Life by Grace

JOIN ME IN MY JOURNEY PERMEATED BY THE GRACE OF GOD. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." I Corinthians 15:10

Monday, January 29, 2007

Big Family in a Small House

I wanted to inform you of our new family blog that opened Saturday, January 27, 2007. It is intented to help our family keep up with each other's lives in our busy schedules. But for those who care to keep up on our crazy lives too, check it out. Here is the link, and I have also put a link on my blog to it. http://www.bigfamilyinasmallhouse.blahalife.com/

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Laura's dad is with the Lord

Please remember the Boehm family especially now. Laura, Lindsey's mom, now has another loss. Laura's dad went to be with the Lord this past Sunday, January 21st. About 2 weeks after Lindsey went to be with the Lord, Mike Green was diagnosted with Pancreatic cancer that was very far progressed. He went home to be with His Lord 9 weeks later. I went to the viewing last night and the funeral is today at 10:30am. I just ache for Jason and Laura. When you see them, you read sorrow all over them. I look at their Christmas card this year, taken last year at Christmas time, and their shining faces have been turned to morning. But they do not mourn as those who have no hope. I am sure they feel that it is more than they can bear. But God promises that He is faithful and will not give more than they can bear. If it was too much, then He wouldn't have given it to them. His grace is sufficient. Boldly bring them before the throne of grace.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

My Class Site

I just wanted to let you know that I just put a link on my blog to my class site from work. Mr. Finch is the lead teacher and so it is under his name. Check it out. There are all kinds of pics of field trips we have been on. The next fun trip we have coming up is going to the Barnum and Bailey Circus next Friday. I am so excited about that. I love free trips being a teacher.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Chick Flicks vs. the Body of Christ

Hollywood's philosophy is born out of the heart of unbelievers who do all they can to promote anything but God's Word and people as the standard for relationships. We are guaranteed that they will pormote this because they are at enmity with God. The underlying philosophy of "chick flicks" does not sneak under that influence. They boldly and subtly mold the thinking of their viewers. Females, married and unmarried, are their biggest target. I have done and often still do what most female viewers do while watching a "chick flick". They think or say, "That is what I want my man to look like." "That's how I want my man to treat me ALL THE TIME." And we begin to believe that guys should treat me like that and the perfect guy looks like that. The plot of these movies are often what could happen in real life, but real life doesn't end without major complications in 2 hrs and living happily ever after. Girls watch these scenarios played out and say, "If only I had done that differently, I would end up like that girl and have that guy." "I had that entire thing happen to me, but I didn't get the guy." I know these things because I am a girl, and I have thought them myself. I know girls will read this and say, "Oh, it isn't that serious." But I haven't realized until the last few years who much I do think like that. This train of thought makes me disconntent with where God has me right now while I am defenslessly letting this thinking shape my philosophy of relationships and marriage...And one more thing to add. How often do these "chick flicks" end with the couple actually getting married. Usually they don't. They just end up "together." Hollywood doesn't show what it takes to make a real marriage work and last through "good times and bad/ in sickness and in health/ TILL DEATH DO US PART." That's not in these movies.

Now you may ask me, "Then where are we suppose to get an example we can watch to build a biblical philosophy of relationships, marriage, and family?" Churches often do themselves a disfavor by segregating the singles and young marrieds, marrieds with children, and empty nesters. God has given us the Body of Christ so we can be involved in the lives of Christians at different stages of life so we can learn from them. One thing that I appreciated so much about my church is that fact that they realize and seek to live out the philosophy that we are one body and we need each other. I need to be invovled in the lives of young married couples, new parents, parents with lots of kids, and retirement age people. And the married people have things to learn from the unmarried people in their local body. What better place to see the Word of God fleshed out in the lives of Christians who are seeking to live according to God's principles and truths. Be involved in people's lives who are not at your stage in life, especially those older than you. We have so much to learn from God's people. That is where we should learn the kind of character a husband and wife should have and how that is fleshed out in real life. Let parents who are evidently obedient to God's truths be our pattern in how to raise children.

I must conclude by saying that I am not completly against "chick flicks." But I am becoming more and more limited in which ones I will watch and promote. As with all movies, watch them with caution and discernment. Don't watch movies with your mental guard down. God's philosophy of life is completely absent from their thinking. There may be some morals, but they don't give God the credit for it. Think biblically. We often tune out to just relax. Satan is subtle and decieving. Don't let His philosphy rule your thinking. Filter everything through Scripture. You may end up not enjoying watching movies much as you do that. But life isn't about us anyway. It's about God. His glory is more important than our entertainment. Ya, I am pretty sure I just stepped all over my own toes, but I need it.

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Friday, January 19, 2007

Thoughts on Singleness

In the book, When God Writes Your Love Story, an older single girl was asked if she thought that God has called her to be single. Her response was, "Today He has." I have been coming back to that statement quite a bit recently. Lately, God has brought me to wrestle with the fact that I am unmarried. I have an aunt who is single and in her forties. Almost everything about her, though, would make you wonder if she was in her twenties. I think that is what I may be like when I am her age...and possibly single. She flew to India today on her annual medical missions trip. Last night we got to talk for a while. In the last few years, as she doesn't view me as an annoying little niece anymore, we talk a lot together about being single. I always come away encouraged with that fact that I need to take full advantage of this time in my life. I don't know how long God wants me to be unmarried. I am not guaranteed that I will ever be married. I don't need to live like I have this horrible curse, and I have been gypped out of all the great things that God gave to everyone that is married. Last night was just as encouraging. She said that more and more she has come to realize recently that God has her single for a purpose. She was sharing how she has started taking a class on financial planning. She said that most of the people in the class at her church are taking it to get out of debt. She said she isn't taking it to get out of debt, but rather she is taking it so that she can manager her money wisely so that she can have the financial freedom to go on missions trips as much as God opens doors. This summer she decided 10 days before she left that she was going to go to Haiti for a week on a trip with a teenage girl who was flying down for a 3 month missions trip.

God has been teaching me a lot of the same perspective. He has been teaching me to see the error in the thinking of singles today. We have this mindset that we have to get married. We deserve to get married, and if we are not married, then something is wrong with us. I can speak for myself in say that I know for a fact that God has me exactly where I am in life for a purpose. I don't know all the implications of this status, but this is God's best for me right now. I know that all the past relationships that I have been in were orchestrated and ended by God. Every guy that I have previously dated is also married now. Don't get me wrong, I am not at all against marriage. I would love to be married. God established the institute of marriage and the family. God said it was "VERY GOOD." But God also has His perfect plan and times table in how He designs our lives. I am human. I still often fight in my thinking to balance this out biblically. But I shouldn't live like it is my right to get married. I deserve to get married, and I won't live a fulfilled life until I am married. God has great things for me NOW! I have a ministry to people that isn't the same as married ladies do. I have freedom to minister in ways that married people don't have. I can focus on my relationship with God with time that many others don't have. I started this counseling course on Monday nights. I was talking to friend on Wednesday who said she always wanted to take those classes but never was able to. Now she is married and had a baby girl on Christmas Day. She may never have a chance to do things I am doing. But she understands where I am in life because she was married when she was older too. God is teaching me to think biblically in all areas of life, and opens my eyes to see how much I live by my own thinking. I also see how little I know. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. It may be of personal interest to a lot of you. Shoot me a comment.

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Monday, January 08, 2007

what's new

I know it has been a while since I really wrote an entry to fill you all in on how I am doing. As always, I am keeping busy. School started back last Wednesday. I had a wonderful 2 week break with my family. We four older kids drove down to GA to see my uncle's families the Thur-Sat before Christmas. We were back at home Saturday since we wanted to all be together for Christmas day. It has probably been about 10 years since it was just our family together on Christmas morning. We have either not all been home, been at my uncle's house or them at ours or something. Christmas morning we all slept in late since we stayed up late the night before watching a movie. Some of us still had to finish wrapping presents. We had our time of focusing on Jesus' birth and opening presents just before noon. After that we had our big meal. Then we hung around the house and enjoyed new presents before we went over to Josh's girlfriend, Hannah's family's house for dessert. We had a great time over there. We did the same thing on Thanksgiving night too. But at Thanksgiving we ended up playing a bunch of games all night. We always have fun when we get together. For the rest of break, we just hung around the house and I caught some after Christmas sales. New Year's Day the whole family was able to go up to Chimney Rock Village in NC for our annual tradition and shop around in all the little shops. My family loves doing stuff like that.

Tonight I start my first counseling class in a two year program. It is every Monday nights from 6:30-9:30. The class is with Redeemer Biblical Counseling Training Center at Redeemer Presbyterian Church across the street from my church. I am so excited about it. I left Northland half-way through my the grad program in getting my Master's degree in Biblical Counseling. Since then I have still wanted to get more training to be better competent to counsel. Ricky had told me there was a counseling program at Redeemer and then I happen to come across their website on the internet one day. I contacted them and they were able to get me started right away here in January. I have needed something to get me excited about studying the Word and thinking biblically. My mind has been lazy lately and my time with God has been neglected. I haven't been able to be part of a Bible study or anything. This will be awesome to get me learning and growing again. Please pray for me as I start up these classes.

I am still tutoring after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 hrs each day...when the students show up. Not much other new news. Soon I hope to post some things that God has been teaching me lately. Stay posted. I did want to add that I put a link to the Boehm's blog on the right side of my blog. Check it out and keep them in your prayers. They would love it if you dropped them a comment of encouragement too. They need all the prayers and love we can give them. May His grace flow through us to them.