Saturday, January 30, 2010
I got a new sewing machine!
I had an older one that my mom got me off of Ebay that was the same model Singer she had bought years before since she had always liked it. I had messed around on it a little in the past, but recently I decided I wanted to start sewing skirts and things. Well, the old sewing machine didn't hold up too well, as it stopped working correctly a few hours into my first project. So I went with the well-reviewed and inexpensive Singer Simple(also recommended by Martha Steward, if you still needed a clincher...haha).
I can't say too much about it yet, as the farthest I've gotten has been threading it and beginning to try to figure out how to use the automatic needle-threader. I have a pattern for a simple A-line skirt I'm going to make. I started making it from a sheet for practice, but it was too small and I'm going to have to go up a size. I've had this nice blue fabric lying around just waiting to be made into a summer skirt!
I have to fit sewing time in-between studying time, work time, etc., but I'll be sure to post pictures when it's finished!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Goodbyes
"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."And, on a happier note, visits and letters are expected!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
God, My Father
"Jesus used the word 'father' more than any other description or name for God. And He taught us to address God in the same way: 'Our Father who art in heaven....' "
Mary A. Kassian, Biblical Womanhood In the Home
I'm sure this is probably not a new idea to most of us, but I was thinking last night about God as our Father. When all we want is for someone to be intimately involved in our lives, He is right there wanting nothing more than to share everything with us. He is interested in all of the little things that concern us. And when we desire someone strong to sternly direct us down the right path, we can go to the letter He has written to hear all of his loving directions. Then, when we need comfort along the way, His Spirit is there with us, holding us. I thank God that whether we have a wonderful earthly father or have never experienced the fatherly affection we longed for from our earthly father, we can know that God is right there, just waiting to father us.
Mary A. Kassian, Biblical Womanhood In the Home
I'm sure this is probably not a new idea to most of us, but I was thinking last night about God as our Father. When all we want is for someone to be intimately involved in our lives, He is right there wanting nothing more than to share everything with us. He is interested in all of the little things that concern us. And when we desire someone strong to sternly direct us down the right path, we can go to the letter He has written to hear all of his loving directions. Then, when we need comfort along the way, His Spirit is there with us, holding us. I thank God that whether we have a wonderful earthly father or have never experienced the fatherly affection we longed for from our earthly father, we can know that God is right there, just waiting to father us.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Are We Overlooking Faithfulness?
Many times I have heard testimonies that begin with “I was into drugs,” or “I slept around,” or “I was an atheist,” followed by the dramatic impact coming to Christ had on these lives. These kind of stories may even be what come to mind when you hear the word “testimony,” and men and women who have followed Christ all their lives sometimes feel that their testimonies pale in comparison. The testimonies of Christians who were once far from God bring him great glory and delight, but I am troubled by what seems to be a tendency to glorify something other than God's ideal. Let's explore what the Bible says about these testimonies and work to build a proper biblical perspective.
First, we must establish how much God is delighted when those who are living in darkness accept Jesus and turn to God. In Luke 15, Jesus says
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
Jesus made it very clear how important these people are to him, and how happy it makes him and the Father that they have turned to him at last. As God's priorities should be our own, it is important that we also value these individuals' salvation.
While we see that Jesus rejoices over someone turning to him, the Bible makes it clear that God's desire is for individuals to have their hearts turned to him. In Psalm 95:10, God says of a group of people, “For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." On the other hand, Acts 13:22 records God's words concerning David, whom he had chosen to be king: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything that I want him to do.’ God's word instructs parents to teach their children about the ways of God, and we are cautioned against falling away and falling into sin. God's ideal is that children would grow up to know Him and would continue to serve him faithfully, never having cause for a testimony of a rescue from sin. So much emphasis is sometimes put on the dramatic testimonies of the prodigals, I fear that Christians begin to get the idea that such testimonies are in some way superior. Perhaps it's because they make better stories than things like “I've followed God all my life,” or maybe it makes us feel better about our sinful pasts. Whatever the reasons, we need to make sure that we are embracing and glorifying nothing other than God's will, which has been revealed to us through his Word.
Other than simply being less than what God desires for us, living a portion of one's life in a state of fallenness has worldly disadvantages. Time that has not been spent in God's will cannot be gotten back. Negative influences one has had on others over that period of time cannot be taken back. Virginity, a God-given gift to give to a future spouse, cannot be regained.
Webster defines a “virgin” as a person who has never had sexual intercourse. Some Christians encourage those who have made mistakes in the past to embrace a second, or regained, virginity. This may be possible in a spiritual sense, but not in a physical, mental, or emotional one. If a man or woman sacrifices their virginity before marriage and receives God's forgiveness, they are still not “a person who has never had sexual intercourse.” Sin often brings pain and consequences, which we must live with even after forgiveness has been given. In the case of lost virginity, there are lingering emotional ties and memories and a sense of loss when one does not have the gift to give to their future spouse, to name just a few repercussions. In Deuteronomy, the severe penalty of stoning is given for women who allowed the man they married to believe they were a virgin when they were not. No condition is given for women who were forgiven for their immorality, as virginity is a very real physical state (Note that the penalty isn't for the lost virginity, but for the deceit). Since we see that all cannot be restored after sin, it is better to be able to say that one is a virgin than to be able to have a testimony about the amount of sexual immorality one was involved in before coming to know Christ
Now, in all of this, I do not mean to belittle God's grace or be discouraging to those who have made mistakes. The Bible talks about forgiveness so much because, at some point, all of us badly need it. 1 John 1:9 ensures us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The word purify means to rid something of impurities or pollution. In a figurative sense, this means that when God purifies us from all unrighteousness, we are made righteous and pure by his grace once again. Virgins in God's eyes, if you will. God's cleansing power is a beautiful and undeserved gift and we can be comforted that we can once again be, as David said in a psalm, “whiter than snow.” How beautiful second chances are!
Touching and dramatic testimonies are wonderful because God especially rejoices when those who were once lost are found. However, we have also seen that ideally, God would have us continue to walk in his ways faithfully all our lives. We need to challenge ourselves in our thinking if we feel that those who have continued with God are in some way inferior because they lack a dramatic testimony. It is they who should be respected for doing God's will continuously. We must instill in our children an understanding of the value of a consistent, faithful walk with God, and begin to restore the respect that is due to Christian faithfulness. In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Every follower of Christ has this hope to share, this all-important hope which makes any testimony beautiful.
While we see that Jesus rejoices over someone turning to him, the Bible makes it clear that God's desire is for individuals to have their hearts turned to him. In Psalm 95:10, God says of a group of people, “For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." On the other hand, Acts 13:22 records God's words concerning David, whom he had chosen to be king: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything that I want him to do.’ God's word instructs parents to teach their children about the ways of God, and we are cautioned against falling away and falling into sin. God's ideal is that children would grow up to know Him and would continue to serve him faithfully, never having cause for a testimony of a rescue from sin. So much emphasis is sometimes put on the dramatic testimonies of the prodigals, I fear that Christians begin to get the idea that such testimonies are in some way superior. Perhaps it's because they make better stories than things like “I've followed God all my life,” or maybe it makes us feel better about our sinful pasts. Whatever the reasons, we need to make sure that we are embracing and glorifying nothing other than God's will, which has been revealed to us through his Word.
Other than simply being less than what God desires for us, living a portion of one's life in a state of fallenness has worldly disadvantages. Time that has not been spent in God's will cannot be gotten back. Negative influences one has had on others over that period of time cannot be taken back. Virginity, a God-given gift to give to a future spouse, cannot be regained.
Webster defines a “virgin” as a person who has never had sexual intercourse. Some Christians encourage those who have made mistakes in the past to embrace a second, or regained, virginity. This may be possible in a spiritual sense, but not in a physical, mental, or emotional one. If a man or woman sacrifices their virginity before marriage and receives God's forgiveness, they are still not “a person who has never had sexual intercourse.” Sin often brings pain and consequences, which we must live with even after forgiveness has been given. In the case of lost virginity, there are lingering emotional ties and memories and a sense of loss when one does not have the gift to give to their future spouse, to name just a few repercussions. In Deuteronomy, the severe penalty of stoning is given for women who allowed the man they married to believe they were a virgin when they were not. No condition is given for women who were forgiven for their immorality, as virginity is a very real physical state (Note that the penalty isn't for the lost virginity, but for the deceit). Since we see that all cannot be restored after sin, it is better to be able to say that one is a virgin than to be able to have a testimony about the amount of sexual immorality one was involved in before coming to know Christ
Now, in all of this, I do not mean to belittle God's grace or be discouraging to those who have made mistakes. The Bible talks about forgiveness so much because, at some point, all of us badly need it. 1 John 1:9 ensures us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The word purify means to rid something of impurities or pollution. In a figurative sense, this means that when God purifies us from all unrighteousness, we are made righteous and pure by his grace once again. Virgins in God's eyes, if you will. God's cleansing power is a beautiful and undeserved gift and we can be comforted that we can once again be, as David said in a psalm, “whiter than snow.” How beautiful second chances are!
Touching and dramatic testimonies are wonderful because God especially rejoices when those who were once lost are found. However, we have also seen that ideally, God would have us continue to walk in his ways faithfully all our lives. We need to challenge ourselves in our thinking if we feel that those who have continued with God are in some way inferior because they lack a dramatic testimony. It is they who should be respected for doing God's will continuously. We must instill in our children an understanding of the value of a consistent, faithful walk with God, and begin to restore the respect that is due to Christian faithfulness. In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Every follower of Christ has this hope to share, this all-important hope which makes any testimony beautiful.
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