I Need a Break!

Hi Friends! I've decided to take a short break. I need to for more reasons than one. The number one reason is that the wireless connection on my laptop is acting up and trying to drive me insane. I will not go into all the gory details partly because I am sick of thinking about it. For another thing, the desktop in the kitchen is having issues of its own too. Then, I have so many writing projects at different stages which I am not getting to because I am too busy on the internet, or TRYING to get on! So......I think the Lord is telling me to take a break. For the next week or more I plan to work on the editing and writing that should be taking my attention at this point. AND finish with some Christmas shopping and wrapping.

So if you don't hear from me you know where I am!

Sunday Snippet - Mary, the Servant

Then Mary said "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word," And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38

Once again, I have been encouraged in my Christian walk by the simple faith of Mary, who completely surrendered to the will of the Lord. This was our sermon tonight. We looked at her personal situation, her noble heavenly visitor and his message, and her response to that message. It's her response that touched me once again, as it has so many times before. She acknowledged God as the master, and that she was His servant. As Pastor D. said, she made a complete surrender, knowing that she was about to go through something difficult. But as he said, she chose to be esteemed by God, rather than by men. Should we do any less?

This young Jewish girl is an example to us all. We don't worship her, but we certainly should follow in the footsteps of her simple faith.

Seasons

A quick note to encourage you to visit my friend Connie and read her most recent post. Food for the soul, especially now. Blessings.

A Time to Pray?

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Daniel 6:10

As you know, I sometimes post about and request pray for countries where the gospel is restricted and for the persecuted brethren. I've often felt that it won't be too long before I need to talk more about the persecuted church in America, but then I often contend that unfortunately, the church here is too weak to be persecuted. Heaven forbid that any of the "Christians" in this country should have to suffer for our faith here on our own soil.

I wonder, though, if there are not hopeful signs. Some may view it the other way around. I just read a news article about a small group of women here in our home town who responded in a strange way to an incident in September. Someone fired shots at an elementary school and a fourth grade classroom window was shattered. I don't think they've ever found out who did it.

In response to that, a few moms who take their kids to one of the other elementary schools have started gathering together somewhere on school grounds to pray for the safety and well being of the children inside. How dare they do that. Other parents complained and the other day, the principal (without speaking to these moms first), called the police who shooed them away. .The moms say they have never been loud or disorderly.

Now I'm sure there are facts that I don't know and perhaps it would be better if they found a more obscure place such as a car, but from some of the things I've been hearing about the goings on at schools, instead of calling the police maybe it would have been a better idea for the principal to come outside and join them! BTW, if I ever get kicked out of a place, I wouldn't mind if it would be for praying.

I started this post a while ago and have since found out that the moms have said they will be coming back. My husband and younger daughter have just finished having a heated discussion about this. What do you think--if they come back and pray on the school property in an orderly and quiet manner, are they being like Daniel and obeying God rather than men, or are they causing a disturbance such as people often do in protests, showing a lack of respect for authority and the rights of others? Remember, we are living in a day of "rights."

I do know that I pray, with the help of the Lord, that we will have more opportunities to take up our cross and follow the Savior who willingly and lovingly took up the cross to bear our sins. May He help us not to continue to sit in our comfortable places and live a life unto ourselves. Mr. Ryle and I are now traveling through the book of Luke together and I'll close with his words concerning chapter 9, verses 23-27:

"We ought to be on our guard, like soldiers in an enemy's country. We ought to fight a daily battle, and war a daily warfare. The command of our Master is clear and plain: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

~J.C. Ryle

Sunday Snippet - Morbus Sabbaticus

Morbus Sabbaticus, or Sunday sickness, is a disease peculiar to church members.

• The symptoms vary, but it never interferes with the appetite.


• It never lasts more than twenty-four hours.


• No physician is ever called.


• It always proves fatal in the end--to the soul!


• It is becoming fearfully prevalent, and is destroying thousands every year.

The attack comes on suddenly every Sunday. No symptoms are felt on Saturday night; the patient sleeps well and wakes feeling well and eats a hearty breakfast. But about church time the attack comes on and continues until services are over for the morning. Then the patient feels easy and eats a hearty dinner. In the afternoon he feels much better, and is able to take a walk and read the Sunday papers; and afterwards eats a hearty supper. But about church time he has another attack and stays at home. He wakes up Monday morning refreshed and able to go to work.

~Source Unknown

Being Real

I was making a keepsake book week before last, which took me on a quest for quotes to put in it. I found all kinds of neat sayings and quotes in various places in my house and ran across the following excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit, which you probably know is a beloved children's classic. I found this on a page of various quotations about marriage, believe it or not, and when I think about it, it does apply. But then I believe that it would also apply to parenthood and friendship. See what you think. This was a conversation which took place in the nursery between Rabbit and Skin Horse. You may know that Skin Horse was the oldest resident in the nursery and his age and experience had made him very wise. I once heard a pastor read this same excerpt during a sermon to mothers, and when he finished, my eyes were dripping with tears. The pastor himself was choking back tears as he read it to the moms in his congregation.

"What is Real? asked the Velveteen Rabbit one day.

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
-The Velveteen Rabbit by Marjorie Williams

Please read this precious little story to your children and grandchildren. And remember: be real.

Love Offering

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. I John 4:9-10

Dearest Heavenly Father,

Of all the riches that I could possess while dwelling here on earth, your love is the most precious. Oh, how I pray that you will keep my heart so that it will desire nothing above your love, which you have so abundantly provided in Christ. He is a treasure beyond measure. He is more precious than anything that money can buy. As Mary poured out her spikenard love offering upon our Lord, so you poured out your love offering in the sacrifice of our Saviour. Above all that I am thankful for this season, your love surpasses all else. Thank you, Lord--I am blessed.

All my love,

Maxine

A Rose for My Friends

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:4

Hi there. I ask forgiveness for not having been by to see most of you lately. My mind and time have been occupied with friends. I've been sharing their joys and sorrows this past week. I've found myself quite busy preparing for the joyous occasion of a bridal shower in preparation for the wedding of two dear young friends. But on the other hand, I've been sharing and grieving with two other dear friends who lost their nineteen year old son in a car crash this week.

A couple of days ago, I discovered this lovely rose in my graphics library. It's going to become a part of the keepsake book that we're making for the young couple taking this huge step into matrimony. But I'm also posting it in memory of Ben, the young son of my friends, whose birth I vividly remember and who once sat in my Sunday school class as an eight/nine year old. My only prayer is that he is seeing the face of Jesus now.

Blessings to you all. Hope to be back next week, maybe late Sunday. Hope you are well.

International Day of Prayer

Will you and your family pray in a special way today? Our brethren in all parts of the world are being persecuted every day. We'll pray now and we'll keep on praying together. May the Lord give these dear ones strength in the face of their trials, comfort in their sorrows, and help to carry their many burdens. They and we have received a promise:

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. " Rev. 21:4

Hallelujah. Go here to read A Prayer for the Persecuted Church based on Psalm 46.

God Tugging at the Heartstrings

Teach me, O Lord, thy way of truth,

And from it I will not depart;

That I may steadfastly obey,

Give me an understanding heart.

~~From Psalm 119:33-40

Oh my goodness--I am long overdue for the next Aunt Jane's Hero post! I don't want to let this series go by the wayside and for anyone who may have been enjoying it, my apologies. Chapter 4 is next up and since time is short, this summary may need to be short. The title that I gave to this chapter in the companion explains what I believe to be its essence. God was having dealings with someone and if you've been following along, you know that someone would be Horace. The chapter begins with a description of his moving about in society after the Georgiana situation--dancing parties, threatricals, music festivals and so on. But in the midst of observing him in these settings we are told this: "But he went home from these gay scenes out of spirits, and in spite of himself had his hours of reflection, when there came to him uncomfortable intimations that he was not living the true life for which he was born." Ahh, stirrings in his heart. Where might they have come from?

Soon after these words came an important paragraph:

"Now there was a man of a sorrowful countenance and of a sorrowful spirit away off in a little country-town, praying for his only son at these very moments, and his prayers were going to prevail. . . And ever and anon when he was pleading for his son with strong crying and tears, there would surge up in the soul of that son unwelcome, painful thoughts; recollections of his mother and his mother's teachings, faint yearnings for a faith and a practice like hers. He wist not whence they came. . ."

Obviously, the man who was praying was Horace's father. If you will recall, his mother had passed away. After reading this, I was struck by the truth of the words of James 5:16 that the "effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." This is a promise that we parents should cling to. I think it's a promise that should give impetus to the prayers of parents whose children are not at the place they wish them to be. Perhaps, these children will some day experience "faint yearnings" for more faith, a life that's different. These yearnings, even if they are weak, would probably come from God, and could it be that He would have been sent to your children by your prayers?

Many of us are thankful for where our children seem to be in the Lord. But certainly that is no reason for us to ease up with our prayers. I like what Stormie Omartian said in her book The Power of a Praying Parent. She said:

"All that needs to happen in our lives and the lives of our children cannot happen without the presence and power of God. Prayer invites and ignites both."

Moms and dads, shall we not persist in prayer?