A New Year's Resolution

Written by the apostle Paul to the church in Rome around A.D. 56. Relevant then. Relevant now.

Romans chapter 6

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Think Biblically, Live Accordingly

If you haven't ever checked out the website for the radio broadcast The Christian Worldview, I would suggest doing so (www.thechristianworldview.com).

I like their mission statement and think they strive to accomplish it with their show. Here's the mission statement:

To think Biblically about all matters of life and faith so we can then live accordingly

AND

To share the good news that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be, the way, the truth, and the life and that His Word is both relevant and our basis for living in this modern world.

A Christmas Tradition

Yesterday was Christmas day. As per our family tradition, my family came over to celebrate with us. We ate a nice meal and exchanged gifts. It was a lovely time.

In the evening, our good friends, Joe and Kim, stopped by. It is a Christmas tradition we have been carrying on for about 8 years now. Every year they stop by after they finish celebrating with Joe's side of the family. We talk about our days and what our family celebrations were like. I look forward to that part of the day as much as I look forward to the family celebration.

Ultimately, the conversation always leads to Spiritual things, and that is the sweetest part of the day, talking about Jesus, talking about the Bible and how we can apply it to our lives.

We are not friends with this couple because we all have so much in common and we have not remained friends with them for that reason either. It is their hearts for God that draws us to them and keeps us in a lasting friendship with them.

Merry Christmas, Perfettos! We love you.

Merry Christmas from the Oseids

This is the picture on our Christmas Card this year. It was taken in front of the Hennepin Avenue bridge in Minneapolis Minnesota on November 27, 2009.
Below this picture you will find the letter I included in our Christmas Card this year.

Merry Christmas from the Oseids!



A bit of Oseid News:

A few days after Christmas, Greg and Katrina will celebrate 15 years of marriage. We are grateful to God for that.
We have found a wonderful church home in Bible Baptist Church (in Otsego). We are learning so much about God’s Word there. We are so thankful!
Greg is on the job hunt, and God is sustaining us in the process. One way He is doing that is by allowing Katrina to continue working at MCN (7 years now).

A few thoughts about Christmas:

I recently heard the song It’s about the Cross by Go Fish. I was reminded that as a Christian, I too am susceptible to getting caught up in the sentimentality of Christmas and emotions of it without truly reflecting on what it means. I like the message of the song and want to share the words with you.

It’s not just about the manger where the baby lay
It’s not all about the angels who sang for Him that day

It’s not just about the shepherds or the bright and shining star
It’s not all about the wise men who traveled from afar

It’s not just about the presents underneath the tree
It’s not just about the feeling that season brings to me

It’s not just about coming home to be with those you love
It’s not all about the beauty in the snow I’m dreaming of

It’s about the cross

It’s about my sin
It’s about how Jesus came to be born once so that we could be born again

It’s about the stone that was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life some day

It’s about the cross

Philippians 2:5-8 says:
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.



Remembering the cross this Christmas season,
Greg and Katrina Oseid

Christmas Praise

A friend from church (thank you, Jenny) gave me the book 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Myers. I started reading it about a week ago, and I'm really enjoying it. I'd like to share with you the written praise from day 4 (pg 48-49) of the book. I think this excerpt does a good job capturing the whole thought of Christmas, beginning, middle, and end.

I love you, Father, because You first loved me and sent Your Son to atone for my sins. And I stand amazed that Jesus, who by nature had always been God, did not cling to His rights as Your equal...that He laid aside all His privileges, to be born as a human being...that He totally humbled Himself, submitting to the death of a common criminal, enduring infinite humiliation and pain...that on the cross You laid on Him the compressed weight of all my sin and guilt and shame, of all my griefs and sorrows, and He became sin for me, dying the death I deserved.

And how much I praise You that it was impossible for death to hold Him in its power.....that You raised Him from the dead to be my Savior, to make me righteous in Your sight...that You highly exalted Him, giving Him a position infinitely superior to any conceivable command, authority, power, or control, both natural and supernatural. Thank You that He is the Great High Priest...That He is able to save me completely, for He lives forever and prays for me, and for all of us who have come to You through Him. I glorify you, My Father, with gratefulness and joy.

And I bow at the feet of Him who was dead, and now is alive forever and ever. I exalt Him, I yield myself to Him, for He is worthy of the total response of my entire being: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessings."


And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Acts 2:24

Sweet Fellowship

Last night we had our church over to our house for the church Christmas gathering. Our church is a plant off another church and still somewhat in the beginning stages, so we're small and, at this point, able to fit into one house. At one point in the evening, my friend asked me, "If someone said to you three years ago that you would have the whole church over for a gathering in your home, would you have believed it?" I would have found that hard to believe (or certainly to fathom), but something else surprises me about this situation. I think if someone would have told me three years ago that some day I would belong to a church that felt like my family, I would have found that hard to believe. If they would have said, "One day you will enjoy sweet fellowship with believers who hunger and thirst after God's Word and in turn seek to live a life that reflects that desire", I would have said, "Get out of town".

But, alas, God is good, and that does exist at Bible Baptist Church to the praise of His name!

Evangelism Video 12/18/09

Today I leave you with another interesting evangelism video from Paul Latour at The Word Street Journal blog (www.thewordstreetjournal.blogspot.com).

Who Is He in Yonder Stall?

Last night there was a Christmas hymn service at church. It was a Christ-honoring service and a joy to attend. We sang Who Is He in Yonder Stall? This is a new song to me, and I was struck by the words as it describes Christ's birth, life, death, resurrection, and reign as king of all. So I thought I would share the words of the song with you:

Verse 1:
Who is He in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall?
Who is He in deep distress, fasting in the wilderness?

Verse 2:
Who is He the people bless for His words of gentleness?
Who is He to whom they bring all the sick and sorrowing?

Verse 3:
Who is He that stands and weeps at the grave where Lazarus sleeps?
Who is He the gathering throng greet with loud triumphant song?

Verse 4:
Lo at midnight, who is He who prays in dark Gethsemane?
Who is He on yonder tree dies in grief and agony?

Verse 5:
Who is He that from the grave comes to heal and help and save?
Who is He that from His throne rules through all the world alone?

Chorus:
Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
Tis the Lord! The kind of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall
Crown Him! Crown Him, Lord of all!

Christmas Party

Today was our 6th annual "niece and nephew Christmas Party". As our Christmas gift to the nieces and nephews, each year we throw a party that ends with some sort of activity that we all enjoy together. In attendance was Joe (17), Meghan (14), Kylie (10), Emily (9), Ethan (6), and Carissa (4). A fun time was had by all!

First we decorated Christmas ornaments



Then lunch (chicken nuggets and french fries, a classic) followed by a gingerbread cookie decorating contest.

















A quick round of the dice game for some candy prizes



Then off to the activity of the day---a hayride.











Of course, part of the fun was jumping off the wagon and getting back on again.





Time for a little rest (ohhhh, so cute).



The hayride was followed by some time around the campfire, warming up and enjoying apple cider and a few snacks (it was a balmy 24 degrees in our area today, which is a lot warmer than it was earlier in the week. We were grateful for that--24 degrees is much easier to take than, say, 6 degrees--but I guess you have to be from Minnesota to fully understand and appreciate that distinction).



Merry Christmas to the nieces and nephews. We love you all!

Evanagelism Video 12/11/09

Looking for an evangelism opportunity? Here's a video of Paul Latour (www.thewordstreetjournal.blogspot.com) with his friend, James, witnessing to others about Jesus Christ on the streets in Canada.

Lies Young Women Believe

In a few of my posts I've talked around the book Lies Young Women Believe (and the Truth That Sets Them Free) by Nancy Leigh De Moss and Danna Gresh. Today I'm going to talk about it. I like it. I've read this book twice now. Last week, I met with my niece, Meghan, and we discussed the book. I was surprised how much she related to the book and how it opened conversation to subjects that usually would take months of careful planning before even considering approaching them.

This book is saturated with Scripture. It starts out discussing truth and giving a foundation for what that means. Then it discusses 25 lies that young women believe (such as God is not enough, I've never been exposed to satanic activities, I need a boyfriend, everyone at church is judging me, I'm my own authority, etc.) Each lie is exposed and refuted with Scripture.

The book ends this way:
"In this final chapter, we want to highlight 22 truths that we believe will radically transform your life if you will choose to believe and embrace them. These are key truths we find ourselves going back to over and over again."

It goes on to name 22 truths from Scripture with references to back it up (such as God is enough Psalm 23:1; the blood of Christ is sufficient to cover all my sin 2 Corinthians 12:9, I am responsible before God for my behavior, responses, and choices Ezekiel 18:19-22, I need the church Ephesians 2:19-22, Eph 5:25; 1 Corinthians 12:12-17, etc.)

Meghan said she liked this last chapter of the book the best because "it gave her real advice about what to do from here and real Bible verses."

A few closing comments about this book:

• Nancy Leigh DeMoss wrote Lies Women Believe first. That book is geared toward adult women. Several people have asked me, "Aren't they pretty much the same?" I've read only half of Lies Women Believe now, but I think I can confidently say, no, they are not the same. Both are good, and I would recommend both of them, but they are geared toward two different audiences. In Lies Young Women Believe, the authors do a great job of addressing specific issues dealt with by a specific culture, one that is removed from the world of adults. It's an education in itself.
• I would recommend reading this book with a young lady and discussing it afterward. A few words of caution on this, though. This book contains some sensitive subject matter. If the young lady you have in mind is immersed in the world system, unsaved, or attending public school, I would recommend reading this book with them (not giving it to them to read alone) when they are between the ages of 13 and 14 because, under those circumstances, they will be able to handle the subject matter and, for the most part, won't be exposed to any new ideas. If the young lady you have in mind is a regular church attender and attends Christian school or home school and has mostly Christian friends I might wait until 15-16 to read it with them because you could be introducing new ideas to them. Ultimately, it should be discussed with the young lady's parents before reading it with her or it should be read with a parent.
• This book is a keeper. It will remain in my library.

Today I would like to share a quote with you that I came across in my daily e-mail feed from Of First Importance (www.firstimportance.org).

“Some think of the gospel as so slender it does nothing more than get us into the kingdom. After that the real work of transformation begins. But a biblically-faithful understanding of the gospel shows that gospel to be rich, powerful, the wisdom of God and the power of God, all we need in Christ. It is the gospel that saves us, transforms us, conforms us to Christ, prepares us for the new heaven and the new earth, establishes our relations with fellow-believers, teaches us how to work and serve so as to bring glory to God, calls forth and edifies the church, and so forth. This gospel saves — and ’salvation’ means more than just ‘getting in,’ but transformed wholeness.”

- D. A. Carson, “Four Questions with D. A. Carson“

The Importance of Language

The other day I was complaining about a work situation and explaining how I handled a conversation with a computer contractor. After I was a few minutes into the story, Greg (my husband) asked, "Did you say anything that hurt your Christian testimony?" Those words stopped me in my tracks. It caused me to think about exactly what I said that day and how I handled the situation. It also quenched the desire to complain and drove me to repentance.

I appreciate when Greg uses Biblical language in conversation. Gods uses it in my life every time.