Back-Seat Snippets

Eeeeekkk.  I just realized that it has been 23 days since I last blogged.  I think that may be a record, even for me. :)  It's been a bit of a busy month, with wedding prep & the wedding, VBS prep, teaching a new Sunday School class, Peter starting youth activities, and then VBS this week.

I'm way overdue on some book reviews...I don't even want to think about how many!...and I have a list of blog posts half a mile long for "someday"....but for tonight, just a few quick "back seat snippets" until I can get back into the groove again. :)

It's always interesting to me how much the dynamics of things change when the two "big kids" are gone, and it's just the younger girls and mom.  Tonight was one of those nights...Dad, Peter, and Bayley went to help some friends paint, and the little girls and I had to make a quick run to Wal-Mart to pick up VBS pictures for tomorrow.

All of my children are...hmm, what word shall I use?...rather talkative.   Ammah Grace is not so talkative in a group, but get her one on one and she can talk non-stop for hours. (Trust me, I know from experience.  Hours.  Literally.)  Emlyn is the quietest of all our children...but while she seems quiet compared to her two older siblings, had she been a firstborn or only child I think she would definitely have been considered a talker. :)

So...it is always fun (and sometimes just plain sweet) to hear the conversations that occur when the more "aggressive" talkers are away.  Here are a few snippets from tonight...

***

Emlyn:  Mom, I love Peter and Bayley and all, but it would be a lot of fun if it was just Gracie and me.  We wouldn't ever fight or argue if Bayley and Peter were gone. 


Mom: Oh, really?


Emlyn:  Well, once a week.   That's all.  Once a week. See?  That would be MUCH better!

***

It looked like it was about to rain when we left, and we had seen a bit of lightning.   Ammah Grace was very afraid of being "struck".  Emlyn was trying to make her feel better...

"It's okay, Gracie...the worst thing that can happen if the lightning gets us is that we would die.  And if we are Christians and we die, we'll go to Heaven.  And Heaven is wonderful!  Besides, Mrs. Lucy is there, and Aaron, and Great-Papa, and Papaw.  So, see?  There's no reason to be afraid of the lightning!"

( I was glad I was in the front and they were in the back and it was beginning to get dark...that one made me teary.)

***

Ugh!  There was a third conversation...a really funny one...that I had planned to post...and I can't remember what it was!!  Maybe tomorrow.  How frustrating.  *Sigh*

In "Other" Words...Ordinary Christians + Radical Dependence = Extraordinary Provision!

“God delights in using ordinary Christians who come to the end of themselves and choose to trust in His extraordinary provision. He stands ready to allocate His power to all who are radically dependent on Him and radically devoted to making much of Him.”

~ David Platt 

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

Thank you for joining us for today's In "Other" Words.  I'm excited to be hosting this week, and looking forward to seeing what others have shared on today's quote!   Please link directly to your IOW post (rather than your main blog page) in the Mr. Linky below...this will enable everyone to find your post more easily.  And be sure to visit the others who have shared today!

It's funny sometimes...not in a "haha funny" way, but an "interesting funny" way...how God works...and even funnier how much it still surprises me sometimes even though I have watched God work in strange and amazing ways for many years.  

When I chose this quote for today, I was in a bit of a rush...I keep a file of quotes for use in various ways, and I went through it and quickly thought, "Oh, I love that one, and that is one I really need to think on more deeply."  Plus, it's from one of my recent favorite reads, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream , by David Platt.  

I had no idea at the time that I would also be sharing from Radical in last week's IOW post, or that last week's post would be on the necessity of the Holy Spirit's power in our lives.  I also hadn't really given thought to the date I'd be posting...which was good, because if I had, I'm afraid it would have caused no end of anxiety!   I've looked toward this week ever since December with much excitement, but also with the awareness that it would be an incredibly challenging week.  Since that time, a few additional (exciting but challenging) opportunities have been added to the calendar as well....leaving me going in several directions at once, in a time when I don't multi-task as well as I used to!  In addition, God has been slowly drawing...pushing? :)...us toward the idea of a possible ministry opportunity that at this point seems to be on the far distant horizon, but yet seems to be becoming more clear every day.   

In the midst of it all, Satan bombards with doubts.  Doubts about physical abilities, schedule issues, financial issues, and just plain old fear of failure.  

Right now, physical abilities are a big concern.  That's been a huge area of struggle for the past few years.   This past week, I was hit hard there again.  I was heading into a weekend full of heavier responsibilites than I generally commit to these days, and already praying for strength to fulfill them, knowing that this week would be very demanding as well, and I wouldn't really have "down time" in between to recuperate.  Then mid-week, a major pain flare hit.  And then on Friday I woke up with numbness and spasming in my right hand.  I've had occasional issues with that before...usually when I am practicing the piano more than usual in preparation for a children's musical.  However, the last few weeks I'd barely touched a piano.  This was completely out of the blue.  By evening, my left hand was affected as well.  

And...the most important items on my list for that day and for the coming week all involved detail work with my hands.  

My initial response was panic.  My next was prayer.  Not just my own, but asking several people I knew would pray faithfully to pray as well.  As I did, I kept thinking "What on EARTH is going on?  Why does this always happen when I need my hands the most??  And what is up with this NOW of all times?  When I am having marathon piano practice sessions, I understand, but I haven't done anything to cause this now."  

And then I realized.  The other times that this has happened have been times...like this week...when I have desperately needed my hands.  They have been times when I have had to say, "Lord, you know the task ahead, the responsibilities I have, the need to fulfill them so as not to let others down.  These are your hands...you use them.  You are going to have to make them work, because I can't."  And He has.   And it has been obvious that it was "all God" and none of me accomplishing those things.  

There have been so many times over the last few years that God has used my physical abilities...or temporary lack of them...to remind me that I can...quite literally at those times!...do *nothing* without Him....that anything that is accomplished is *only* through His power.  I realized Friday, as I sat watching my fingers look like they were playing a non-existent keyboard on my desk (when I wasn't "moving" them at all...eek!), that this was going to be another one of those times.  

God has already, between Friday and today, shown His immeasurable power in my weakness.   A friend and I were talking last night about the fact that my physical issues always seem to be the worst right before periods of larger than usual responsibilities.   I said to her, "It's as though God is saying, 'I want you to know beyond ANY shadow of doubt that it is ME doing this...not you.'"   It's so easy to forget that, but in those times He makes it crystal clear.  

The "events" involved...then and now...are not earth-shattering ones.  Important, yes.  Exciting, yes.  World-changing, no. :)  But as I've pondered David Platt's quote, I have realized something.  Those events...things like children's choir musicals and this weekend's wedding...and the faithfulness and power God has shown and is showing through them...have been a training ground for other things.  

As I look toward more "serious" and long-term responsibilities and ministry opportunities...beginning to move into the jr. high/high school years of homeschooling, the youth girls' Sunday School class I begin teaching this week, and other ministry opportunities on the distant horizon...I realize that the same power that has gotten me through those events, the same power that is going to get me through the events of this week, is the power God offers for the "bigger" things as well.  

God has definitely brought me to a realization of my own limitations...and not just in physical ways, but in other issues as well...over the past few years.  But during those same years, He has taught me *so* much about who HE is...how big, and sovereign, and sufficient, and powerful, and the list goes on and on.  David Platt's quote sums up where He has brought me and where I want to be right now.  He has shown me my ordinary-ness, my limitations, has brought me often to "the end of my rope".   I want to be radically dependent and radically devoted, so that His glory can't help but shine as He demonstrates His provision and His power in my life...not only in the "small things" that often *seem* so big at the time, but in bigger things than we can dream or imagine.  

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Thank you for joining us today!  I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's quote.  Post on your blog and add the link to Mr. Linky below, or feel free to share in the comments about what you are radically depending on God for today.  And be sure to visit the other In "Other" Words participants to see what they have shared as well!  

Tuesday's In "Other" Words...

I'm excited to be hosting today's In "Other" Words.  Please come back in just a bit and share your thoughts on this week's quote:

“God delights in using ordinary Christians who come to the end of themselves and choose to trust in His extraordinary provision. He stands ready to allocate His power to all who are radically dependent on Him and radically devoted to making much of Him.”

~ David Platt 

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

Today's IOW post with linky will be up in just a bit!  Looking forward to having you join us today!

In Other Words ~ The Holy Spirit

“Our view of the Holy Spirit is too small.
The Holy Spirit is the One who changes the church,
but we have to remember that the Holy Spirit lives in us.
It is individual people living Spirit-filled lives
that will change the church.”

~ Francis Chan, in 

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

The above quote was chosen by Tami at The Next Step for today's In "Other Words.  Please visit Tami today to see what she and others have shared about today's quote.  Thank you, Tami, for hosting today!

Crazy Love is one of my favorite books I've never read. :)   You know the ones...you hear people talk about them, you read reviews, quotes, and exerpts, but you haven't managed to actually get your hands on the book yet?   Everything I've read about and from Crazy Love has intrigued, inspired, or convicted me.  I've been on the reserve list at the library for it forever, can't find it used at a price I like, and can't justify buying it new while I have a stack of "to be read" books staring at me from the shelf beside my desk.  But one of these days...:)

Anyway, I was excited to see it as the source of this week's IOW quote.  I also found it interesting because I have been looking toward doing a Bible study on the topic of the Holy Spirit soon.  I've thought often in the past few years about the Holy Spirit's role as intercessor...

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 

~ Romans 8:26

And I think often about the Holy Spirit's role in convicting us of sin.  But otherwise, I don't tend to focus a great deal on the Holy Spirit, and I've realized recently that that needs to change.  So...when I read this quote, that first line jumped out at me: "Yes, my view of the Holy Spirit IS too small!"  

I've mentioned several times here (in addition to my review) that the book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
   , by David Platt, has impacted me greatly.  It's one of those I'll be re-reading a bit at a time for a long time.  

One of the major points David Platt makes in that book is that the American Church has in large part completely "missed it" as far as "church growth" goes.  Platt, who had been called "the youngest mega-church pastor in history", began to realize that his model for ministry ~ Jesus ~ did not have a mega-church.  In fact, He had a mini-church.  He invested the great majority of His time in 12 men, and at the time of His ascension, there were about 120 people actually following Him.  Not quite the "successful church" as we define it today. 

Platt goes on to say that in many churches, the focus is on programs, buildings, all kinds of man-made resources.  But, as Platt says...

"The church I lead could have all the man-made resources that one could imagine, but apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, such a church will do nothing of significance for the glory of God."

He goes on to say...

"In fact, I believe the opposite is true.  The church I lead could have the least gifted people, the least talented people, the fewest leaders, and the least money, and this church under the power of the Holy Spirit could still shake the nations for His glory.  The reality is that the church I lead can accomplish more during the next month in the power of God's Spirit than we can in the next hundred years apart from His provision.  His power is so superior to ours.  Why do we not desperately seek it?"

I wish I had time and space to go into detail about Platt's description of God's gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  It opened my eyes in a whole new way to the blessing and importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, while connecting to other things that God has been teaching me over the past several years in that mind-blowing way God has of teaching us sometimes.   I can only touch very briefly on it here, but perhaps will be able to expand a bit in another post.

In Luke 10:13, Jesus says that God gives us the Holy Spirit in answer to our prayers.   In a similar passage in Matthew 7, Jesus says that God gives "good gifts" to those who asks.  Platt says that those "good gifts" are the Holy Spirit.  We ask for comfort when we are hurting; God doesn't just give us comfort, He gives us the Comforter ~ The Holy Spirit.  We ask for guidance and help when faced with a decision; God gives us the Helper and Guide ~ The Holy Spirit.  We ask for strength, and God gives us the Spirit of Power.  God gives us Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, inside of us.  What an amazing thought!  And one which I have so taken for granted.

God uses us ~ Holy Spirit filled believers ~ to do His work.  But any work we do apart from the Holy Spirit is totally worthless...as filthy rags.  As I've been working on this post, I've been thinking about the youth girls' Sunday School class I start teaching in a couple of weeks.  I am so excited about it...it's where God has laid my heart right now and I am so thankful for this new opportunity...and yet, there is a bit of fear as well.  It's a huge responsibility, and one I don't take at all lightly.  I'm so thankful for the reminders even through today's quote and the reading I've done to go along with it that it is not my power, or my wisdom, or my presentation that are important...if so, we'd be in trouble!  What *is* important is for me to get desperate for God's power and wisdom and strength and plead for Him to work in this class through the Holy Spirit's power in me, to do a work that only He can do.  

What are you desperate for the Holy Spirit to do in and through you today?  I'd love to hear in the comments, or pop over to Tami's blog and share your own post on today's quote. 

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ Transition

FOR TODAY...May 24, 2009

Outside My Window... Sunny, headed into another hot, muggy day.  We have crossed the line from pleasant spring weather into icky, sticky hot days...despite the fact that the calendar says it's almost a month until summer officially begins!

I am Listening to.... Quiet.  There has been *far* too little of that in recent days around here.  After a busier-than-usual weekend, I'm letting children sleep in a bit today, and enjoying a bit of peace and solitude before heading into a very full week.

I am Thankful for...  a Pastor who gives "ballast instead of blather."   Kevin DeYoung's column on Saturday described the importance of a pastor preparing his people not only to live well, but also to die well.   He talks about the fact that  often people don't fully appreciate the  weight and importance of the truth they have heard through the years (if they have heard it at all) until they are near death.  I would add  "or in time of great crisis."  A friend and I were discussing the other day how much the sound, deep, unwavering truth we've been taught in the past five years has helped us weather some very dark storms in recent years.  I love Kevin DeYoung's ending quote...


"Fellow preachers, our people are asking for living bread tomorrow. Do not give them a self-help stone. Our people may not know the weight of which we speak until they come to their end. And at that moment they will be infinitely glad they received ballast instead of blather."

I am Pondering... "Part 3" of the series I've been posting here on "Protecting Children."  (You can read the first part here, and the second part here. )   None of this series has been "planned"...it's a topic that has been heavy on my heart for a long time, but each post has been prompted by something I've read elsewhere which has practically demanded to be shared.  The (upcoming) part 3 is no exception.  This one, like the first, began with a  post by Tom Davis.  I am so thankful for his work to bring these issues to the attention of Christians.   These things are not just "out there"...they are "right here".   These are issues about which I don't want to just say, "Oh, how awful" and go on about life as usual.   I want to be part of the fight to protect children, whether "right here" or "out there" from these evils with which Satan intends to destroy children and families.  (For more information, see Tom's site, She Is Priceless.) 

I am Remembering... Lunch with my good friend Kathy on Friday and Bro. Kent's sermon yesterday morning.   It's not everyone who has friends with whom they can sit and have a two hour conversation on the doctrine of election, original sin, and the sovereignty of God while watching your  children play in the McDonald's PlayPlace.  :)   I'm actually blessed with more than one!  And I love that. :)   Anyway, we ended up in such deep waters as a spin-off of a conversation about a book I recently reviewed, and it just went on from there.  Then yesterday we were sitting in church and Bro. Kent preached right through our entire (well, not entire, but a good bit, anyway...there was some silly stuff interspersed in the conversation as well :)) lunch conversation from Friday.  Really, really good stuff.  Hopefully I'll have a chance to share some of my notes and thoughts here soon. 

Noticing... (Not for the first time!) that my children are growing up way too fast.  Because we school year round and don't pay a lot of attention to "grade levels" in our school, our official "promotion" from grade to grade coincides with promotion day at church, the last Sunday in May.  Next week my oldest will become a "youth", and my youngest will move from the preschool department to the children's department.  HOW did that happen so fast??!!  We will have 1st, 4th, 6th, and 7th graders as of next week. Another milestone to celebrate....but one that makes Mom a bit sad (and nervous!) as well. 

I am Reading...  Finally starting to get a bit caught up on book reviews after getting seriously "overbooked"...eek!   I have three reviews to post later today (I hope!), but I am  FINALLY, FINALLY reading Mary DeMuth'sLife in Defiance: A Novel (Defiance Texas Trilogy)
, which has been sitting on my desk taunting me for weeks!!!  So excited about finally reading the last book in the Defiance trilogy and seeing all the loose ends come together! 

Also re-reading Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
, by David Platt, little bits at a time.  If I were to recommend one book for everyone I know to read this year, other than the Bible, it would be this one.  Having read it through once and reviewed it here, I am now going back and reading little bits at a time and trying to really focus on not just "reading" but "living".  

Planning to finish Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God
, by Bruce Ware this week, as I have two friends anxiously waiting to read it!  I was thrilled to realize this morning that the author is also the author of the Bible Study I have lined up for the kids and I (and hopefully Billy will be able to be involved as well) for this fall...Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God
.  I'm so convicted and excited about really digging and giving our children a firm foundation in Bible doctrine...not just "Bible stories", but "Bible truths", and I've heard wonderful things about this book in that area.

Also planning to spend some time studying Romans 9-11 this week after yesterday's sermon!

From the Kitchen... I had to bail in the middle of our two-week grocery trip on Friday, and then the rest of the weekend was so busy I never got back to it.   Soo...I'm not totally sure what the full plan is from the kitchen this week yet.  Hopefully we're going to finish that shopping trip later today and I will be able to sit down and finalize our menus for the next two weeks.

BUT...I do know that Billy is planning to cook garlic butter shrimp tonight.  I *love* shrimp, but rarely eat it anymore (and have never cooked it at home...it's always been an "out" treat), but one of my Mother's Day treats from Billy was his cooking a shrimp boil for me.  It was the first time he had ever done one, but it was SOO delicious!!   He had shrimp left over, so tonight he is planning garlic butter shrimp.  I can't wait. :)

On my Mind...  VBS planning!  I'm so excited about using AiG's The Egypt File this year.  Along with that, though, I'm sobered and convicted by a recent America's Research Group/Britt Beemer study cited by AiG that indicates that young people from Christian homes are leaving the church in alarming numbers in their young adult years.   The Beemer study indicates that many of these young people have begun to doubt the Bible by their high school years, and that they find Sunday School materials shallow and irrelevant.   This is particularly on my mind and in my heart as my children head toward the jr. high/high school years, and as I begin teaching youth girls' Sunday School in a few weeks.  So thankful for so many excellent teachers at our church who take very seriously the responsibility of teaching God's Word, and for the opportunity we have as parents to teach our children every day...and so convicted of the need to "make the most of every opportunity" in that area every day!

I am Creating... Clean spots in my house!  Between pain issues and general busy-ness lately, the house has rather gotten away from us.   In between school and other commitments this week, we need to get caught up on cleaning and straightening!

From the Learning Rooms...  Other than a Monday morning shopping trip, which isn't really part of our schedule :), we are trying to make a routine of our summer term schedule this week.  We'll see how it goes!

One of my Favorite Things...  Cool, breezy spring weather...which we seem to be saying farewell to for another year!

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...  Today we plan to finish the two-week grocery shopping trip we had to abort on Friday, tomorrow we take a meal to friends and then go to Peter's first official "youth activity"  (how did we get *there* so fast??!! :-O ),  Wednesday church/choirs, and lots of wedding prep this weekend!  Other than that, just the usual schoolwork and household chores. :)

A Photo to Share...  Blogger is not behaving well for me today.  I've lost 3/4 of this post once already.   I have not been able to get photos to upload all day.  I think I'll give up and just hit publish. :)


**Update Tuesday...FINALLY!!  Blogger finally let me upload photos, so I thought I would upload *several*. :)  These are a teaser...hopefully later this week I'll finally get a whole post up about our quick trip to Lake Catherine a few weeks ago.  The top two pics are of the sunrise I watched over the Lake as I sat on the big screened in back porch having my quiet time while everyone else was asleep. :)  The bottom one is of the cabin we stayed in.  It was built by the CCC in the 1930s and is on the historic register.  Beautiful!

Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook for hosting the Daybook each week.  Visit her for more Daybook entries!