rather have them full than empty!" This usually catches most people off guard and they respond "I guess you're right."
It's always my goal to have strangers look at us and ask themselves "what is different about them?" Oh, they may think we look different, dress different, act different....but hopefully what lingers in their mind is that something is different, and that is my point! We are called to be different from our culture. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." We are to purposely be different. When we dress like everyone one else, how can they see Christ in our lives. Unfortunately today, the way women dress is very unmodest and masculine. We have to look different from them. For me, that means wearing a longer skirt and not too tight shirt. It may be something else for you, but either way, we must not copy the worldly way of dressing. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says this about the way women dress, "I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do."
There are many more areas that we can purposely look different from this world. Ask the Lord to show you the areas you may need to change and he will!
I love this quote from Evangeline Howard, who just happens to be one of Mrs. Campbells daughters.
"Freedom mothering...it's not about getting out of it, it's about getting into it! Taking the world for Christ one birth at a time!"
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It's always my goal to have strangers look at us and ask themselves "what is different about them?" Oh, they may think we look different, dress different, act different....but hopefully what lingers in their mind is that something is different, and that is my point! We are called to be different from our culture. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." We are to purposely be different. When we dress like everyone one else, how can they see Christ in our lives. Unfortunately today, the way women dress is very unmodest and masculine. We have to look different from them. For me, that means wearing a longer skirt and not too tight shirt. It may be something else for you, but either way, we must not copy the worldly way of dressing. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says this about the way women dress, "I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do."
There are many more areas that we can purposely look different from this world. Ask the Lord to show you the areas you may need to change and he will!
I love this quote from Evangeline Howard, who just happens to be one of Mrs. Campbells daughters.
"Freedom mothering...it's not about getting out of it, it's about getting into it! Taking the world for Christ one birth at a time!"
******************************************************************************
DISARMING THE GAINSAYERS
Zechariah 8:12 (NLT), "I believe, therefore have I spoken."
"Who am I? Have you sighed these words on your difficult mothering days?
It's a good question, for if you don't know who you are, you will flounder in life. Fortunately, it's not a hard question to answer. God created you uniquely, like nobody else on earth, with special gifts that no one else has. But, transcendentally, you are a mother. You have an inborn urge to nurture. If you don't want to mother children, you will find yourself mothering something else, maybe your pet dog or cat. It is distinctive to us as females.
God created you with a womb and with breasts to nurture and nourish life. Why not embrace who you are? Be the best at who God created you to be instead of running from it. Start enjoying it. Disarm the feminists! Disown the lies! Destroy the deceptions and delight in motherhood.
How? By exploding with joy. You have the privilege of bringing children into the world for God's purposes, children who will live forever. By telling the world you are proud to be a mother. Away with inferiority that's a lie! Away with feeling insignificant; that's not true! Away with the thoughts that you were called to do something more important; that's a humanistic lie!
Next time someone asks you what you do in life, beam with joy and shout, "I am a mother! I have the most blessed career in the world."
The next time someone sees you with all your children in tow and asks, "Are all these yours?" put on a bigger smile, from ear to ear, and shout, "Yes, I am so blessed." Or, "Yes, we love children so much we are hoping for more." Or, "Yes, we're just getting started!"
Or you could even say, "Yes, they are. But where are your children?"
"Oh, they're' at school. We could only afford to have two."
"How very sad," you reply. "You must often feel bored and lonely. We live such a full and exciting life." Give another beaming smile and leave them speechless, ready to disarm the next person who makes a negative comment.
Going out with all your children will become such fun. It will be even more exciting as you train your children for adverse comments about family. When you have answered your critic, the children can also put on their beaming smiles and all say in unison, "God bless you, Madam."
What if someone says, "DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO STOP HAVING CHILDREN?" Or "Are you planning to have any more?"
\
With a smile and twinkle in your eyes, you could answer, "It's conceivable."
What if some dear soul comments, "You have your hands full."
"We're working on it," you reply. "We are blessed with five; only five more to go!"
Put your shoulders back. Lift up your head. Put a big smile on your face and disarm the anti-child advocates. You'll begin to change the world around you! You'll be speaking on the behalf of God who loves life and loves children. You'll be destroying the deceptions of Satan who hates life and seeks to destroy it.
What a mission. Have fun.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"I thank you, Lord, that you created me to be a mother. Help me to shine with your glory and lift up your truth wherever I go."
Zechariah 8:12 (NLT), "I believe, therefore have I spoken."
"Who am I? Have you sighed these words on your difficult mothering days?
It's a good question, for if you don't know who you are, you will flounder in life. Fortunately, it's not a hard question to answer. God created you uniquely, like nobody else on earth, with special gifts that no one else has. But, transcendentally, you are a mother. You have an inborn urge to nurture. If you don't want to mother children, you will find yourself mothering something else, maybe your pet dog or cat. It is distinctive to us as females.
God created you with a womb and with breasts to nurture and nourish life. Why not embrace who you are? Be the best at who God created you to be instead of running from it. Start enjoying it. Disarm the feminists! Disown the lies! Destroy the deceptions and delight in motherhood.
How? By exploding with joy. You have the privilege of bringing children into the world for God's purposes, children who will live forever. By telling the world you are proud to be a mother. Away with inferiority that's a lie! Away with feeling insignificant; that's not true! Away with the thoughts that you were called to do something more important; that's a humanistic lie!
Next time someone asks you what you do in life, beam with joy and shout, "I am a mother! I have the most blessed career in the world."
The next time someone sees you with all your children in tow and asks, "Are all these yours?" put on a bigger smile, from ear to ear, and shout, "Yes, I am so blessed." Or, "Yes, we love children so much we are hoping for more." Or, "Yes, we're just getting started!"
Or you could even say, "Yes, they are. But where are your children?"
"Oh, they're' at school. We could only afford to have two."
"How very sad," you reply. "You must often feel bored and lonely. We live such a full and exciting life." Give another beaming smile and leave them speechless, ready to disarm the next person who makes a negative comment.
Going out with all your children will become such fun. It will be even more exciting as you train your children for adverse comments about family. When you have answered your critic, the children can also put on their beaming smiles and all say in unison, "God bless you, Madam."
What if someone says, "DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO STOP HAVING CHILDREN?" Or "Are you planning to have any more?"
\
With a smile and twinkle in your eyes, you could answer, "It's conceivable."
What if some dear soul comments, "You have your hands full."
"We're working on it," you reply. "We are blessed with five; only five more to go!"
Put your shoulders back. Lift up your head. Put a big smile on your face and disarm the anti-child advocates. You'll begin to change the world around you! You'll be speaking on the behalf of God who loves life and loves children. You'll be destroying the deceptions of Satan who hates life and seeks to destroy it.
What a mission. Have fun.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"I thank you, Lord, that you created me to be a mother. Help me to shine with your glory and lift up your truth wherever I go."
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Sounds of Life
This is such a beautiful picture of the home I pray for daily. The one I hope my children can look back on their childhood and remember. This is what I want my earthly family life to look like. I love this part the most, "fathers eating the fruit of their labors, of moms who radiate the glory of being fruitful vines, and of brothers and sisters who gather around the family table like precious olive plants (Psalm 128)." I encourage you to read Psalm 127 and 128. They are the perfect picture of what a biblical christian family should look like. These verses encompass all of who I am and daily strive to be.
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By Douglas W. Phillips:
Fatherhood and the Sounds of Life
Every day there are thousands of sounds competing for the attention of fathers.
There is the sound of the television set. This is the intoxicating call of the ancient siren, lulling men to slumber, urging them to check their brains at the door of their homes and float into a sea of passivity until they crash upon the rocks of life. There is the sound of the city and the business world. These sounds sometimes give men the false assurance that corporate success is the true test of manhood.
Then there are the diverse sounds of the world in general — a never-ending barrage of sound coming from the hum of machines, the chatter of people, and the background music that follows modern man from elevators to his car to the local coffee shop. These sounds remind us that we are not alone. But they also train us to be incapable of sitting in silence and communing with our God. Like a drug that takes away the pain of life at the expense of the clarity of the mind, these sounds often fill our heads with unnecessary distraction, such that it is a struggle to focus on the most important things.
We live in a world of sound pollution — too much sound, all the time. We spend so much time listening to indiscriminate sounds that we often fail to hear the music of life. We need to reduce the pollution and start listening to the most important music — the sounds that make a Christian household a Christian household.
There is music in the sound of a family worshipping the Lord together. There is music in the sound of babies laughing, of children studying at the family table, of sisters preparing meals for their family, and of moms reading bedtime stories to little ones. When these sounds truly reflect hearts that long to please their Heavenly Father, they make up the aroma of a life well-lived before the Lord.
Of course, the most beautiful music to a father’s ear are any sounds which allow him to experience the blessing of watching his children walking in truth. On this point, Jesus Christ, the author of Holy Scripture, wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).
I am persuaded that the sounds of a household are a window into the soul of the family.
For most American families today, the sounds being projected are filled with the noise pollution of the television or even with the discordant shouts of family turmoil. In other cases, the modern household is an empty tomb — a shadow of what family life was meant to be. In these households, there is little sound because there are no children. Or perhaps the silence stems from years of family fragmentation in which mother, father, and children each have their own individualized lives largely lived out far from home.
For most American families today, the sounds being projected are filled with the noise pollution of the television or even with the discordant shouts of family turmoil. In other cases, the modern household is an empty tomb — a shadow of what family life was meant to be. In these households, there is little sound because there are no children. Or perhaps the silence stems from years of family fragmentation in which mother, father, and children each have their own individualized lives largely lived out far from home.
The Christian household is meant to be different. It is a place of love and living
And that means noise. It means houses filled with the glorious echoes of babies crying, of children playing, of mothers teaching, of fathers training, and even a few animals chirping, meowing, or woofing. It means life — with all of its glory, sadness, and joy. It means happy homes of highly eccentric families, each with their own unique vision, style, personality traits, and expressions.
And that means noise. It means houses filled with the glorious echoes of babies crying, of children playing, of mothers teaching, of fathers training, and even a few animals chirping, meowing, or woofing. It means life — with all of its glory, sadness, and joy. It means happy homes of highly eccentric families, each with their own unique vision, style, personality traits, and expressions.
These homes are not museums. That means they are rarely immaculate. Gloriously organized chaos is sometimes a more apt description. They are homes made up of grateful and forgiven sinners who recognize that there is no greater joy than to daily experience the nobility of the commonplace, from the simple disciplines of Christian life — prayer, studies, work — to the thrill of watching fathers eating the fruit of their labors, of moms who radiate the glory of being fruitful vines, and of brothers and sisters who gather around the family table like precious olive plants (Psalm 128).
Look for these households. For their number is growing. They are part of a great spiritual work where the hearts of parents are turning to their children and children to their parents (Malachi 4:6). And when you find them, listen.
Excerpted from the chapter “The Art of Home School Opera: The Blessing of Family Eccentricities,” from The Little Boy Down the Road: Short Stories and Essays on the Beauty of Family Life, by Douglas W. Phillips, to be released from Vision Forum, October, 2008.
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