Idols

During this volatile time, it is easy to get caught up in the voracious cycle of bad news about our economy. I have no vegetable garden, fresh water supply, or milk goat to sustain our family, should we spiral into the abyss that some have predicted.

For goodness sakes, I don't even have the ingredients I need for my white chili that I plan on making this afternoon. It's a good thing the folks at Wal-Mart don't know there is a recession, cause they are still lining up in droves over there.

I am reminded during this time, that I still cling very much to the the stuff in this world. My house, my things, our savings, our freedom. Can we just love this one thing a little bit more than you, God?

There is this constant battle, where I go and remove this worldly stuff from the alter, and try once again to shift my focus to the ... one and only ... holy and jealous ... God of the universe.
He commands that we place nothing before Him.

No good thing is good enough. Even when it carries the label of "church".

Scripture is sufficient. All things that man does, including the preaching of Christ crucified, that are used to give glory to God, are still the result of God's sovereignty. Our methods are but the means to an end and often still marred by sin. We could never credit our way to bringing about His will.

So that means that when we do it right, God is given glory.
And when we do it wrong, God is given glory.

He will be glorified.

Now. That truth could never equate to an apathy for sharing the gospel or an indifference to living a life of radical obedience to Christ. John Piper says, "Our costly obedience is the fruit, not the root, of being forgiven."

I am trying to lay a foundation for some future posts, regarding a movement within the church today. At first glance, it appears to have right motives for encouraging family unity through worship and studying of the bible. Through the use of scripture, this method encourages families to worship together and "turning the hearts of father's to their families."

To be clear, I have not one single issue with my family worshipping together. Samuel has been in worship service with us since he was three years old and Benjamin has yet to spend a day in the nursery. Because we met in a school, we were able to bring his stroller in the cafeteria. His schedule was fairly predictable and so we kept him with us during Sunday School, and he would always fall fast asleep when service began. Snuggled up in his stroller, he was content for the following hour. Samuel sat between Chris and I and wrote on a note pad or flipped through his bible. We tried to be deliberate in teaching that this time was to worship God. It was a challenge in the beginning, but got easier as time went on. At previous churches, equipped with adequate nursery facilities, we made good use of the nursery and our children were loved and well-cared for. I am not boasting in either.

It worked for us. It was good for us. We enjoyed it and I would even say that we were blessed by it.

But not once have I ever subscribed to the belief that I was somehow honoring God *more* by this decision. I never believed that having my small children in worship was an integral part of God's plan for the family and that by keeping them with us, I was in greater obedience than my sister in Christ who chose to use the nursery for her little one.

This idea is not scriptural and is proving to be divisive in churches across the nation. The church we visited this past week is doing a series called, Worship Wars. The norm is expository preaching, but they are spending time addressing issues that are threatening to divide this body. Interestingly enough, entirely different issues than the ones I am addressing here.

The pastor, Rich Ryan, says this:

"Worship wars exist because Christians ignore the biblical teachings on corporate worship OR make personal preference equal to scriptural mandate".

Doing something a certain way because it floats your boat is perfectly fine. Just as long as you don't say that God loves it more.

I will do my best to address the core beliefs within this movement. I sincerely welcome comments and conversation as a means to grow and learn as long as our motive is to honor God through that.

Crafty

Look what the girls made with grid paper and markers, yesterday:


They saw this in a magazine and loved it!

It's the closest thing to cross-stitching I can do ;)

Raising Arrows

"The training we're to do is not simply academic, although it certainly includes sound scholarship. We are also commanded to prepare each child to walk as a faithful Christian in all areas of life.

An arrow has two ends. On one end is the arrowhead. We want sharp arrows, academically speaking. But on the other end of the arrow, we find a delicate guidance system; fletching made of feathers, to be exact. We want our arrows to travel toward their target without deviation. This corresponds to the development of moral character.

A proper education will work on both ends of the arrow (i.e. both ends of the child) at the same time. Although scholarship is obviously important, a sharp arrow is worthless without proper direction. And a blunt arrow, even if it hits its target, will have very little effect."

Gregg Harris- The Christian Homeschool