No More DIY Christians

It's one of my daughter's favorite phrases right now: "I finished another DIY project, Mom!"  She's not the only one.  Just pull up a site like Pinterest, and you will find DIY everything...from home decor to jewelry to laundry detergent to gardening projects to home remedies.  It's the new wave of the American independent spirit...the grown up version of  a toddler's "I did it myself, Mommy!"

DIY projects are great.  I've been working on some myself lately, and I have a list about a mile long of more I'd like to complete.  But DIY isn't always all it's cracked up to be.

"...I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we each face these apple-moments in our lives, in our everyday. We know truth and we live in it, but the lies just get so loud. We get weary, we get confused, we get angry, we get jaded. And we bite. Immediately the shame settles in. Like Eve, we hurriedly begin sewing together fig leaves in an attempt to hide our brokenness and our guilt.

"Let’s stop. Let’s put down our DIY efforts of self-salvation that Paul warned us about, and let’s run fast to the foot of the cross.

"We will find Jesus there, ready for us. Ready to forgive."

~Amanda Williams, She Reads Truth

I read these words in my "She Reads Truth" study yesterday and thought about how that seems to be one of the themes God is weaving through my life right now..."No more DIY Christianity".  It's hitting me from every side...sermons at church, blog posts online, snippets of talk on the radio, and conversations with friends.  

I shared here about my tendencies toward legalism and how God has been gently but firmly pulling those tendencies out by the roots in the last few years.  I still struggle at times, and I'm especially still working to get rid of the works-based philosophies that have permeated my parenting for so long.

As I said in that post, I know better than to think we can work our way to salvation.  There is definitely a movement of "DIY salvation" going on in our culture today, and it's quite dangerous.  I recognize that, and it grieves me.

Post-salvation DIY efforts, however, those are a totally different thing.  I know better there, too, but there's still a tug-of-war.

Jonathan Slade is a relatively new blogger I've been reading. I've had the privilege of being involved in a blogging group run by his wife, Christin, of Joyful Mothering, and through that, I've connected with Jonathan's blog. It's great reading, even if it does have a tendency to step on my toes.

His latest post, Seeking the Fruit or the Giver Of?, was another thread in the weaving of this theme.  He talks about the fact that if we as sinful people can be taught the fruit of the Spirit, or other morality, then why would we need Christ?  We can't learn to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, and if it appears that we are, then we are just making a "weak copy of the original".  Instead of seeking the fruit, he says, we need to seek the Giver of the fruit, the One who created it. Go read the article...it's good!

I can't produce fruit on my own.  I can't minister to others on my own.  I can't do anything good on my own.  It all has to be Him working through me.  


I've posted about "filthy rags" before...see my {hypothetical} stinky towel story here.  Still love the song I quoted in that post...such truth there!  I need to sing it every day.  I need to seek the Giver of the fruit; the Source of the growth.  I need to remember Isaiah 64:6 and Philippians 2:13 every day.  And I need to limit my DIY to crafts and homemaking.  Because DIY life will get us in trouble every time.

No more DIY Christianity.  No more DIY life. 

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 

~Isaiah 64:6

"...for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

~Philippians 2:13 

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Linking up with Word Filled Wednesday and Thriving Thursday today!

 

If we as sinful people can simply be taught the fruit, or other morality, than would we really need Jesus? If we could be taught these concepts, than just teaching on it would be enough. We could learn and become better people. - See more at: http://jonathanslade.net/seeking-the-fruit-or-the-giver-of/#sthash.4M7NTHro.dpu

If we as sinful people can simply be taught the fruit, or other morality, than would we really need Jesus? If we could be taught these concepts, than just teaching on it would be enough. We could learn and become better people. - See more at: http://jonathanslade.net/seeking-the-fruit-or-the-giver-of/#sthash.4M7NTHro.dpuf

If we as sinful people can simply be taught the fruit, or other morality, than would we really need Jesus? If we could be taught these concepts, than just teaching on it would be enough. We could learn and become better people. - See more at: http://jonathanslade.net/seeking-the-fruit-or-the-giver-of/#sthash.4M7NTHro.dpuf

Daybook Monday

It's been a good-but-crazy month.  I successfully completed Blogathon (blog post re-cap coming soon!), we did camp and VBS at Oak Cliff (at least one and possibly two more posts coming soon), Bayley completed her first 5k (along with Billy, who hadn't done a race in a while), we've spent time with friends and church family, and in between, just done our normal work/church/chores/life thing.

We had a great 4-day holiday weekend.  But over the weekend, I began to sag. Actually, there wasn't much "beginning to sag" about it...I went from going full-speed-ahead on Thursday to getting up Friday and realizing I had hit the wall...hard.

I rested as much as possible Friday and Saturday, and then we had a great Sunday of worship and fellowship yesterday.

Then I went to bed and woke up and it was Monday.

Ackkk.

Time to get back to "routine"...to catch up chores and housework and laundry...to finish planning needed to start our summer term of school later this week...to make a menu and use up the food in the kitchen that needs to be used up this week...to regroup on the blog after the frenzy of Blogathon...to catch up with people I need to catch up with...and in general, just to get life back in order!

I've managed to have my Bible study, reboot my To Do list, and get started on chores with the kids this morning, but I've struggled with feeling frazzled all day. Do you ever have those Mondays?  The ones where you just feel like you  can't quite catch up with yourself?  Please tell me it isn't just me!

I decided today would be a good Monday for a Daybook post.  I haven't done one in a while.

Outside my window...Sunny.  Hot.  Too hot.  I was loving the unseasonably mild weather we were having. It feels like July now.  I'd be just fine if it never felt like July.  But I'm thankful for the little reprieve we had! 

I am thinking...Pondering several things from yesterday's messages:

• From John 10:24 "Even in their evil plan, God's plan is bigger! (God had already planned to use their evil plan to arrest Jesus to accomplish His bigger plan of salvation.)
• A.W. Pink quote ~ "Man always turns the things of God upside down." (Just had a conversation about this very thing with my oldest daughter last week.)
• Loved this quote from Bro. Gary ~ "You may fall from time to time, but know this, people: You're going to live forever with the One who's holding you up!"  (Jesus's hand is under us, holding us up, God's hand is above us, securing us in, and NOTHING can snatch us away!)
• From last night (our first session on "What Makes a Baptist Church" in preparation for constituting as an independent church in the fall!): "We must believe and obey.  There are lots of Baptists (and others) who say they believe, but they don't obey the Word."

I am thankful...for a great holiday weekend, and especially for Bayley and Billy's safe and successful completion of the Freedom Fest 5k Thursday morning!

In the kitchen...Mini-cheesecakes, over the weekend...blogging them soon!

I am creating...lists. menus. order. simple little pieces of Washi cheer. :)

I am going...as little as possible this week.  Needing time to recharge and regroup and get life back in order.

I am reading...Mary Beth Whalen's The Wishing Tree as my bedtime fiction reading. On the list for this week is a stack of books I'm working on for the third installment of a series I've been writing at  Home School Toolbox  on teaching creativity.  More about that soon! 

I am hoping...for another "cool" spell soon. :)  Ten-day forecast is predicting low nineties again by the end of the week.  I'm hoping that's true!

I am looking forward to...Southern Soul Sunday this Sunday at Grace Baptist Lavaca!! Local friends...we're going to have enough southern soul food for a small army...message me for details...we'd love to have you!

Around the house...Catching up. Restoring order. Moving out of the survival mode of the last few weeks.

I am pondering...Mary DeMuth's post Choose Rest or Have it Chosen for You. Its timing was perfect, as I've had unusual-for-me difficulty the last few days dealing with my body's need...demand...for rest.  I am grateful to have made it through the last few weeks without crashing sooner.  But...at the same time, I've struggled with feeling like a wimp, with not being able to do what others do. I needed this reminder today.

A favorite quote for today...Love this one from Scotty Smith, "Don't be surprised when God's grace, simultaneously, disrupts your life and delights your bones."

One of my favorite things...Unexpected sweet messages from friends. They make my day!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Planning. :) Cleaning. Schooling. Resting. And then 2-week shopping on Friday and Southern Soul Sunday on Sunday. :)

A peek into my day...

Linking up with the Simple Woman's Daybook today.

Washi Wonderful Saturday!

Been a little serious around here lately...decided it was time for some Washi fun!

 

For those who don't know, I'm a huge Washi fan. :)  Washi is available in all kinds of colors and patterns, and it's super-easy to use. Just peel, cut or tear, and stick!

It's also repositionable, which is great for people like me who sometimes need a "take 2". :)

Ammah Grace was cleaning out her room today and offered me this portfolio.  I could definitely use it, but it was a bit drab.  Washi to the rescue! 

I bought a three-pack of moleskine notebooks on sale last  year for a project.  I had one left and decided to use it as my 1000 Gifts Gratefulness Journal. The cover was plain kraft, so it needed to be spiffed up a bit.  Washi was the perfect simple way to embellish. 

This clip was another sale find last year.  It sits on my desk and holds index cards I need to keep handy. It's original red was cute, but it's even cuter with black and turquoise chevrons. :)

Are you a Washi fan?  I'd love to hear about your projects (or better yet see pictures)  Tell me about them or post a link in the comments!

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A Certain Hope

Love these words. Our hope is not wishful thinking. Our hope is as certain as if it had already happened.What a comfort and encouragement!

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Independence Day...Not Just Celebrating {Take Two}

As we celebrate Independence Day again tomorrow, the thoughts from last year's post are still very much on my heart. The Supreme Court has again recently rendered a disturbing decision.  50 Shades of Grey is now in production as a movie.  Today I heard for the second time in just a few weeks of an American pastor being arrested or threatened with arrest in a foreign country for preaching the truth of God's Word. (This video is quite sobering. Skip over the initial banter and listen to Tony Miano's story of being arrested earlier this week in England for preaching that homosexuality is a sin.)   Many of us are beyond concerned about skyrocketing healthcare costs under ObamaCare and the eroding of our personal privacy by the government in the area of communications technology. 

However, we still have much for which to be thankful.  More than that, we have a huge responsibility.

Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. (Luke 12:48, ESV)

Sharing last year's thoughts again: 

Soon after Andy came to Oak Cliff as Student Minister, he began a practice of reading about and praying for a country from the Voice of the Martyrs Persecuted Church Guide during our Sunday School opening.  This morning, with Andy being gone and Chad being sick, it fell to me to read about our country for the week, Mauritania.  On this Sunday before our Independence Day, I was especially touched by the plight of the Christians in this small country in Western Africa.  

Mauritania is 99.8%+ Muslim.  Barely 0.1% of the population know Christ.  It is against the law to be a Christian...or anything other than Muslim...in Mauritania.  It is against the law to print or import religious materials of any religion other than Muslim, and it is illegal to evangelize Muslims.  Conversion to Christianity is punishable by death, and in 2009, local police arrested and tortured 150+ Christians for meeting together as a church.  

This week in America, many of us have been greatly distressed by a Supreme Court ruling which we see as a major blow to freedom.  There has been much talk...and rightly so...of the way our freedoms in this country are being eroded little by little in many areas.  It is disturbing, and we definitely need to take a stand and protect the freedom that has been paid for with the blood of so many over the last 236 years.  

However, I was overwhelmed as I read this morning about Mauritania...just one country among many in the world today where merely claiming the name of Christ can result in imprisonment or death...that we still have so very much to be thankful for as we approach this Independence Day.  We are able to claim the name of Christ without fear.   We are able to gather together for worship in peace.   We are able to own as many Bibles as we choose.   We are able to share our faith without reprisal.   We are even able to declare and defend our religious and political views via social media.

Yesterday I commented on a blog post by a blogger troubled about the popularity of the movie "Magic Mike" and the book "50 Shades of Grey".  One of her last sentences summed up her whole post so well..."We were made for SO much more!"  After spending a week studying/teaching God's plan and design in Creation in VBS, I was especially struck by the truth of that statement.  In my comment I said, " I want to be so caught up in the "more" that God created me for that I don't have time for books or movies like these to even be on my radar." 

I was reminded of that this morning as I read about the country of Mauritania and the hardships faced by Christians there.   I don't begin to understand why God allowed me to be born in a country blessed with the freedoms we are blessed with here.   There are things that sadden me about the direction our country has taken in recent years, and even more in recent days.  But...I am still incredibly thankful for this country in which we've been blessed to live and raise our children.

And I am even more convicted about the urgency of being caught up in the "more" for which we were created.  So often, we...I..."waste" the freedom with which we've been blessed.  We use our "freedom" as  justification for pursuing all manner of things which are not honoring to our Creator.  We're often very poor stewards of the precious freedoms with which we've been blessed.  

My heart aches today for the persecuted Christians in Mauritania and other countries around the world.  It is frustrating to feel that there is so little that can be done for their plight.  But there are things that we...I...can do.  We can pray.  We can give to organizations that are working to help.  We can become involved in those organizations.  I can teach my children and others about the plight of the persecuted church and about the preciousness of our own freedom.  I can teach them how to be good stewards of that freedom, and I can be a good steward in that area myself.  

Most of all, I can not waste a single ounce of the freedom I've been granted.  I can put a priority on reading, studying, and memorizing the Bible for which so many through the ages have sacrificed so much, up to and including their lives.  I can make the most of every opportunity for corporate worship, fellowship, and ministry.  I can devote my heart and life to discovering and doing what God created me to do, without worrying that I am going to be imprisoned or put to death for doing so. 

My prayer as we approach this Independence Day is that we will not only celebrate our freedom, but that we will steward it well.  

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

~2 Chronicles 7:14 AMP

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Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

I had a post planned for today, and then I had an idea for a post I really wanted to post today instead.  And then I got busy and didn't finish it, and then Bay and I did a mad rush shopping trip after supper and now I am home and exhausted.

So instead of the post I'd originally planned, or the post I ended up really wanting to post today, I'm going to post a recipe instead.

At least I am if this mosquito which somehow made it into our house and is now circling me while I type, occasionally landing on me, but so far completely avoiding my attempts to kill him, doesn't DRIVE ME COMPLETELY BATTY AND LAND ME IN THE FUNNY FARM!

Sorry.  Just had to get that out.

Back to the recipe. I haven't posted one in a while.  I have a list of recipes I want to post.  I just need to cook them, and take pictures, and...well, you get the idea.  But this was kind of a last minute, "Wow, that's good, I should blog that!" thing. :)

So over the weekend, my friend J found this recipe for Unstuffed Cabbage. She made it (with some modifications), and I got to try it when I was at her house Sunday.  I was not expecting it to be nearly as good as it was. I was hooked. :)

I decided I'd make some today.  I made it according to J's changes, and it was wonderful!  (I don't know why that surprised me so much, since hers was wonderful, but somehow things aren't always as good when I make them myself as when others make them.  Does that ever happen to you??)

So without further ado...here it is. Try it. It's *so* good. (Don't let my picture scare you.  I was in a huge hurry to feed everyone in between Billy and Bay getting home from their last pre-5k run today and Bay and I getting out the door to do some last-minute shopping.  It looks and tastes way better than that photo lets on!)

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

1 1/2 lbs.  ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 head of cabbage, roughly chopped

8 oz. can of tomato sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Brown ground beef.  (I cook mine up in large quantities and freeze in meal-size portions, so I just thawed mine with the onion and garlic.)  While it is browning, chop the onion and crush the garlic and add to beef.  Cover pan and continue cooking. 

Coarsely chop cabbage.  Add cabbage to meat mixture and stir often to cook evenly.  (If you haven't pre-cooked your ground beef, you will need to drain the grease before adding cabbage.) Re-cover the pan in between stirring.  Cabbage should start to wilt in about 10 minutes.  At that point, stir in tomato sauce, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.


Yum!!


Have you tried any new recipes lately?  I'd love to hear in the comments!


Update on Bittersweet Last Times to Breathtaking Amazement post:


For those who saw last night's post about today's "anniversary date", I wanted to first say thank you to those who've prayed and messaged and commented in various places.  I also wanted to update you on today.  I wondered if when today actually arrived, the sense of peace and contentment and joy that I had felt the last couple of days would disappear.  It didn't.  Today has been a good day.  A really good day.  This was my status update on Facebook this morning:

Sitting in the backyard surrounded by a bevy of birds...listening to their songs and the chattering of the squirrels, watching the bluejays dance and the doves collecting twigs for a nest...celebrating God's grace and His mercies that are new every morning, thankful for His faithfulness always, but especially though the earth-shattering events that began 7 years ago today. Nothing but His grace could explain the fact that on this day, I can rejoice in His sovereignty, have peace in His plan, and be more sure than ever of His goodness.

God is good. Truly. And I am thankful. 

For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.

~Psalm 100:5

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From Bittersweet Last Times to Breathtaking Amazement

Years ago, I read something...I have no idea what or where, although it seems like perhaps it may have been in one of the stacks of Reader's Digest magazines in my grandmother's house...about the fact that if we knew when the "last times" were going to be, we'd savor them more.

I've experienced that many times since, in many ways.

Seven years ago today...July 1, 2006, was one of those "last times" that I had no idea I needed to savor.

We'd gone through some hard stuff. The birth of our 10 week preemie and her six weeks in NICU and my dad's final illness and death were the biggest and hardest, but by no means the only, in the couple of years preceding that day seven years ago.

After my dad died in December 2004, I went through 18 months of very intense grieving. I was a Daddy's girl.  While I rejoiced that he was finally healthy and whole and without pain for the first time in years and most of all worshiping Jesus face to face, his death left a huge hole in my world.

By the end of June of 2006, the deep, dark, gloomy grieving clouds finally lifted, and I told a friend, "I think we are finally settling in to a new normal."  I was so thankful, and looking forward to moving out of "survival mode" and into a new routine, minus the heavy grief that had been my constant companion for well over a year.

The thing about those "last times" that we don't realize are last times is that we don't realize that we are going to want to look back and cherish them, so we don't necessarily even remember them.

That's how it is with July 1, 2006, for me.

I remember some minor, sketchy parts, mostly because of how they relate to the way our life exploded into a million teeny, tiny pieces over the next two days, never to be the same again.

But the important parts, the parts that are important simply because they weren't important, and they were the last thing approaching "normal" that we would know for a long, long time...those parts I don't remember at all.

It was just a normal Saturday. Time spent enjoying family and friends and getting ready for Sunday.  I wish I could remember every. single. moment.

But I can't.

What I do remember is the next day, almost every detail, in slow motion, as the realization descended that my very worst nightmare in the world had come true.  Wanting to scream and not being able to, having to maintain a calm exterior not just for the well-being of my family in those moments, but for their very safety in the coming days and months.

I remember the next 18 months being far from normal, and making the 18 months of heavy grieving over my dad look like a beach vacation.  Grieving the loss of a parent is a very difficult, but normal, part of life.  There was absolutely nothing remotely normal about the post-July 2, 2006, trauma our family was then dealing with.  No family should ever have to experience it, but sadly, in the fallen world in which we live, more families do than we realize.

I don't know of a word in the English language that sufficiently describes the following months and years. Horrific, traumatic, terrible...these don't even begin to scratch the surface.

We will never be the same. Our lives in that day were irreparably changed.  There will always be pain and struggles and new "layers of the onion" to peel off and deal with.

But God...there are those wonderful words again!...But God has worked amazing healing in our lives and in our family. He has brought us so far that I almost lose my breath in amazement when I think of all He has done in our lives in and through the horror that began for us on July 2, 2006.

He has taught us things and shown us Himself in ways that I could never have imagined seven years ago today.

Last night I came home from a long, good, blessed Sunday full of church and fellowship and the celebration of the Lord's Supper and time with family and friends.  The weather had cooled off here, with the forecast promising at least ten days of below-average temps. Yes, please!

I looked forward to the week ahead.  Three days of resting and catching up from last week's busy-ness and doing some much needing cleaning and organizing around the house preparatory to starting our summer school term the following week. Billy off for a four-day weekend.  Bayley running in the 5k she's worked and planned and trained for for months.

I kept trying to remember post-VBS/Independence Day weeks in recent years and had a hard time remembering. All I knew was that it felt weird to be looking forward to this week.

And then I remembered why. I have dreaded the first week of July every year for the past six years.

But this year I don't.

God continues to work in incredible ways in our lives, and His faithfulness continues to astound me.  Anniversary dates are always hard, but so far, God has removed the heavy weight of this one from my heart and mind this year.

He is good.  He is faithful.  He is sovereign.  Those are just a few of the things He has shown us about Himself in entirely new ways in the last 7 years.

And I am thankful.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!

 Psalm 107:1

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Psalm 119:71-72

You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.

                                    Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;  his love endures forever.

Psalm 118: 28-29

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