As I sit on my couch watching this royal wedding (well, the end of it) I am reminded that one day there will be a wedding celebration much larger and more beautiful than this one. And it is not just for the elite! It will be for all those who know the Prince and worship Him! It will have more viewers, in fact, the whole world will see and all will marvel and bow. Phil Wickham sings:
When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears will be no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
The bride will come together and we'll sing
Your beautiful.......
and the Bride of Christ will be white as snow and the Bridegroom will be beautiful beyond description!
Friends, RSVP now! Don't let this world keep you from being an honored guest at the REAL royal wedding that is coming soon, very very soon!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
To Hunt or Not to Hunt...
I must preface this post by issuing this statement:
"You are reading a personal blog, that has my personal thoughts and reflections. I am in no way judging or criticizing anyone." :) And I know that there are MANY different opinions on this subject...that is one reason why I blog about it and not post it on Facebook!! In fact, no one may agree or relate at all, and that is ok. But I have to bring it up - because it is a REAL issue.
So, to hunt or not to hunt? Now that we have children these kinds of questions come up every holiday. Of course we don't hunt Easter eggs at Christmas, but I am sure you get my drift. There are so many "secular" ways to celebrate "religous" holidays that I just can't keep up with them all.
I personally don't think that hunting Easter eggs will send your kids down the "wide road that leads to destruction" but I do think that teaching or training your kids the truth and history of EVERY holiday (including Halloween) is wise. Remember, if you don't tell them someone else will!
Actually this year we did not participate in any "secular" Easter traditions. Mainly because I have a 4 month old, potty training our 2 year old, my husband has a new job, I work part time and our house is for sale....seriously, there was not any time to anything but clean mouths, bottoms and floors :). But I did make sure that Jesus and his resurrection was and is talked about a lot. Katie is almost five and very interested in knowing this Jesus. She is also almost five and very aware of eggs and bunnies and pink and purple decor that is EVERY where this time of year. So I wonder what that is like to a 5 year old seeing the world all around tell her something different about the Easter holiday than what her parents tell her and what is read to her from the Bible. Just a thought. It seems (in my cirlce of influence) that more and more we are talking more often about eggs, bunnies and hunts leading up to that miraculous day and leaving the details of that day to our Pastors and Sunday School teachers for Sunday. The bible tells us to write His word upon our hearts, over our door posts, when we go out and when we come in, when we wake up and when we lie down. I am not sure if I just have really bad time management skills or what but after we spend time talking about the Lord and training them in His word there just doesn't seem to be that much time left for the other stuff - and yes, we do get out of the house and do things - you know what I mean :)
Will we ever take our kids to an egg hunt? Probably so. Will we ever give them something special for Easter? Probably so. But as my uncle sings so perfectly in a VERY children's old song, "Santa clause didn't die for anybody's sins and the easter bunny never rose again...." That being said, or sung, what I do know is that we will teach our children the truth about EVERY holiday and celebrate it in a way that the Lord would have us.
We have been given a HUGE responsibility with 3 precious souls - souls that will spend eternity somewhere. We just want to make sure that in our training we are speaking truth and Jesus as real as possible - because He is!
"You are reading a personal blog, that has my personal thoughts and reflections. I am in no way judging or criticizing anyone." :) And I know that there are MANY different opinions on this subject...that is one reason why I blog about it and not post it on Facebook!! In fact, no one may agree or relate at all, and that is ok. But I have to bring it up - because it is a REAL issue.
So, to hunt or not to hunt? Now that we have children these kinds of questions come up every holiday. Of course we don't hunt Easter eggs at Christmas, but I am sure you get my drift. There are so many "secular" ways to celebrate "religous" holidays that I just can't keep up with them all.
I personally don't think that hunting Easter eggs will send your kids down the "wide road that leads to destruction" but I do think that teaching or training your kids the truth and history of EVERY holiday (including Halloween) is wise. Remember, if you don't tell them someone else will!
Actually this year we did not participate in any "secular" Easter traditions. Mainly because I have a 4 month old, potty training our 2 year old, my husband has a new job, I work part time and our house is for sale....seriously, there was not any time to anything but clean mouths, bottoms and floors :). But I did make sure that Jesus and his resurrection was and is talked about a lot. Katie is almost five and very interested in knowing this Jesus. She is also almost five and very aware of eggs and bunnies and pink and purple decor that is EVERY where this time of year. So I wonder what that is like to a 5 year old seeing the world all around tell her something different about the Easter holiday than what her parents tell her and what is read to her from the Bible. Just a thought. It seems (in my cirlce of influence) that more and more we are talking more often about eggs, bunnies and hunts leading up to that miraculous day and leaving the details of that day to our Pastors and Sunday School teachers for Sunday. The bible tells us to write His word upon our hearts, over our door posts, when we go out and when we come in, when we wake up and when we lie down. I am not sure if I just have really bad time management skills or what but after we spend time talking about the Lord and training them in His word there just doesn't seem to be that much time left for the other stuff - and yes, we do get out of the house and do things - you know what I mean :)
Will we ever take our kids to an egg hunt? Probably so. Will we ever give them something special for Easter? Probably so. But as my uncle sings so perfectly in a VERY children's old song, "Santa clause didn't die for anybody's sins and the easter bunny never rose again...." That being said, or sung, what I do know is that we will teach our children the truth about EVERY holiday and celebrate it in a way that the Lord would have us.
We have been given a HUGE responsibility with 3 precious souls - souls that will spend eternity somewhere. We just want to make sure that in our training we are speaking truth and Jesus as real as possible - because He is!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Back to Blogging!
Wow! What a journey I have been on! Well, I am actually still on it.....baby still in the belly :) But I am definitely out of the hole I dug for myself these past 9 months. I am looking forward to sharing this journey, hoping that it will resonate with someone and be used by Him. So, now I am going to update the site and see what's new in the blogging world, and get back to writing soon!
WEEK 38!!!!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Fruit of the womb....a reward?
Well, this is the 3rd reward that the Lord has given us and I can honestly say that if I could skip the first 13 weeks - I would! My absence from blogging and usual internet surfing has come to a complete stop due to baby Cook 3 :) Some of you may not know this but I get VERY VERY sick while pregnant! BUT before I complain too much - it is VERY VERY worth it.
However a very good doctor visit with a look at this precious thing in my belly through sonogram has given me a little bounce in my step. Not to mention VBS at Crossgates :)
However a very good doctor visit with a look at this precious thing in my belly through sonogram has given me a little bounce in my step. Not to mention VBS at Crossgates :)
Friday, May 7, 2010
There and Back Again
Time. It is so very valuable. And since I had to take a 2 week break from my computer, I realized the "time" I spent on it!! Not at all on bad things, just things that take time. In some ways that is ok. I feel like the Lord is using blogs (especially by Believers) to reach people. So, this is not a post on why NOT to use a computer :) It has just been hard for me to get back in to blogging since the break.
But, after hearing a testimony about how some blogs are really ministering to this person, I felt that was the Lord leading me to return - consistantly :)
I will still write on "Social Salt & Light" some, but I am now going to jump in to whatever the Lord is leading me.
In Judges 8, Gideon has been a mighty man of valor, as the Lord had told him he was. He had defeated armies and gave the Lord all the credit. But there was one little thing he allowed in to his camp - an Ephod. Now, the ephod was supposed to stay with the High Priest, where the temple was (which was not where Gideon was). But for some reason, Gideon allowed that little piece of "the world" to come in and take the place of the Almighty.
Now, I am not a scholar in Hebrew or Greek or Aramic, and if you are reading this and you are you can probably tell me the exact context of this story. But from what I read and what the ESV footnotes guided me in, I came to this thought (this is straight from my journal so forgive the randomness:) :
Gideon made an ephod for himself - the people chased after it and worshiped it, instead of God. That one piece of the world kept Gideon's heir from living in God's blessings. That one piece of the world caused generations to reap what he had sown.
Now, the question to the believer is this: What is that "one piece" of the world that you are hanging on to or allowing in your life and home that is causing you & others around you to chase after things other than God Almighty?
Lord, I ask You to reveal to me every area in my life and home that does not bring You glory! Open my eyes to the things that You see. Close my eyes to things of the world. Oneness with You is what I desire. Amen
But, after hearing a testimony about how some blogs are really ministering to this person, I felt that was the Lord leading me to return - consistantly :)
I will still write on "Social Salt & Light" some, but I am now going to jump in to whatever the Lord is leading me.
In Judges 8, Gideon has been a mighty man of valor, as the Lord had told him he was. He had defeated armies and gave the Lord all the credit. But there was one little thing he allowed in to his camp - an Ephod. Now, the ephod was supposed to stay with the High Priest, where the temple was (which was not where Gideon was). But for some reason, Gideon allowed that little piece of "the world" to come in and take the place of the Almighty.
Now, I am not a scholar in Hebrew or Greek or Aramic, and if you are reading this and you are you can probably tell me the exact context of this story. But from what I read and what the ESV footnotes guided me in, I came to this thought (this is straight from my journal so forgive the randomness:) :
Gideon made an ephod for himself - the people chased after it and worshiped it, instead of God. That one piece of the world kept Gideon's heir from living in God's blessings. That one piece of the world caused generations to reap what he had sown.
Now, the question to the believer is this: What is that "one piece" of the world that you are hanging on to or allowing in your life and home that is causing you & others around you to chase after things other than God Almighty?
Lord, I ask You to reveal to me every area in my life and home that does not bring You glory! Open my eyes to the things that You see. Close my eyes to things of the world. Oneness with You is what I desire. Amen
Friday, April 23, 2010
My Generation
Today's One Year Bible plan talks about the next generation after Joshua did not know the Lord, nor the work He had done for Israel. Judges 2:10
Two things:
1) Oh God, please do not let it be said of my generation.
2) Oh God, please never let me cease to tell my children and their children of your love and faithfulness.
Two things:
1) Oh God, please do not let it be said of my generation.
2) Oh God, please never let me cease to tell my children and their children of your love and faithfulness.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Social Salt & Light (finally:))
To put it real simple. Go on a media fast and you will definitely feel the weight lifted! I am glad to have my comuter back, but it really was nice little break :)
I had a conversation with someone the other day about marriage and intimacy (sex) and the fact that as an engaged couple your expectations are so high regarding that area. This due clearly to the fact that TV and Entertainment media (magazines, etc.) portays an unrealistic expectation of what that area of marriage is created for. I regret, more than anything in this world that I was not a virgin when I got married. But even physical virgins can loose their "emotional" virginity by allowing the world to set their standard and not God's word.
Galatians 5:16-24 says:
16-17 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."
- I will stop there and say that this VERY CLEAR about desires of the flesh. The world feeds the desires of the flesh, the Word feeds the desires of the Spirit. If you are spending more time each day on worldly media than on reading and meditating on God's word, it is impossible to flee the desires of the flesh.
19-21 "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these."
- Now think about what worldly media puts out there. If we are to stay away from these things physically, why in the world do we think we can watch and read about these things and not be affected? God's word is very clear. I don't know the exact statistics but the percentage of teenagers that have sex before marriage is significantly higher when they are exposed to sex (not just intercourse but PDA also) on television. And you can find that on the Disney channel!!!!
Friends, this is not how the God of the universe who created us for his pleasure and worship meant for it to be. He desires for our minds to stay on Him! There is so much freedom and peace when we do. The love of God is a beautiful thing - but it is pure and holy. Christ wants His bride to be pure and holy. We must begin in our homes, spending time with Him first, then cleaning out those areas where the world has invaded.
22-24 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong the Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
The more I fall in love with Jesus, the more I spend time with Him, the more I realize the depth of His love for me, the more I want to keep my heart and mind pure. That is when the fruits of the Spirit are so evident in me! The fruit of the world with distort, tear down and destroy - but the fruit of the Spirit with produce life and peace and freedom!
I had a conversation with someone the other day about marriage and intimacy (sex) and the fact that as an engaged couple your expectations are so high regarding that area. This due clearly to the fact that TV and Entertainment media (magazines, etc.) portays an unrealistic expectation of what that area of marriage is created for. I regret, more than anything in this world that I was not a virgin when I got married. But even physical virgins can loose their "emotional" virginity by allowing the world to set their standard and not God's word.
Galatians 5:16-24 says:
16-17 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."
- I will stop there and say that this VERY CLEAR about desires of the flesh. The world feeds the desires of the flesh, the Word feeds the desires of the Spirit. If you are spending more time each day on worldly media than on reading and meditating on God's word, it is impossible to flee the desires of the flesh.
19-21 "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these."
- Now think about what worldly media puts out there. If we are to stay away from these things physically, why in the world do we think we can watch and read about these things and not be affected? God's word is very clear. I don't know the exact statistics but the percentage of teenagers that have sex before marriage is significantly higher when they are exposed to sex (not just intercourse but PDA also) on television. And you can find that on the Disney channel!!!!
Friends, this is not how the God of the universe who created us for his pleasure and worship meant for it to be. He desires for our minds to stay on Him! There is so much freedom and peace when we do. The love of God is a beautiful thing - but it is pure and holy. Christ wants His bride to be pure and holy. We must begin in our homes, spending time with Him first, then cleaning out those areas where the world has invaded.
22-24 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong the Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
The more I fall in love with Jesus, the more I spend time with Him, the more I realize the depth of His love for me, the more I want to keep my heart and mind pure. That is when the fruits of the Spirit are so evident in me! The fruit of the world with distort, tear down and destroy - but the fruit of the Spirit with produce life and peace and freedom!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)