Favorite Quotes from 2015

In recollecting the year, I wanted to record some of the quotes that have spoken to me.  These are, of course, aside from the Bible.  The majority of my recordings have come from the Psalms this year.  And you can read them on your own.  The Psalms came alive for me this year in a profound way and I am so grateful.  

I hear the words everywhere, whether music, movies, or books.  These are some of my words in 2015.

"This is the unmaking

The beauty in the breaking

Had to lose myself

To find out who you are..."

~Nichole Nordeman

"I pass through a vale of tears but bless thee for the opening gate of glory at its end."

~"The Valley of Vision"

"I would rather have a man chasing Jesus than a house full of stuff"

~The movie, "War Room" by Alex and Stephen Kendrick

"And I fall on my knees and I fight like a warrior,

I am a warrior on my knees."

~Steven Curtis Chapman

"I know of no answer to give anyone except the answer given to all the world in the cross.  It was there that the great Grain of Wheat died--not that death should be the end of the story, but that it should be the beginning of the story, as it is in all the cycles of nature.  The grain dies.  The harvest results."

~Elisabeth Elliot

"What you practice, you become."

~Sally Clarkson

"Have courage and be kind."

~"Cinderella" movie

Image from www.craftastical.com

"Sing about His mercies and greatness.  The enemy would like to destroy your family and your joy--all you have invested and all your hopes for the future."

~Elisabeth Elliot

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important."

~Ambrose Redmoon

"Real courage is doing your duty under fire."

~Dennis Rainey

"There comes into the life of every man a task for which he and he alone is uniquely suited.  What a shame if that moment finds him either unwilling or unprepared for that which would become his finest hour."

~Winston Churchill

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

~C.S. Lewis

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see."

~Neil Postman

"God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines."

~Dr. Carl Wenger

"Quarry me deep, dear LORD, and then fill me to overflowing with living water."

~"Valley of Vision"

"And thanksgiving in the midst of darkness, clears a way for grace."

~Elisabeth Elliot

"Then I ask myself:  but why do I need the word of anyone but God Himself?  He has told me again and again and again that He is with me and will always be with me, in the deep river, the hot fire, the Valley of the Shadow.  Yet I sometimes doubt Him.  So, in His mercy, He brings along witness after witness, people who have learned dimensions of transforming grace impossible for them to have learned anywhere but where they were."

~Elisabeth Elliot

On Christmas, Ruth, and Happy Endings

I think I finally get it!  Why I am drawn to "happily ever after" stories and fairy tale endings.  Why beauty is a very real attraction to my heart.  I suspect...I know I am not alone.  I witness it in my own children's love for the same fairytales, whether of the "Cinderella," "Frozen," or "Tangled" variety, or the epic stories of faith, bravery, and courage existent in Narnia or "The Lord of the Rings."  I see it all around me, in both its broken, and its redeemed forms.

And isn't Christmas the embodiment of hopes, dreams, and beauty?  It seems to draw out and make apparent all that we seem to long for.  Which also means it is often a very difficult and dark time of year for many in facing their own disappointments, hurts, and shattered dreams.  It just didn't turn out like I expected.

"But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

~Hebrews 11:10, NKJV

Last night I said to my Warrior that Christmas just seemed to breeze by faster than ever this year.  That always makes me sad, because it means it's coming to an end.  And I didn't get to enjoy it nearly as much as I wanted to!  I had so many hopes to just rest in it and enjoy it and soak it all in.  But they didn't come to fruition so well.

I've been reading through these devotionals this year, and I have loved them!  It's been a brief survey through the Bible of how Jesus is the fulfillment of all stories we know and love in His Word.  And there is one in particular that ministered deeply to me.  "Jesus is the True and Better Boaz."

Perhaps it is partially due to my study of Ruth this year, which is one of the best I've ever undertaken.  And I'm sure a large part of its appeal has also been the life experiences of this year.  Whatever the reason, I find it so compelling!  I think here is the ultimate "happily ever after story" of the Old Testament.

Ruth lived in a world of brokenness.  She was a foreigner, even of the despised country of Moab.  And she was alone after the death of her husband.  She chose to forsake her own country's idols and her extended family to follow God and to care for Naomi, as they returned to Bethlehem.  In the midst of walking a faithful, yet certainly lonely, life, Boaz finds her.  He gave her a home and a place to belong.  He brought her intimacy and companionship.  He brought relief and help to her task of caring for her mother-in-law and just plain putting food on the table.  He served out his role as a kinsman-redeemer.  In short, you could very well say that Ruth's wedding to Boaz was the stuff of dreams and fairytale endings for her.

Jesus is the True and Better Boaz--the One who gives us a home and a place.  The One who brings us into the most intimate relationship we can ever know.  The One who brings relief to our weary hearts.  The Kinsman-Redeemer for us all.  All of this world's disappointments, difficulties, loneliness, and celebrations that didn't turn out the way we hoped or expected are leading to the Great Feast--the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine o night
O night divine

Today I am hoping to dwell on these thoughts.  Christmas may not be all I hoped or dreamed for this year.  But it will be good!  I am surrounded by those I love.  I have much to be thankful for.  And above all, I have the gift of a Redeemer to celebrate!

And I am quite certain there will come a day when dreams come true.


Here's a little Christmas gift from me to you......a song that I've really appreciated this year.  Merry Christmas!

Pulling Weeds

As the gardening season is here and all around me stand endless pots of plants from my dear Country Girl's school projects, experiments, and the labors of one of the passions of her heart, I am reminded that I have very, very often thought of my life in the analogy of a garden.

Right here, right now?  This is the season for pulling weeds.

This chapter speaks volumes about the importance of pulling weeds in marriage.  I found it to be so insightful and want to share it with you.  Just click on the link when you have some time to ponder and pray.  And maybe read and talk with your beloved?

Because your marriage is worth it!

Then follow up by planting seeds of goodness, of beauty, of all the fruits of the Spirit.  As the article so poignantly reminds me:  Good fruit and a beautiful harvest does not just happen.  It takes watering, it takes care and tending, and love.  In short, it takes hard work.  Over and over and over again.

"We were made to run

through fields of forever,

Singing songs to our Savior and King,

So let us remember

this life we're living

Is just the beginning

of the beginning

Of this glorious unfolding"

~Steven Curtis Chapman

Who Shall Deliver Me?

Now you might be thinking that perhaps my life is so put together and pretty, after the previous two posts on the joyful celebrations we've shared.  But it simply isn't true.  To be quite honest, there are days of deep struggle, conflict, and pain.  And those aren't so lovely or beautiful.  But as this place is where I write of how I look for the beauty that is in all things, yes, even the hard and ugly, I needed to write here today to collect my thoughts.  More than that, what I sincerely desire is to speak the Words of Gospel life into my heart in a way that truly impacts it.  Somehow going around just thinking thoughts to myself doesn't always feel very productive or helpful in achieving that goal--though I do believe it is right and necessary as well.  John Piper has said that writing helps us see things in a way we do not otherwise see.  I have always felt and understood this to be true in my own processing of what God is doing in my life.

This morning I came to my quiet reading desk where I spend time in Bible study and prayer.  The tears started flowing as soon as I read what I was "supposed" to be studying this morning.  A cloud of condemnation, waves of doubt, even a crisis of faith.

I came to the breakfast table a little while later and saw the Tabletalk magazine sitting there with the topic this month of "The Seven Deadly Fears."  I skimmed through what those fears were.  I landed on one, thinking it would speak most to where I was, but actually discovered it was another.  And in His Providence, every word of this article spoke directly to my present struggle.  I will likely spend a lot of time quoting because this is just the tool God used to direct me back to His Word this morning--and just what I needed to preach the gospel to my heart today.

WHO SHALL DELIVER ME?

God strengthen me to bear myself;
That heaviest weight of all to bear,
Inalienable weight of care.
 

All others are outside myself;
I lock my door and bar them out
The turmoil, tedium, gad-about.
 

I lock my door upon myself,
And bar them out; but who shall wall
Self from myself, most loathed of all?
 

If I could once lay down myself,
And start self-purged upon the race
That all must run ! Death runs apace.
 

If I could set aside myself,
And start with lightened heart upon
The road by all men overgone!
 

God harden me against myself,
This coward with pathetic voice
Who craves for ease and rest and joys
 

Myself, arch-traitor to myself ;
My hollowest friend, my deadliest foe,
My clog whatever road I go.
 

Yet One there is can curb myself,
Can roll the strangling load from me
Break off the yoke and set me free

 

~Christina Rossetti

 

 

This poem is quite a depiction of the internal struggle with self and the condemnation that so often plagues, as Paul so aptly explains for us in Romans 7:24..  If you have not guessed, the fear that this article addresses is "Fear of Self."  Right away, after a brief analysis of this poem, the author of the article, Kris Lundgaard,  makes this statement.  And I find it perfect.

 

"The beauty of the Bible is that it never leaves us to think we are alone in our fears."

 

I've found that word I was looking for......BEAUTY.

 

 

What was Paul's response to his own desperate cry?  To start preaching to himself.

 

"I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."  (Romans 7:25, NKJV)

 

Anyone else think it frustrating that we can imagine in our minds how obedient we'll be, and know what is the right thing to do, and be powerless to carry it out?

 

Then he continues on:

 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1, NKJV)

 

 

What I had not noticed before is that Paul models for us how to make this move--how to go from self-condemnation to self-proclamation of the victory that is ours in Christ Jesus.  And it is likely that Paul learned the same from the models given in Psalms, like in Psalms 42 and 43.



 

 

I have spent much time in these Psalms the past year or so, and have only begun to unpack what's here.  These laments show a pattern that encourages me in knowing just how to speak the Gospel into difficult situations.  First, the psalmist shows his thirst and longing for God, yet feels distant and perhaps separated from Him.  Can you relate?  He shows his sense of oppression, and the feeling of being overwhelmed by grief and trouble.  A very deep and troublesome groaning inside (I always think to Romans 8 when I find my spirit so deeply hurting; those groanings that words cannot express). 

 

But then...HOPE rises!  The psalmist begins to turn from his inward laments, his self, toward God. 

 

"Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him

For the help of His countenance."

~Psalm 42:5, NKJV

 

The author of the article again says this well:

 

"As long as the heart searches inward--reckoning up past sins, rehearsing past failures, bemoaning hardships--it will only find reason for self-doubt, discouragement, and fear."

 

Been there.  Am there, perhaps.

 

He continues on:

 

"We must preach the gospel to ourselves.  This demands that we keep our noses in the Bible, listening for God's voice, founding our confidence on Him and His promises rather than on ourselves.  What we will find in the Word is that though 'our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything' (1 John 3:20).  That's right--He searches our hearts more piercingly than our own conscience can, and He knows that we are actually worse than we ever imagined."  (Kris Lundgaard, italics mine)

 

I saw those last words and immediately remembered the Sonship course we took over ten years ago, in which the author was very fond of saying something very close to, "Rejoice!  You are worse than you ever imagined.  But God's grace is greater than you ever imagined."  Somehow it's easier to remember the first statement than the last.  The last statement is where we shine the light of His truth and gospel into our dark places.

 

Preaching this truth to myself has really brought about a peace in my spirit that "rules" over the circumstance.  Perhaps another way we were designed to take dominion in the image of God.  I've never thought of it that way, but it makes sense.  I find that I do have to "rule over" my sinful flesh with the Word of His truth.  Not an easy task...but most essential.

 

"God is on our side--even against our hearts...In fact, the thought that God would turn against us after giving His Son for us, or that the Son would abandon us when He's the very one who died for us and who lives to pray for us--well, the thought beggars the imagination."

 

 

And that, dear friends, is our only hope for deliverance!

 

 

**Quotes, besides the poem by Christina Rossetti and the Bible, are taken from Kris Lundgaard in his article, "Fear of Self," Tabletalk magazine, October 2013.



 



The Cupcake's Tale (A Story of Forgiveness)

Being a day of celebration, the Lady of the House set about making a special treat, as is her custom.  She settled upon a cupcake recipe.  I felt delighted to be chosen because the Lady of the House does not consider herself a "cupcake" sort of lady.  Something about not yet being able to create something scrumptious enough and that most of hers seem too bland or just plain "cake-ish".  But, she had them in her mind.  And all because she had a gourmet cupcake at, of all events, a poultry swap!  This lady (at the poultry swap) was a true cupcake gourmet and after perusing her menu, The Lady of the House settled upon an Autumn Cupcake.  She shared it with her poultry-loving daughters who were in attendance with her.  And all agreed, it was indeed a scrumptious cupcake.

So, this being the perfect occasion, she settled upon a recipe and made some twists of her own to try to replicate something similar.  The piece de resistance?  A Chai Carrot Cupcake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.  Just saying the name made her a little bit giddy.  For she really wanted to bless her family with such a treat.

Off to the kitchen she went, busy with measuring, mixing, grating, blending spices, and baking.  Oh, how good they smelled in the oven.  And they looked so lovely and rounded, sitting in those nice fall paper-lined baking cups.  She set them carefully on the cooling rack.  She prepared the frosting and refrigerated it during dinner, so that it could retain a nice shape while being artistically swirled upon the top of the finished cupcakes.

The Lady of the House and the Man of the House talked of them during dinner, among other conversations of the day.  The Man of the House told of a multi-car pileup accident on the highway as he rode the bus into work in the morning.  We noted that it wasn't even foggy, so we wondered how such a thing happened.  The Man of the House suggested a wonderful idea--to share cupcakes with neighbors as a gesture of kindness and light-bearing on an otherwise dark night.  The children were all excited to deliver and so they set about finishing the cupcakes when dinner was finished.

The daughters wanted to help decorate because pastry bags full of frosting are hard to resist when one is creative and artistic at heart.  Pastry bags were soon loaded.  The Lady of the House, being bent toward perfectionism (and not liking that aspect of her character too much, but struggling with it just the same), sought to make them look as beautiful as the cupcake gourmet's.  They were indeed lovely, even if not as pretty as the cupcake gourmet made them.

And here is where my tale starts to get more personal.  I was thrilled to be topped with such lovely decoration and to be turned from something somewhat plain looking, to something fancy.  Perhaps the Lady of the House was like my fairy godmother?  Regardless, we all were finished and sat awaiting the basket to be carried to neighbors.  Some were set aside for them and some were set aside for her family when they concluded their gift-giving and reconvened for their own family time, looking forward to hot cider and some more of their Reformation story.

Upon their return, they set about preparing cupcakes for the table.  They thought the cupcake tree would be just right for a centerpiece.  The Daughter of the House carefully put the first cupcake on (which was me).  And then it happened.  Off I toppled, landing in a puddle of cream cheese, turned upside down on the floor.  This upset her greatly.  The Lady of the House was also rather frustrated and did not respond kindly to her daughter's accident.  Along came the Man of the House and being just a little annoyed at his daughter's drama, he too toppled a cupcake.  This upset the Lady of the House even more.  There we were...a pileup, as it were, of a few cupcakes.  And a pileup of fragile emotions and tears.

The Lady of the House was discouraged at her own failures and was no longer in a happy, celebratory mood because she was so irritated with her own sin.  Her daughters were heavy-hearted because their Mama was heavy hearted.  The Man of the House, being a steady man who is quite adept at calming the sometimes dramatic emotions of his wife and daughters, sought to turn the attentions of his household to brighter thoughts.

It being late, the Lady of the House had plenty of work ahead to prepare her household for bedtime.  But first she sought out her two daughters, one at a time, to seek forgiveness.  Such moments are always bittersweet; bitter for the sin that caused the offenses, and sweet for the power forgiveness has to cleanse and make anew.

As she embraced one of her girls, she remembered the story that the Man of the House shared at dinner; the one about the six-car pileup.  She said to her daughter that she thought that this was a picture of what just happened in her own household and how one person's frustration feeds another's until there is left an accidental pileup--one that needs a gentle hand to come in and untangle all of the mess that was made to set it all right again.

After settling little ones to bed, the Lady of the House began to breathe deeply at the calm that comes upon a household at bedtime.  Though still in agony over her own failures, she was beginning to see above them.  As one little daughter climbed out of bed to have her skin treated for mysterious, persistent itchiness, the Lady of the House gently rubbed the salve upon her then accompanied her back to bed.   As she did, she smelled a familiar smell still lingering in the air and said to herself, "It smells like cupcakes in here."  The thought made her smile, as she remembered a quote from Lark Rise to Candleford that she had heard only the night before: 

It is only by making mistakes and hurting one another that we learn the greatest of human joys:  forgiving and being forgiven.
 

That oh-so-pleasant, lingering aroma--the one left by us cupcakes--served as a poignant reminder that forgiveness is indeed sweet.  The Lady of the House is ever grateful for such a kindness from her Savior.

 

 
 

 

   

Rooting out Weeds

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³ You therefore must endure^[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵ And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. ⁷ Consider what I say, and may^[b] the Lord give you understanding in all things.

~2 Timothy 2:1-7

I have this insidious weed growing in my gardens.  I don't know what it is and haven't bothered to find out.  I just know that I find it extremely annoying.  It is everywhere.  It's this clover-like weed with little yellow flowers and tiny little thorns.  It spreads like crazy, it seems.  As soon as I pull them up, I find them growing somewhere else!  As I was weeding this evening, I was reflecting on this and how it relates to the condition of my heart.  It's another one of those times where my studies in the Word with 2 Timothy are coming to life!  I love that!  (Love the lessons, though not the weeds)

                           

This past week in our Sword Studies, we studied the three examples Paul gives in 2 Timothy of the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer.  I can identify fairly well with each example.  Though I am not personally a soldier, I live very close to one and know quite a bit about the world of a soldier.  I probably most identify with the athlete, having been a serious one at a stage of my life.  I also grew up on a farm and know about the work entailed in farming.  As I was weeding, you can guess I was thinking of the farmer.  And "hardworking" is sure a good description of a good farmer (and a good athlete and a good soldier)!

There are things I wrestle with.  Insidious weeds like to take root in my heart and choke out the seeds of the gospel.  I'm not always sure how many of them get there and others I can have some idea about.  I find that some of these weeds have strong roots.  I'll pull them up from time to time and sigh a breath of deep relief, only to have them grow back again.  Not only that.  It seems they can spread sometimes and become bigger.  Just like that clover weed in my garden, it annoys me terribly.  For I wish that I could pull it up and have it be gone forever.  Somehow it doesn't seem to work that way.  It usually comes back. 

I think the enemy knows our weakness.  In fact, I am convinced of it.  I am regularly attacked in that particular place of weakness.  In my ear I can't help hearing Dorcas Lane in "Lark Rise to Candleford" as she always says--"It is my one weakness."  When I pull weeds in my garden and ask the Lord why it is that I can't seem to uproot this weedy seed in my heart permanently, I tend to think it is time to get out the big guns.  You know, some Spiritual Roundup or something.  Surely it exists somewhere.

How do I continue to be that hardworking farmer?  I keep working on those weeds.  I must take my thoughts captive (hard as it may be).  Part of cultivating good fruit seems to be the inevitable pulling of weeds.  It is one way I "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."  And who can forget elsewhere that Paul says that His power is perfected in my weakness?  Ouch.  Must it be so?  I rather like operating from a position of strength better.

To help counteract these weeds, I find the best solution is to feed and cultivate the fruit.  Where more fruit lives, there is less space for weeds.  The biggest antidote is to feed on the Word of God.  Over and over and over again until it sinks into my heart.  I'll admit there are moments I do this and think, "It's not working!"  That usually means do it again.  And do it until it starts to sink down deep into the roots.  This summer the verses I am memorizing are really being called into action many times.  And I have to keep saying (or singing) them over until I "get it."  It really does work if I keep at it.  Must be why this is called a spiritual discipline?  I think so!

.  It is a race that is run with perseverance.  It's not a sprint, but a marathon.  Like a soldier, I must arm myself.  Like an athlete, I must train hard and diligently.  And like a farmer, I must work hard toward that harvest.  By faith, I am trusting that the harvest of righteousness will come.  I do not work in order to receive any righteousness.  I am justified purely in Christ alone.  No, I work hard because He has saved me and can use me to point others toward Him.  Yes, with me He is very longsuffering!

¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶ However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

~1 Timothy 1:15-16

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

~2 Timothy 2:15

Truly, one of my greatest joys in gardening is that it provides me with endless lessons about my life in Christ.

More of Faith, Less of Self

O Saviour of Sinners,

Thy name is excellent,

thy glory high,

thy compassions unfailing,

thy condescension wonderful,

thy mercy tender.

I bless thee for the discoveries, invitations, promises of the gospel

for in them is pardon for rebels,

liberty for captives,

health for the sick,

salvation for the lost.

I come to thee in thy beloved name of Jesus;

re-impress thy image upon my soul;

Raise me above the smiles and frowns of the world,

regarding it as a light thing to be judged by men;

May thy approbation be my only aim,

thy Word my one rule.

Make me to abhor that which grieves thy Holy Spirit,

to suspect consolations of a worldly nature,

to shun a careless way of life,

to reprove evil,

to instruct with meekness those who oppose me,

to be gentle and patient towards all men,

to be not only a professor but an example of the gospel,

displaying in every relation, office, and condition

its excellency, loveliness and advantages.

How little have I illustrated my principles

and improved my privileges!

How seldom I served my generation!

How often have I injured and not recommended my Redeemer!

How few are those blessed through me!

In many things I have offended,

in all come short of thy glory;

Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

~"Living for Jesus,"  The Valley of Vision

This past week I have been amazed at how God has woven one theme throughout several avenues.  I love when He does that; even more, I love when I can see it!  I really think this happens when I have taken the time to really be in His Word and to listen.  I can't say enough how much I am enjoying studying 2 Timothy--and studying it with my whole family. 

We just returned home from our state home education conference (yes, we had the privilege of getting to go to two this year!  Both excellent, by the way).  What did I bring home?  The power of the Gospel!  That's really the essence of what I felt the Lord doing in my heart.  I want to live by faith more and by self less.  I want this life of home discipleship to be used as a tool for the Gospel of Jesus Christ--for our marriage, for our children, and for those whom we meet around us.  I heard several people speak this weekend who conveyed a passion for the Gospel and that is what really ministered to me.  I was both humbled and stirred.  I have so often been overwhelmed at points along the way because I rely too much on my own strength (which is always lacking) and not enough on His (which is never lacking).

Today I am thankful for some extra time to ponder these truths and to consider how to let them permeate my life.

"For this reason I also suffer these things;nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.  Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us."

~2 Timothy 1:12-14, NKJV

A Candlemas Tea

February 2nd is known as Candlemas Day in the liturgical year of the church.  I did not know much about Candlemas Day until some of my recent research on holidays, particularly when I was looking at the history of Epiphany.  As far as I can tell, Candlemas is celebrated primarily in the Catholic tradition.  Now I am not Catholic, but I do admire how some of the Catholic mothers seem to teach the stories of Scripture through their celebrations and traditions.  This is the essence of what I felt the Lord has been drawing me to this year.

I love celebrations and I firmly believe these are the things that our children will remember when they look back upon their childhood home life.  Celebrations are one way I seek to fill the treasure chest of my children's lives with that which is beautiful, which speaks truth into their hearts, and fills them with good things that I hope may spill out of their own lives into others.  These have the potential to be carried forth in generations as well and serve to build a legacy.

So one of my goals this year is to continue learning how to provide regular opportunities to celebrate the goodness of God in a way that bonds our hearts together.  One of these directions for me is to create times of instruction and fun centered around holidays--to make the turning of the year memorable as we remember our Lord and those in history who have done great and sometimes difficult things for the Gospel.

I saw some wonderful ideas for a Candlemas Tea and knew that is something I wanted to add to our celebrations this year.  A little background:  Candlemas marks the celebration of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem.  This would have taken place 40 days after his birth.  Catholics have also marked it as the Purification of Mary.  According to Mosaic law, she would have been "unclean" for 40 days after the birth of a male child.  Candlemas also marks the halfway mark between winter and spring---hence, we also have Punxatawney Phil and the legend of the Groundhog Day.  It is called Candlemas because on this day Catholics have a tradition of blessing the household candles that will be used in the forthcoming year.  This is a very brief description, but I hope it gives you the basics.

This is how I used our tea time to teach from Scripture:  After the food was prepared and we sat down at the table, I read Luke 2: 22-38.  As I read I pointed out how the foods (or decorations) represented different aspects of the narrative.  This dish (I only have one) was for the two turtledoves or pigeons that were Mary's offering.

The pretzels symbolize Simeon's arms---used to hold Jesus and to pray.

These cookies, made to look like candles, and our candles lit on the table, because Jesus would be, "A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:32)

These were fun--made of rolled wafer cookies, some lemon wafers at the base, a dollop of cream cheese frosting to hold them up (though, admittedly, they fell over.  If you really want them to stand up I think you'd have to go for royal icing).  The tips were dipped in white chocolate and then yellow sugar sprinkles for the flame.  The children thought they were perfect!

The cheese cubes are "pierced" with toothpicks (I did not have any swords handy) for the prophecy that a sword would pierce Mary's soul also (v. 35).

The olives are for the widow Anna.  The other idea sites used Mallomars.  I've never heard of them and they sound intriguing.  However, I didn't want the extra sugar and I didn't want to shop all over for them!

We took some strawberries out of the freezer and dipped them in the rest of the white chocolate.  These represent .."that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." (v.35)  Dipped in white, they symbolize how Christ came to wash our hearts clean.

 We added a couple of other foods to carry on the white theme to represent purity--Mary's purification at the temple and the purity of Christ.  Our beverage today was white cocoa (I found some this time) and then we added in some Greek yogurt---yum!

I had really wanted to take the opportunity to make candles, but that didn't happen this time around.  Country Girls and I are very eager to try making tapered candles.  Perhaps next time. (The rolled beeswax candle pictured above, is one that we made in the past, and we have them for sale in our Etsy store).

It was a fun surprise to put into our week.  It is always a delight to come to a table that is simply decorated and thoughtfully prepared in way that's just a little out-of-the-ordinary.  This really was easy to prepare.  You don't even have to make homemade pretzels.  But I wanted to.  I had eager helpers.  When the day was ended, we had saved a candle cookie for Warrior.  The children told back the story and how the foods we ate that day gave testimony to the truths of Scripture, for which we are so thankful!  

Everything for His Glory

My Young Warrior was listening to one of his favorite songs.  It drew me in.  And really there are few joys in life that compare to dancing in the quiet of your home with a baby in your arms.  It ranks up there just under dancing in the living room with your husband.  So that is what I found myself doing.  It's even more fun when other children join in.

The chorus of the lyrics goes like this:

As you do every thing you do for the glory of the One who made you

Cause He made you

To do

Every little thing that you do

To bring a smile to His face

And tell the story of grace

With every move that you make

And every little thing you do

I needed to just soak in those words for a little while.  Am I telling the story of grace as I go about the day in my responses and conversations?  This song just has a way of lifting me out of the mundane and putting joy in the journey and a spring in my step.  Ordinarily, I prefer more reflective and "quieter" music.  But I have kept Steven Curtis Chapman as a favorite for well over twenty years (and yes, some of his songs are quiet and reflective).  Meaningful, well-chosen words is one reason why.  I find his  music so compelling because he also seems to have a grasp of the condition of our human souls--the struggles, the messes, AND the victories--and how we need to be turned God-ward in the midst of every moment.

These words also brought to mind the voice of my Young Princess when she was even younger and we were teaching them the Catechism for Young Children.


Q:  Who made you?
A:  God.


Q:What else did God make?
A:  God made all things.


Q:  Why did God make you and all things?
A:  For His own glory. 

When the moment was gone, I was a bit sad it was over.  I think I wanted to play it again.  I decided to see if there was a good video to go with it.  Children were giggling and the older ones came over to see.  Now all of us were laughing at the funny antics of Steven Curtis Chapman in this video. 

I hope this might bring some joy to your day---and delight that you were made for His glory!  I know I can use this reminder often.  So though the video is a bit goofy, I hope the message of the lyrics ministers to your heart today.