Yes, I'm back after two whole weeks!
We have been very busy around here, trying to find a trailer to live in (we have some land now!), and this past weekends' Homeschool Conference, as well as just everyday life! [Notice I didn't use the word 'normal' to describe "everyday life" :)]
Well, our Homeschool Conference was amazing! It was a time of wonderful fellowship with old friends, and a few new ones! The guest speaker this year was Voddie Baucham, and he gave several wonderful messages, including a couple on the effects of Feminism on the Culture and the Ministry of Marriage.
By the Way, if you haven't seen Jasmine's recent re-post of Should Young Women Go To College, it is excellent! :) I, for one, can relate to much of what she discusses, as I used to want to be a doctor, against my parent's will. (Up until just a couple of years ago!)
Thankfully, the Lord turned my heart towards home and my father, and set me in a different path! As I look around me at some young ladies I know who went down the college path, I am struck by the grace of our Savior, that I am not in the same places they are, yielding the same fruit!
As some of you know, the commitment to go counter-cultural in the area of "higher education" can be extremely difficult, and it can be a very lonely path, because most young women are more willing to sacrifice God's design for them, rather than face opposition from the world.
For those of you who are on the same path as myself, I know how difficult it can be when it seems that the barrage of questions will never end! But, dear sisters, these questions serve to grow us in His Grace... so every time someone asks you, "So, where are you going to college?" , "Aren't you wasting your brain?" or "But what if (your husband dies, your father dies, etc.)?" take heart, and know you're not the only one answering those questions, and that God is building character in us!
And, after all, it is kind of funny to see how people react when I answer the question, "What are you going to do with your life?" with "Well, I'd really like to be a wife and home-educating mother someday!"
For those of you who would like to learn more about the question, "Should young women go to College?" I would recommend Making Wise Decisions About College, So Much More, and The Return of the Daughters.
Showing posts with label daddy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daddy. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
I'm still here...
Most of you have probably figured out by now that I'm not a consistent blogger!! :) So, I thought I'd just tell you all what I've been doing lately.
We've been doing the Evenings with Victoria Botkin webinar, which has been very good, and we just started the Great Authors Webinar, as well. (see banner above)
But I've also been doing alot of reading. ALOT! Recently I've been reading things as varied as J.C. Ryle, Nutrition books, with a little bit of John Calvin, Louisa May Alcott, and (smile) Driver's Ed thrown in, too!
I've also been busy researching different doctrines of the church. I have learned so much, but I think the most rewarding thing has been discussing different Confessions, Scriptures, and viewpoints with my parents, particularly my Daddy.
I thought I'd share with everyone my family's "Hymn of the Month", too-- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson.
Isn't that a great hymn? It is so convicting when I read that section of the last verse where it says, "Prone to wander- Lord, I feel it- Prone to leave the God I love". What a great reminder that I must daily give my heart to both my fathers- Heavenly and earthly!
Oh, and by the way, I passed the Driver's Permit exam! :D
We've been doing the Evenings with Victoria Botkin webinar, which has been very good, and we just started the Great Authors Webinar, as well. (see banner above)
But I've also been doing alot of reading. ALOT! Recently I've been reading things as varied as J.C. Ryle, Nutrition books, with a little bit of John Calvin, Louisa May Alcott, and (smile) Driver's Ed thrown in, too!
I've also been busy researching different doctrines of the church. I have learned so much, but I think the most rewarding thing has been discussing different Confessions, Scriptures, and viewpoints with my parents, particularly my Daddy.
I thought I'd share with everyone my family's "Hymn of the Month", too-- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson.
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tounges above;
Praise the mount- I'm fixed upon it-
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer-
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander- Lord, I feel it-
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart- O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Isn't that a great hymn? It is so convicting when I read that section of the last verse where it says, "Prone to wander- Lord, I feel it- Prone to leave the God I love". What a great reminder that I must daily give my heart to both my fathers- Heavenly and earthly!
Oh, and by the way, I passed the Driver's Permit exam! :D
Monday, March 29, 2010
What it Means to Have a Father
I am back from the Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreat! It was a wonderful weekend, and I wanted to share with everyone a little bit of what I heard over the next few days.
I'd like to start by sharing with you some notes from one of Mr. Doug Phillips' messages, What it Means to Have a Father: The Glory and Privilege of Daughterhood.
The first thing he said that was very thought-provoking was that, "If you do not know what it means to be a daughter, or do not embrace your earthly father, you will not embrace your Heavenly Father." He went on, "Your father is a gift from God, and the way you react to Him is the true test of daughterhood." Unfortunately, I don't always react (or interact) very well with my Daddy.
Mr. Phillips listed 10 things you have when you have a father. They were:
-A Model to Point you to God.
Mr. Phillips pointed out that "the way you look at your father is the way you look at God. Daughters who do not have a father do not know how to relate to God."
-A Provider to Give to You.
-A Protector to Care for You.
-A Priest to Disciple You.
-An Intercessor for your soul.
-An Example of Manhood. He said, "Girls today are looking in all the wrong places for love. They are very confused."
-An Instructor to Teach You. This one was very convicting! He said, "If you do not listen to Your father's instruction, you despise your Heavenly Father."
-A Comforter to Show you Proper Affections.
-A Friend to Rejoice with You.
-A Shepherd to Lead You.
He spoke on the importance of Fathers, and even on what God says about fathers, for instance, in 2 Corinthians 6:18, "I will be a Father to You, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Mr. Phillips pointed out that "the Father-Daughter Relationship is so vitally important, even multi-generationally, that God says when all else is crushed in life- He will be there as a Father for you."
He asked all of us young ladies- "Do you realize how blessed you are to have a Father?" And I don't think any of us really do. Think about this:
More than 350,000 children in Haiti no longer have Fathers.
Mr. Phillips really got me thinking when he said, "Children must have Fathers! Fathers bring order and provision, so when you have no father, you have devestation... Be a daughter. And be thankful for being a daughter."
May we all become grateful daughters, and have a blessed day!
I'd like to start by sharing with you some notes from one of Mr. Doug Phillips' messages, What it Means to Have a Father: The Glory and Privilege of Daughterhood.
The first thing he said that was very thought-provoking was that, "If you do not know what it means to be a daughter, or do not embrace your earthly father, you will not embrace your Heavenly Father." He went on, "Your father is a gift from God, and the way you react to Him is the true test of daughterhood." Unfortunately, I don't always react (or interact) very well with my Daddy.
Mr. Phillips listed 10 things you have when you have a father. They were:
-A Model to Point you to God.
Mr. Phillips pointed out that "the way you look at your father is the way you look at God. Daughters who do not have a father do not know how to relate to God."
-A Provider to Give to You.
-A Protector to Care for You.
-A Priest to Disciple You.
-An Intercessor for your soul.
-An Example of Manhood. He said, "Girls today are looking in all the wrong places for love. They are very confused."
-An Instructor to Teach You. This one was very convicting! He said, "If you do not listen to Your father's instruction, you despise your Heavenly Father."
-A Comforter to Show you Proper Affections.
-A Friend to Rejoice with You.
-A Shepherd to Lead You.
He spoke on the importance of Fathers, and even on what God says about fathers, for instance, in 2 Corinthians 6:18, "I will be a Father to You, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Mr. Phillips pointed out that "the Father-Daughter Relationship is so vitally important, even multi-generationally, that God says when all else is crushed in life- He will be there as a Father for you."
He asked all of us young ladies- "Do you realize how blessed you are to have a Father?" And I don't think any of us really do. Think about this:
More than 350,000 children in Haiti no longer have Fathers.
Mr. Phillips really got me thinking when he said, "Children must have Fathers! Fathers bring order and provision, so when you have no father, you have devestation... Be a daughter. And be thankful for being a daughter."
May we all become grateful daughters, and have a blessed day!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Father & Daughter Retreat
The Lord has used the Vision Forum Father & Daughter Retreat (and Vision Forum as a whole) to draw me closer to Himself and my Daddy over the past five years, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to attending our fourth retreat in two weeks! I was just curious, are any of you going to be attending? If you are, I would love to meet you there! Even if you are going to be unable to attend this year's retreat, if you have been there before, please leave me a comment and tell me a little bit about how the Lord used it in your life. It would be a great encouragement to me, and others as well. :)
If you've never heard about Vision Forum's Father & Daughter Retreat, click here.
If you've never heard about Vision Forum's Father & Daughter Retreat, click here.
Monday, February 22, 2010
More on the Tongue
Yesterday at Church my Daddy gave a very interesting talk on the Apostle Paul and his life and work, and Mr. Trent Hendrix gave a wonderful (and very convicting/encouraging) message on how we are supposed to use our Tongues! One of his main Scripture passages was Ezekiel 2:3-8.
"Son of man, I am sending you to...a rebellious people who have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' As for them, whether they listen or not- for they are a rebellious house- they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious. Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house..."
There were things that stood out to me in this passage:
1.- Several times it mentions "speaking" the Words of the Lord. It made me think, Do I know enough of what God's Word says to incorporate it in my speech?
2.- I realized one part of this passage was very necessary to the rest: "listen to what I am speaking to you". I have to heed what Scripture says! I can't make Scripture say what I want it to-- it can only mean what God wants it to mean!! Even when it's difficult.
3.- Fear Costs! Fear is death wish to anything. And look at what God tells us not to fear! "neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles are with you and you sit on scorpions" How often does fear keep me from being a witness to the Lord with my life?
4.- "Speak My Words to them whether they listen or not" How discouraging this can be! It is so hard to apply this, especially with family members you love. For me, it's hard to keep on keeping on when the person your heart wants to help doesn't seem interested AT ALL!!!
5.- Last of all, it is sooo easy (at least for me) to fall back into old ways of thinking, ways of thinking that are worldly and anti-God. And look at what God says here: "Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house..." Rebellion is especially hard for me... I want my way NOW!!! (What a terrible attitude!)
Another Scripture he used was Galatians 4:6- "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."
He asked all of us, "Are you "full of grace" or are you a "salt shaker"?" He pointed out that neither are right if not properly balanced with the other! If you are always kind and full of grace in your speech, but you don't share the Truth of God (which sometimes hurts) it's no more right than being "too salty"-- speaking the Truth of God, but with no love or grace towards others! One thing that I noticed was the ending of this verse: "so that you will know how you should respond to each person". That is so true. When we speak God's Word,with Grace, we can answer in a godly way, that points others to Christ.
I hope this encourages all of you as much as it has me! Do any of you have any tips for keeping our tongues in submission to Christ? If you do, I would love to hear them!!
"Son of man, I am sending you to...a rebellious people who have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' As for them, whether they listen or not- for they are a rebellious house- they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious. Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house..."
There were things that stood out to me in this passage:
1.- Several times it mentions "speaking" the Words of the Lord. It made me think, Do I know enough of what God's Word says to incorporate it in my speech?
2.- I realized one part of this passage was very necessary to the rest: "listen to what I am speaking to you". I have to heed what Scripture says! I can't make Scripture say what I want it to-- it can only mean what God wants it to mean!! Even when it's difficult.
3.- Fear Costs! Fear is death wish to anything. And look at what God tells us not to fear! "neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles are with you and you sit on scorpions" How often does fear keep me from being a witness to the Lord with my life?
4.- "Speak My Words to them whether they listen or not" How discouraging this can be! It is so hard to apply this, especially with family members you love. For me, it's hard to keep on keeping on when the person your heart wants to help doesn't seem interested AT ALL!!!
5.- Last of all, it is sooo easy (at least for me) to fall back into old ways of thinking, ways of thinking that are worldly and anti-God. And look at what God says here: "Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house..." Rebellion is especially hard for me... I want my way NOW!!! (What a terrible attitude!)
Another Scripture he used was Galatians 4:6- "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."
He asked all of us, "Are you "full of grace" or are you a "salt shaker"?" He pointed out that neither are right if not properly balanced with the other! If you are always kind and full of grace in your speech, but you don't share the Truth of God (which sometimes hurts) it's no more right than being "too salty"-- speaking the Truth of God, but with no love or grace towards others! One thing that I noticed was the ending of this verse: "so that you will know how you should respond to each person". That is so true. When we speak God's Word,with Grace, we can answer in a godly way, that points others to Christ.
I hope this encourages all of you as much as it has me! Do any of you have any tips for keeping our tongues in submission to Christ? If you do, I would love to hear them!!
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