A blessing, not a burden

Philippians 4:6-9 (New International Version)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
 ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Today I wanted to share a friend's post.  Prayer for Purity  and my response which follows

Amen. I think and pray about this all the time. I love and enjoy my son. Being a parent is hard, and though I would not say it is a burden, it does place a lot of weight on your shoulders. I commented to some of my friends the other night- Maybe it is just because I am a parent now but I am constantly analyzing the world around me- Christian an secular- and I find the lack of love and adherence to God's truth astounding. Even in the church so often we accept the world's message. Our local Christian high chose to perform High School Musical. Their performance was good the choice was not. As Christians we should strive for excellence in both performance AND material. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." The thing that really has me is the message that you need to follow your heart. NO the heart is wicked and deceitful beyond all things! We need to follow God's truth and that alone.
Thanks for the encouragement Joelle!
PS I was disappointed in Glee too- "If girls just put out things like this wouldn't happen."

Today I am thankful that I can cast all my cares on the Lord. That I can pray to him and that I don;t have to worry. 

The Reformation's impact on America

When I was in seventh or Eighth grade Mr. Eames said that without the reformation there would be no United States of America. I really didn't think about it then. I listened, took notes, and studied. Since what he declared seemed logical and since the evidence of his argument surrounded me, I tucked the information away and went on with school and middle school drama (of which there was plenty).

On Sunday evening our pastor preached a Reformation day sermon: Solus Christus. Though the sermon did not follow the outline, it was excellent.

It also made me feel very thankful for the Christ-centered and classical education I had growing up, particularly in middle and high school. Thank you Mom and Dad for your devotion of Christ- centered education, for your hard work to pay for tuition for all four of us, and for your encouragement and support during our years of study. Thank you to all my teachers who worked diligently and seemingly endlessly. Thank you even more for the determination to teach in a godly and Christ-centered way. As a teacher I know that it is difficult to intentionally to do continually.
Thank you to both my teachers and my parents who saw the necessity to teach me, my brothers, and my peers to think critically and to evaluate all of life through God's truth. As I look and listen to those around me, I appreciate that this ability is largely a lost skill even though it is foundational for living in a way that impacts the world (or at least those around me) for the Kingdom.

Self-Centered Wills

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. " Psalm 51:5
"Mama said there'd be days like this." The Shirelles

We've had a strange week- just about every day we've gone somewhere or someone has visited. Usually that is wonderful. However THIS week we (I) are trying to get little J down for naps more consistently so that he gets the sleep he needs, I get time to work on things undisturbed, and so that he'll nap while I'm at school.

Today, little J does not want to sleep on his own. Usually he goes down for a nap quite happily. Not today he wants to sleep on me and only on me. Granted, I can't blame him, we've been starting a routine and schedule in the last week or so but this week has been awful for that. Given the opportunity and a bit of assistance (finding and replacing his pacifier after he has dropped it or flung it across his crib unintentionally)he little guy will sleep for 2-3 hours but this week we have had to leave several times about half an hour after starting a nap  or not been home to nap.

The poor baby is being difficult- he's upset - for which I can't blame him, and being obstenant- sinful yet who isn;t when cranky, failing to communicate, and not getting what is desired.

I often say that little J is nearly a perfect baby, he's one of the happiest and most easy going babies I've met, but God has not failed to show me that he is still a son of Adam and still has a sinful nature- total depravity in it's "innocent" form.  

* Most of this post was written 8/21.