As I was working yesterday a thought came to me in the form of a question: "Would I be happier to do this task if it was Jesus' dishes to wash and floors to sweep?" Would I not do it "happily", with true joy to be able to do it for Him? But was it not Christ who said "...in-as-much as you have done it unto one of the least of these you have done it for me..." (Paraphrase of Matthew 25:40)? So even if I am literally doing it for family, I can and should do it as cheerfully as if I were literally doing it for Jesus!
In Ephesians 2:10 Paul wrote, "For we are His (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them." In several ways through my life I've heard this idea shared: "Give God 100% and trust Him to do the rest."
"With goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord..." (Ephesians 6:7-8)
"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men." (Colossians 3:23)
So, as we go through life, let us work hard for Jesus with servant hearts; remembering what Jesus said in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..."
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Give it All to Jesus - freestyle poem by Lady T.
Everyday you hear of sadness.. sorrows..
people burdened down by woes.
Sickness, sin,
disappointments. trouble..
There IS trouble everywhere *1
Take it.. To the Only Help.. the Only Hope.
To the All-Sufficient.. the Prince of Peace..
the "Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." *2
Take it all. To the Lord. in prayer.
When it seems EVERYONE has cancer,
many marriages are torn and broken,
jobs are lost.
PEOPLE HURT!
Jesus knows. He cares.
He'll help. He'll heal.
He's life. He's Strength. He is God, and He is in control.
God HATES sin.. but LOVES the sinner.
God made the bodies
and knows the sickness. He knows what's best.
Run to Him. Run from sin.. to God.
Come to Him. with your burden.
"Take [His] yoke upon you and learn
of [Him]"*3
"We should. NEVER. Be discouraged.
Take it. to. the LORD..
in prayer."*4
"Jesus, I come. to THEE."*5
--------------------------
*1 from "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
*2 from Isaiah 53:3
*3 from Matt. 11:29
*4 from "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
*5 from "Jesus I Come to Thee"
people burdened down by woes.
Sickness, sin,
disappointments. trouble..
There IS trouble everywhere *1
Take it.. To the Only Help.. the Only Hope.
To the All-Sufficient.. the Prince of Peace..
the "Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." *2
Take it all. To the Lord. in prayer.
When it seems EVERYONE has cancer,
many marriages are torn and broken,
jobs are lost.
PEOPLE HURT!
Jesus knows. He cares.
He'll help. He'll heal.
He's life. He's Strength. He is God, and He is in control.
God HATES sin.. but LOVES the sinner.
God made the bodies
and knows the sickness. He knows what's best.
Run to Him. Run from sin.. to God.
Come to Him. with your burden.
"Take [His] yoke upon you and learn
of [Him]"*3
"We should. NEVER. Be discouraged.
Take it. to. the LORD..
in prayer."*4
"Jesus, I come. to THEE."*5
--------------------------
*1 from "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
*2 from Isaiah 53:3
*3 from Matt. 11:29
*4 from "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
*5 from "Jesus I Come to Thee"
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Spring Break for Country Acres Christian Academy this year
This week we were on spring break in our home-school. Daddy was able to get "off" his usual work, but we weren't work-less on this break! Daddy and Mother primarily, with help from the rest of us, worked to paint their bedroom and two/thirds of our hallways (the other third being done in January) for the first four days of spring break. This included moving out of their room, taping (etc.), priming, cutting-in, rolling, and touching-up. My older brother was not off work this week, but the rest of us focused on the home-work. Oh, and on Thursday my Dad and I went to the Driver's License place and I got my learner's permit. Anyway, we were happy to get all of the painting done Thursday evening and get packed and ready for a weekend trip to Colorado Springs!
We went to Colorado Springs this weekend for the annual Arms Around the World Convention. We have been privileged to attend several of these conventions through the years, and always come away blessed. We are also blessed by dear family members to stay with when the conventions are in Colorado Springs! So, "early" Friday morning we left for the Springs to get there in time for the A.M. "workshops", by Bro. Martin H. and Sis. Durenda B., who spoke on the church in home missions and Christian finances, respectively. After those two services we enjoyed fellow-shipping around the noon potluck with those who had come. On Friday afternoon Daddy, Jeff, and I went on a drive and found a place which we used to take many nice pictures of Jeff for his senior pictures. I mean the backdrops were nice, I'm not advertising my brother. The scenes were a photographer's dream... anyway, we had a nice afternoon doing that. Following that we went out to eat with our family,
and then went to the evening service. One of the things that happened in the Friday evening service was that a Brother who is a pastor in Mexico spoke in testimony and challenge (speaking through a translator). This followed with a good season of prayer.
On Saturday the "workshop" speakers were Bro. Jonathan L. and Bro. Philemon W., speaking on Mission Helps and a national's view of missions, respectively. We enjoyed both of these services as well and a potluck lunch which followed. In the afternoon we four kids were invited to go putt-putt golfing with some of the young, and young adults
of the church as a birthday surprise for a friend of ours, Tonya S.
who helps with the Sunday School we help with nearly every Sunday evening. Anyway there were 22 of us, and we had a fun time with them all! Saturday evening's service began with a special prelude--saw music with piano and organ accompaniment. Saw music? Yes, my great-uncle plays music on the flat side of a saw with a violin bow!
This morning's services included reports from all the AAW missionaries/mission fields, singing, communion, and a short message. It was a blessed service and we enjoyed it. After lunch with our family members, we left and went to Garden of the Gods, where five of us "hiked" around and took pictures for ~45 minutes. It was a beautiful-weathered day. After that we headed home. We didn't have Sunday School tonight due to one's sickness, and the unavailability of the group as a whole to make the trek up there for it. We missed having that and hope the kids missed coming to S.S. bad enough to make a point of coming next week.
We had a really restful, spiritually, physically, and emotionally beneficial weekend trip in Colorado Springs, and we thank God for the opportunity to be with many new and old friends.
The suitcases are unpacked, and thus I rest my case.
We went to Colorado Springs this weekend for the annual Arms Around the World Convention. We have been privileged to attend several of these conventions through the years, and always come away blessed. We are also blessed by dear family members to stay with when the conventions are in Colorado Springs! So, "early" Friday morning we left for the Springs to get there in time for the A.M. "workshops", by Bro. Martin H. and Sis. Durenda B., who spoke on the church in home missions and Christian finances, respectively. After those two services we enjoyed fellow-shipping around the noon potluck with those who had come. On Friday afternoon Daddy, Jeff, and I went on a drive and found a place which we used to take many nice pictures of Jeff for his senior pictures. I mean the backdrops were nice, I'm not advertising my brother. The scenes were a photographer's dream... anyway, we had a nice afternoon doing that. Following that we went out to eat with our family,
and then went to the evening service. One of the things that happened in the Friday evening service was that a Brother who is a pastor in Mexico spoke in testimony and challenge (speaking through a translator). This followed with a good season of prayer.
On Saturday the "workshop" speakers were Bro. Jonathan L. and Bro. Philemon W., speaking on Mission Helps and a national's view of missions, respectively. We enjoyed both of these services as well and a potluck lunch which followed. In the afternoon we four kids were invited to go putt-putt golfing with some of the young, and young adults
of the church as a birthday surprise for a friend of ours, Tonya S.
who helps with the Sunday School we help with nearly every Sunday evening. Anyway there were 22 of us, and we had a fun time with them all! Saturday evening's service began with a special prelude--saw music with piano and organ accompaniment. Saw music? Yes, my great-uncle plays music on the flat side of a saw with a violin bow!
This morning's services included reports from all the AAW missionaries/mission fields, singing, communion, and a short message. It was a blessed service and we enjoyed it. After lunch with our family members, we left and went to Garden of the Gods, where five of us "hiked" around and took pictures for ~45 minutes. It was a beautiful-weathered day. After that we headed home. We didn't have Sunday School tonight due to one's sickness, and the unavailability of the group as a whole to make the trek up there for it. We missed having that and hope the kids missed coming to S.S. bad enough to make a point of coming next week.
We had a really restful, spiritually, physically, and emotionally beneficial weekend trip in Colorado Springs, and we thank God for the opportunity to be with many new and old friends.
The suitcases are unpacked, and thus I rest my case.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April 1st
On April 1st many people celebrate April Fool's Day by telling lies or playing pranks, or something along those lines. I would like to second the opinion of the person who wrote the below article concerning these activities, especially in regard to the Bible verses referenced, as God's opinion is very important to me, personally.
-Lady Theophilus
-------------
A Little Talk on April Fools Day - Mr. J.D. Albertson
As Christians, we believe April Fools’ Day jokes, pranks, lies, and all other forms of deception or humiliation should be eradicated from our Christian life practices.
These kinds of “jokes” will be referred to as pranks in the continuance of this essay.
The reason we believe these pranks should be eradicated from our life practices is multifaceted.
First, these pranks carry a spirit of dishonesty and unkindness. We quote Wikipedia.org: “[April Fools’ Day] is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible.”
The practice of these dishonest and unkind pranks, though usually done playfully, should be most carefully reconsidered. God loves honesty and kindness. Romans 12:17 says “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”
Second, playing these pranks hurts our witness. Ecclesiastes 10:1 says “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.” We as Christians should be known for being upright and truthful. Why should we take a break from our righteous lives for one day in order to have fun or to fit in with others?
Third, the practice of pranks on April 1st hurts the trustworthiness of events that actually happen on April 1st. We again quote Wikipedia.org:
“The April 1, 1946 Aleutian Island earthquake tsunami that killed 165 people in Hawaii and Alaska resulted in the creation of a tsunami warning system (specifically the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre), established in 1949 for Pacific Ocean countries. The tsunami in question is known in Hawaii as the "April Fools' Day Tsunami" due to people drowning because of the assumptions that the warnings were an April Fools' prank.”
“Gmail's April 2004 launch was widely believed to be a prank, as Google traditionally perpetrates April Fools' Day hoaxes each April 1. Another Google-related event that turned out not to be a hoax occurred on April 1, 2007, when employees at Google's New York City office were alerted that a ball python kept in an engineer's cubicle had escaped and was on the loose. An internal e-mail acknowledged that "the timing…could not be more awkward" but that the snake's escape was in fact an actual occurrence and not a prank.”
So, in conclusion, we should not have a practice of playing pranks on others because doing so would displease God, both by our lies, and the resulting damage to our witness. Also, having a practice of pranks on April Fools’ Day destroys the credibility of those things that are true, in the same way as the boy, in “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”’, destroyed his trustworthiness by his lies.
-------------
After saying this, and having you read that article to know where I stand on such things, I do honestly, un-foolishly, and humbly tell you my reader-friends, that today I'm thankful for the Lord's help to me taking a test to get my learner's permit for learning to drive.
-Lady Theophilus
-Lady Theophilus
-------------
A Little Talk on April Fools Day - Mr. J.D. Albertson
As Christians, we believe April Fools’ Day jokes, pranks, lies, and all other forms of deception or humiliation should be eradicated from our Christian life practices.
These kinds of “jokes” will be referred to as pranks in the continuance of this essay.
The reason we believe these pranks should be eradicated from our life practices is multifaceted.
First, these pranks carry a spirit of dishonesty and unkindness. We quote Wikipedia.org: “[April Fools’ Day] is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible.”
The practice of these dishonest and unkind pranks, though usually done playfully, should be most carefully reconsidered. God loves honesty and kindness. Romans 12:17 says “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”
Second, playing these pranks hurts our witness. Ecclesiastes 10:1 says “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.” We as Christians should be known for being upright and truthful. Why should we take a break from our righteous lives for one day in order to have fun or to fit in with others?
Third, the practice of pranks on April 1st hurts the trustworthiness of events that actually happen on April 1st. We again quote Wikipedia.org:
“The April 1, 1946 Aleutian Island earthquake tsunami that killed 165 people in Hawaii and Alaska resulted in the creation of a tsunami warning system (specifically the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre), established in 1949 for Pacific Ocean countries. The tsunami in question is known in Hawaii as the "April Fools' Day Tsunami" due to people drowning because of the assumptions that the warnings were an April Fools' prank.”
“Gmail's April 2004 launch was widely believed to be a prank, as Google traditionally perpetrates April Fools' Day hoaxes each April 1. Another Google-related event that turned out not to be a hoax occurred on April 1, 2007, when employees at Google's New York City office were alerted that a ball python kept in an engineer's cubicle had escaped and was on the loose. An internal e-mail acknowledged that "the timing…could not be more awkward" but that the snake's escape was in fact an actual occurrence and not a prank.”
So, in conclusion, we should not have a practice of playing pranks on others because doing so would displease God, both by our lies, and the resulting damage to our witness. Also, having a practice of pranks on April Fools’ Day destroys the credibility of those things that are true, in the same way as the boy, in “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”’, destroyed his trustworthiness by his lies.
-------------
After saying this, and having you read that article to know where I stand on such things, I do honestly, un-foolishly, and humbly tell you my reader-friends, that today I'm thankful for the Lord's help to me taking a test to get my learner's permit for learning to drive.
-Lady Theophilus
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