Booklover's Been Playing Again

My daughter, Amy, has been filling her off-school days with reading the Redwall series and digital scrapbooking.  We don't do much with scrapbooking, but the graphics are great fun!  She also loves to take photos -- should have had her do these, rather than the mom, who can't take a picture without getting shadows in bad places. Graphics from Shabby Princess. That's Booklover, in the lower left corner. For the record, she is my SECOND oldest.

Halloween

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." (1 Timothy 4:1)

Halloween was a corruption of "Hallowed E'en," the evening before "All Saints Day" in which civil disobedience and sinful license were tolerated prior to the forgiveness and penance sought the next day.

Although the level of debauchery and wickedness has waxed and waned over the centuries, nothing "hallowed" has ever been associated with the practice--until more recent times among evangelical churches. Now we promote a "Harvest Festival" or a "Bible Character Dress-up Night"--much of which encourages the practice of costuming and treats as a harmless alternative.

The difficulty is not with the church activities, but with the timing and the association with that which is evil. That obvious connection with a pagan holiday will undermine resolve to "come out from among them, and be ye separate" (2 Corinthians 6:17.

Yes, no doubt that passage warns against an "unequal yoke" in marriage--but its primary focus is on church and individual purity! "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

As a parent, I know the pain of restricting my children from participating in the "fun" of Halloween. And as a former pastor, I know the pressure to accommodate the majority of church members who see no "harm" in such things. However, our allegiance and our responsibility are to the Lord, not men (Colossians 3:23). HMM III

From daily devotions by ICR.org

Ten Ways To Help Your Pastor, Your Church, and Yourself

1) Treat your pastor with the proper respect. Treat him the same way you would a doctor, a lawyer, or a politician. A pastor's role is more important than all of these professional roles because he is God's appointed leader for you and your family. Therefore esteem him very highly in love for his work's sake. (I Thess. 5:12-13).

2) Follow your pastor as he follows Christ, I Cor. 11:1, Heb. 13:7. Never blindly follow anyone but always follow the man of God who is following Jesus Christ as set forth in the Word of God, Phil. 3:17-21.

3) Pray for him often (see Eph. 6:18-20; II Thess. 3:1-2). You know how much opposition you receive from the world, the flesh, and the devil; your pastor receives even more, therefore, pray for him!

4) Obey him as he admonishes you and teaches you the Word of God, see I Thess. 5:12 and Heb. 13:17. These verses teach that you should submit, obey, and follow.

5) Do not speak against or listen to any gossip or slander about your pastor, I Tim. 5:19 reads, "Against an elder receive not an accusation..." and Eph. 4:29 reads, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth...," and Prov. 6:16-19 teaches that God hates for us to hurt people with words. Listening to gossip and slander is just as much a sin as speaking it.

6) Support him financially so he can keep his mind on the work of the ministry (see I Tim. 5:17, 18 and Phil. 4:10-19). The ministry of the Word of God is twice as important as just making a living. If a man cannot properly care for his family, he will be distracted from the ministry. It costs your pastor just as much to live as it does you, and in some cases more because of the additional transportation and the way he is expected to dress.

7) Encourage your pastor. Tell him when he has helped you. Eph. 4:29 teaches that we should speak that which edifies. You minister grace to your pastor when you tell him how he has helped you. He will be a more effective, dedicated servant of God if you give him some feedback on his ministry to you (see Prov. 3:27). It will also be very encouraging if you tell your Sunday School teacher, husband, or wife, and children how they have helped or been a blessing to you. Praise doesn't cost – it pays great dividends – in the home, in the church, in the school, and on the job.

8) Be patient and understanding with your pastor, your mate, and your children. Do not expect your pastor or his family to be perfect, they are human. John 1:5, and James 5:17 teach that a man of God has the same human weaknesses and temptations that we all face.

9) Stay busy serving the Lord. This will bless your life and be a tremendous encouragement to your pastor. You have a spiritual gift, so use it. John 13:17 teaches, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Happiness doesn't come from knowing what is right, happiness comes from doing what is right. Therefore, serve the Lord.

10) Be a blessing to your pastor, your family, and all who know you by being a soul winner. People all around us are lost in sin, dying and going to hell. Do all in your power to win them to Jesus Christ. Tell them what Christ has done for you and what He can do for them. Reflect on what your salvation means to you and then realize that those who are lost in sin need the same joy, peace, assurance, and hope that you have.

~ By Ron Hood

Hymn From the Heart -- I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

Maybe I'll start doing this weekly.  Sometimes a good hymn or spiritual song can do as much for the heart as the scriptures can, especially if the words of the song include lines or ideas from the Word of God.  We have a big collection of song books, and I can hardly resist the impulse to buy another one if I see one at a garage sale.  We sing the same ones over and over again, but there are so many good ones that are unknown!!  This one is a bit of an oldie, but it's still well-known.  In these days of uncertainty, it's a blessing to have a song in my heart.

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the one who feeds the sparrow
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood.

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

Hope that's a blessing to you. We don't know what tomorrow holds, but my Saviour does.  Do you know Him?  He is the only unmoveable foundation, the only object worthy of your faith!

More To-Do's

Thank you to all you lovely people who have been leaving comments. What a thankless job, huh?  I apologize for not acknowledging you.  Also, I noticed that I have been added to a few people's friends list. How nice of you!  I'll have to get over and visit you sometime soon. 

Today we are working hard -- with lots of breaks -- to get the house in order.  Most of the time it is just out of control, I suppose because we live in it, and we are here all day every day.   But we could do a lot better.  I "overheard" a blogger (that means I was lurking) who was talking about the supposition of moms of few children, that mothers with more kids can keep a cleaner house because they have more help. The flip side of that is the supposition of us moms of many, who think that mothers with only one or two can keep a cleaner house because they don't have as many children to mess it up, lol.  Hmmm.  I think it depends on the discipline of the mom and her ability/desire to train her children to help out, no matter how many kids she has.  And I don't have much of that.  Discipline, I mean. I have a feeling Susannah Wesley (mom of 13? 15?) never had a messy house. And if you keep up with the Duggars, it doesn't appear that they ever have to spend an entire day putting away and cleaning, either.

Anyway, here's my list today.  Since I am making it late, I get to cross a bunch of stuff off right away.  Hooray!  That makes me feel like I have done a lot more.

Shower
Brush teeth (I told you I have to include these on my list, didn't I?)
laundry
put laundry away (That's the hardest part to get done, and I want it done before Sunday morning!!)
Put Emily and Elisabeth to work on their disastrous bedroom (getting there)
iron Preacher's shirts and
my church clothes
load dishwasher
find "winter" clothes and
put them away
bag too-small clothes
mop kitchen and dining room
start and finish newsletter
vacuum bedroom and living room
take meat out (See, I have to write out every little thing, or we eat eggs for supper!)
get clothes in order for church in the morning

Okay, sorry about the uninteresting post.  I am just using you for my organizational notebook!

Let all things be done decently and in order.
1 Corinthians 14:40

One Project Down, Hundreds to Go

Okay, here's the sewing table, before and after.  It's not exactly purged, only straightened. But for now it works for me.  At least I can find my pin cushion, lol. (The one in the photo is Alizona's.)

and

That little set of plastic office drawers works great for thread and patterns, especially.  Patterns fit lying down sideways.  The tubs under the table are full of half-finished projects, prospective projects, remnants, and stuff that just might come in handy someday, like two old mattress pads.  They make great quilt padding, but how often do I do any quilting?  I did use some to fill a hot pad, and it turned out nice and thick. So how I can throw those away?  The funny thing about this project is that it only took about 15 minutes to do.  I'm sure I have a few other 15 minute projects around here, projects that have been waiting months for me to get to.... maybe I ought to join the Anti-Procrastination Challenge?

I do need to get to the purging.  My friend, Kristy, is having a garage sale tomorrow.  Think I could come up with a load in less than twenty-four hours?

And [Jesus] said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Luke 15:12

Yearbook Yourself dot Com

Too funny.  Actually one of these looks just like me, about six years late. I never was a trend-setter, lol!

1952	1950
1960	1964
1966 The above two photos look just like my parents' passport photos for these years! LOL	1966
1970	1974
1980	1980 This is me in 1986!
1990 This is my DH before Christ.	1990 And this is the year I sang backup for VanHalen.
1994	1996
2000	2000

My kids want me to make this a tag, but that would that be ethical?  Who ever heard of a non-tagger tagging everyone? Come on, play along!

New Blogger

Warning.  My DH now has a blog.  Maybe he will keep his silliness on his own blog now.  (Hi Honey, I see you.)  Anyway, it's Monocogman, and he's right here.  I am not sure why I am telling you this.  It could be embarrassing. He is also known as Pete Falcon, Pants Armstrong, and George Wilson, who is married to Mildred, who recently broke her tongue. Now don't you feel sorry for me?  I live with a man of multiple personalities.  Now you understand why I am sometimes a bit crazy.

There is another new blog among us, started by my friend, Jean.  Jean and her husband recently pulled their seventh grade son out of school and are teaching him at home. Yay! That is now three bloggers I know IRL, except for my kids.  Go on over and say hello!