Saturday, October 30, 2010
Resource Wednesday 10/27/10
This Resource Wednesday, as promised, part 3 of the "Epic Story" sermon series delivered by Pastor Doug Roman of Bible Baptist Church. As mentioned at the start of this chain of posts this sermon series will cover "the four major movements in the Bible that bring continuity to the 66 books that comprise the Old and New Testament. The four movements are: creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. These four themes help us see how large themes bring continuity to the smaller parts of the Bible." Click Here to enjoy part 3 of the "Epic Story" sermon series, covering redemption.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Cookie Baking Night 10/25/10
Ahhh, together again. Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Emily, Ethan, and Carissa. We made pumpkin patch brownies (frosted brownies decorated with candy pumpkins and green frosting for the vines).
We returned to our lessons from the book Is the Bible Personally From God? by Josh McDowell. We are on lesson 4--"The Bible Shows Us What Jesus is Like". We had some good discussion around the lesson and we worked on a couple worksheets that reinforced what we learned.
We ended the evening with a rousing game of Zingo. As usual, a fun time was had by all.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Workaholic
About three years ago, my job changed at my place of employment. During that transition, I worked a lot of overtime. One night I was crying (literally) to Greg, worried that I was becoming a workaholic. Greg said that was a ridiculous thought and I was not a workaholic. I said, "How do you know?" He said, "Because workaholics do not worry about how much they work, they're busy working." (Hmmmm, good point. I think I'm safe in that regard then).
My job has changed again, and I am, once more, in the position of working a lot of overtime (specifically last week). God used this time at work (as He often does) to show me my own sinfulness and to remind me of my dependence upon Him.
God also used this time of the "shoe being on the other foot" to show me past impatience and disrespect toward my husband during times when he has had to work a lot of hours outside the home. I noticed how Greg did what he could to make it easier for me. It was a hard week, and it would have been further complicated if Greg had spent our time together lamenting "what little time I spent at home these days, how much he hated it", and if he had questioned my love for him and my devotion to our family during this very brief season of sacrifice (something I have done to him in the past). His kindness and patience spoke volumes (and it was far more effective in revealing the condition of my own heart than any complaining would have ever been).
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Resource Wednesday 10/20/10
There will be a break in my Resource Wednesday series this week, as we did not have an evening service last week at Bible Baptist Church. Tune in next week for part 3 in the "Epic Story" sermon series.
This Resource Wednesday, I'd like to share with you an excerpt from a book called Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. My friend, Jenny, gave me this book for my birthday, and I am thoroughly enjoying reading it. It is a story of a young girl named, Katy. It walks through her salvation experience and sanctification process via journal entries. The story takes place in the 1800's, so the language of the book requires your full engagement and it makes you "work for it" as you strive to comprehend the meaning.
The excerpt I would like to share with you is lengthy but worth the read. It is rich in theology and in wisdom for the Christian walk. It addresses the subject of sanctification. This particular scene picks up a few weeks after Katy's conversion to Christianity. She is sharing with her journal a letter she received from the pastor of her church (Dr. Cabot).
Stepping Heavenward (pages 41-42)
Today Dr. Cabot has sent me some directions for which I have been begging him for a long time. Lest I should wear out this letter by reading it over, I will copy it here. After alluding to my complaint that I sill "saw men as trees walking" he says:
"Yet he who first uttered this complaint had had his eyes opened by the Son of God, and so have you. Now He never leaves His work incomplete, and He will gradually lead you into clear and open vision, if you will allow Him to do it. I say gradually, because I believe this to be His usual method, while I do not deny that there are cases where light suddenly bursts in like a flood. To return to the blind man. When Jesus found that his cure was not complete, He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up; and he was restored and saw every man clearly. Now this must be done for you; and in order to have it done you must go to Christ Himself, not to one of His servants. Make your complaint, tell Him how obscure everything still looks to you, and beg Him to complete your cure. He may see fit to try your faith and patience by delaying this completion; but meanwhile you are safe in His presence, and while led by His hand; He will excuse the mistakes you make, and pity your falls. But you will imagine that it is best that He should at once enable you to see clearly. If it is, you may be sure He will do it. He never makes mistakes. But He often deals far differently with His disciples. He lets them grope their way in the dark until they fully learn how blind they are, how helpless, how absolutely in need of Him.
What His methods will be with you I cannot foretell. But you may be sure that He never works in an arbitrary way. He has a reason for everything He does. You may not understand why He leads you now in this way and now in that, but you may, nay, you must believe that perfection is stamped on His every act.
I am afraid that you are in danger of falling into an error only too common among young Christians. You acknowledge that there has been enmity towards God in your secret soul, and that one of the first steps towards peace is to become reconciled to Him and to have your sins forgiven for Christ's sake. This done, you settle down with the feeling that the great work of life is done, and that your salvation is sure. Or, if not sure, that your whole business is to study your own case to see whether you are really in a state of grace. Many persons never get beyond this point. They spend their whole time in asking the question: Do I Love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not?
I beg you , my dear child, if you are doing this aimless, useless work, to stop short at once. Life it too precious to spend in a tread-mill. Having been pardoned by your God and Savior, the next thing you have to do is to show your gratitude for this infinite favor by consecrating yourself entirely to Him, body, soul, and spirit. This is the least you can do. He has bought you with a price, and you are longer your own. But you may reply, this is contrary to my nature. I love my own way. I desire ease and pleasure; I desire to go to heaven, to be carried thither on a bed of flowers. Can I not give myself so far to God as to feel a sweet sense of peace with Him, and be sure of final salvation, and yet, to a certain extent, indulge and gratify myself? If I give myself entirely away in Him and lose all ownership in myself, He may deny me many things I greatly desire. He may make my life hard and wearisome, depriving me of all that now makes it agreeable. But, I reply, this is no matter of parley and discussion; it is not optional with God's children whether they will pay Him part of the price they owe Him, and keep back the rest. He asks, and He has a right to ask, for all you have and all you are. And if you shrink from what is involved in such a surrender, you should fly to Him at once and never rest till He has conquered this secret disinclination to give to Him as freely and as fully as He has given to you.
It is true that such an act of consecration on your part may involve no little future discipline and correction. As soon as you become the Lord's by your own deliberate and conscious act, He will begin that process of sanctification which is to make you holy as He is holy, perfect as He is perfect. He becomes at once your physician as well as your dearest and best Friend, but He will use no painful remedy that can be avoided. Remember that it is His will that you should be sanctified, and that the work of making you holy is His, not yours. At the same time you are not to sit with folded hands, waiting for His blessing. You are to avoid laying hindrances in His way, and you are to exercise faith in Him who is just as able and just as willing to give you sanctification as He was to give you redemption........."
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Deeper Into The Gospel
A quote from my "Of First Importance" daily e-mail feed.
Deeper into the Gospel
“Our great need is to be led further in to what we already have. The gospel is so deep that it not only meets our deepest needs but comes from God’s deepest self. The salvation proclaimed in the gospel is not some mechanical operation that God took on as a side project. It is a ‘mystery that was kept secret for long ages’ (Rom. 16:25), a mystery of salvation that goes back into the heart of God, decreed ‘before the foundation of the world’ (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20). When God undertook our salvation, he did it in a way that put divine resources into play, resources which involve him personally in the task. . . . The deeper we dig into the gospel, the deeper we go into the mystery of the Trinity.”
- Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway Books, 2010), 13.
“Our great need is to be led further in to what we already have. The gospel is so deep that it not only meets our deepest needs but comes from God’s deepest self. The salvation proclaimed in the gospel is not some mechanical operation that God took on as a side project. It is a ‘mystery that was kept secret for long ages’ (Rom. 16:25), a mystery of salvation that goes back into the heart of God, decreed ‘before the foundation of the world’ (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20). When God undertook our salvation, he did it in a way that put divine resources into play, resources which involve him personally in the task. . . . The deeper we dig into the gospel, the deeper we go into the mystery of the Trinity.”
- Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway Books, 2010), 13.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Candle Making 101
No Cookie Baking tonight--it's an off week. So, I thought I'd share with you a story and some pictures from a few weeks ago. Emily spent the night at our house on the weekend. After I picked her up, as we were driving back to my house, she reached into her bag and pulled out a candle making kit. She said, "I thought maybe we would like to try this tonight." A few weeks earlier she had discovered that I happen to be the owner of a double boiler. She stored that information away for such an occasion as this remembering that her candle making kit required the use of a double boiler.
I had already scheduled a pretty busy evening for us, but we managed to squeeze in the making of one candle (a surprise for Grandma Clara---which is why I have not written about it until now---I was sworn to secrecy until she gave the candle to grandma, and that happened last weekend---I believe the specific words used were, "Katrina, you're taking pictures of this? Don't put this on your blog yet--you'll ruin the surprise." Apparently, she's on to me about the blogging).
We had a fun time and learned a few things along the way. I see a few more
candle making sessions in our future.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Resource Wednesday 10/13/10
As promised, this Resource Wednesday will be dedicated to part 2 in the sermon series titled "The Epic Story" (a Sunday evening sermon series by Pastor Doug Roman at Bible Baptist Church). As mentioned last week: This sermon series will cover "the four major movements in the Bible that bring continuity to the 66 books that comprise the Old and New Testament. The four movements are: creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. These four themes help us see how large themes bring continuity to the smaller parts of the Bible." Here's part 2 of "The Epic Story" covering the fall of man.
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Change in Schedule
I've been asked to help with a large project at work this week that has a hard deadline of Thursday afternoon. I canceled Cookie Baking this Monday and will not be following my normal blogging schedule. Be back soon to tell you of God's faithfulness and instruction throughout this week.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Rocket Launch
Some husbands use their leisure time to read, fish, hunt, bowl, play softball etc. My husband builds rockets. You'll see Greg pictured below holding a rocket that he recently built. Once a month (April through November), there is an opportunity for those involved in the hobby of high-powered rocketry to get together and launch their rockets. Today was that day. You'll also see a couple pictures below of Greg and his dad (Phil) walking out to the "launch pad" to prepare the rocket for launching.
It turned out to be a beautiful October day (80+ degrees, very unusual weather for October in Minnesota). It was a successful flight. The rocket went 2,238 feet into the air and then landed safely in the sod field. Many rockets were launched today, and it was an enjoyable time.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Resource Wednesday 10/06/10
This Resource Wednesday I'd like to share with you the sermon from the Sunday evening service at Bible Baptist Church. Last Sunday evening our pastor started a series called the The Epic Story. This sermon series will cover "the four major movements in the Bible that bring continuity to the 66 books that comprise the Old and New Testament. The four movements are: creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. These four themes help us see how large themes bring continuity to the smaller parts of the Bible." As mentioned above the first sermon covered creation. It was most excellent and certainly worth checking out. I highly recommend it. Click here to listen to the first sermon in this series and check back over the next three Resource Wednesdays for the conclusion to this series.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Rest in Him
Hebrews 4:9
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
“Come then, let us labor to enter into this rest. Let us quit the weary toil of sin and self. Let us cease from all confidence, even in those works of which it might be said, ‘they are very good’. Have we any such? Still, let us cease from our own works, as God did from his.
Now let us find solace in the finished work of our Lord Jesus. Everything is fully done: justice demands no more. Great peace is our portion in Christ Jesus.”
- Charles Spurgeon, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
“Come then, let us labor to enter into this rest. Let us quit the weary toil of sin and self. Let us cease from all confidence, even in those works of which it might be said, ‘they are very good’. Have we any such? Still, let us cease from our own works, as God did from his.
Now let us find solace in the finished work of our Lord Jesus. Everything is fully done: justice demands no more. Great peace is our portion in Christ Jesus.”
- Charles Spurgeon, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith
Monday, October 4, 2010
Our own tradition
No Cookie Baking tonight. It's an off night. I thought I'd take this time to share a little tradition that has been happening in our home AND surrounding Cookie Baking Nights. I purchased some metal clip magnets with the intent of hanging coupons, notices, and children's art on the refrigerator. Greg, a most creative fellow himself, formed the magnets into a happy face (as pictured above). The kids love this! Every Cookie Baking Night, a new face variation appears on the refrigerator. It seems to be the highlight of the evening. Several minutes are spent each night moving the magnets around. Call it an odd tradition, but it has become a tradition nonetheless and a fun one at that.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
CE Workday
I teach the 3-6 year old children during the Christian Education hour (aka Sunday School) at church each week. This year three young ladies (Katelyn, Charity, and Emily) will be taking turns helping me during class time each each week. They will be spending their time assisting me with class (which is very helpful to me) and learning the craft of teaching a class of young students through hands-on experience.
Today, Katelyn and Charity and I met at church for a Christian Education work day.
We spent the day sorting through past curriculum materials and organizing them, preparing materials for a bulletin board idea, and painting a display board for our verses bulletin board.
In our class we work on memorizing passages of Scripture instead of partial verses each week. In the past, we've memorized Psalm 8, and we just finished reviewing Psalm 139:1-4. I always tell the children....."We are hiding God's word in our hearts......it's like we're storing these verses in a little file cabinet in our heart to help us to know God and to know His character." So, Katelyn and Charity helped me paint a large heart onto a display board (which I painted to look like a file cabinet). We will be posting the passages on this board as we memorize them throughout the year.
It was a very profitable time concerning the amount of work we accomplished in preparing for this year's class time. It was also profitable in conversation and fellowship. Forever thinking in the teaching mode, I brought in my iPod and speakers so we could listen to the "Witness Wednesday" section of Wretched Radio as we worked. Those segments include Todd Friel visiting a local college campus in his area and sharing the gospel with the students he meets there. It was a catalyst for some great conversation and thought processing as we heard the gospel proclaimed to others.
I had a most enjoyable time with these two young ladies today and look forward to spending more time with them throughout the coming year. I'm excited to see how God will work in my life, the life of Katelyn, Charity, and Emily, and the young children of the Bible Baptist Church 3-6 year old CE class this year. May He be greatly glorified!
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