When I fall You pick me up
When I thirst You fill my cup
You always are near...Jesus
You will comfort in the troubled times
You will calm my restless mind
You always will hear...Jesus
I'm never alone
With You I'm at home
God I follow You
You'll see me through
When I need You You'll come
You are God's only Son
I'm never alone
When I call You'll come to me
You washed my sins and I am set free
I thank You God...
When I call You'll hear my cry
You're worth more than what I can buy
I will praise You all my days
You're prefect in all Your ways
You're more than enough
When God created men in His own image, he fashioned them to reflect the Father heart of God. I do not understand this, but I trust that one day we will bow our knees to God and see God as He truly is. As we celebrate fathers today, we can truly honor them as Scripture tells us because in honoring our fathers, we are honoring God Himself, the Father of all.
Bible Verses which teach about God as Father:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named... Ephesians 4:14-15
Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:6-15
My father is a representative of God in my family on earth. I praise God for giving me a believing father and mother. Without God's grace in their lives giving them faith in Jesus, I probably would have never known true freedom and peace. I honor my dad today. Dad is a truly creative man who has endured a lot of adversity in his life. He never gave up on our family. He always worked hard to provide, and he despite his failures and sins, always runs to God's grace and mercy. I will never forget dad coming to me (as a junior high teenager, mind you) and apologizing for losing his temper with me. What dad does that? Very few. Happy Father's Day.
Dad had four daughters and later adopted another daughter.
Dad grew up an only child in Montana and Wyoming. His own godly father passed away at age 27 from cancer.
Dad was always reading books, newspapers, and periodicals. You should see his pile of books next to his chair and bed!
Dad is a father to the fatherless. He adopted one child, but had many foster children beginning when mom and dad were newly married. He has also been appointed a guardian to other young people without fathers.
Dad loves his grandchildren. Do you see the resemblance?
Several years ago out of obedience to what I believed God was telling me, I walked to the house of a neighbor for our planned meeting to talk about Jesus. She and her children had prayed with my pastor and me to receive the Savior a few months before. I tried to meet with her weekly in the chaos of her life and my life intersecting. I often felt inadequate, but armed with the Word of God and prayer, God somehow helped me to love her.
The morning I arrived at her house was different from our previous meetings. The female extended family had showed up at her house, and in the chaos of her three children, her nieces and nephews, mother, and sister, the noisy tv, and cigarette smoke, I tried to pray with her and talk, but my friend was obviously embarrassed by my presence. I eventually realized it wasn't working and decided to leave. Though I know I must go with the flow and trust God completely for circumstances, I felt the unloving sting of rejection. "And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:15. When the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus is rejected by unbelievers, I am not surprised, but it is much more difficult to be rejected by brothers or sisters in Christ. Though I must remember it is for Jesus' sake that I love, not for my own benefit.
Recently I made another move out of obedience to what I felt God wanted me to do to love someone. I felt nervous, and I prayed fervently beforehand. Because of circumstances, I was rejected again. I had to pray over and over to God about the circumstances and trust Him in them. I had to lean on Jesus to help me see my needy friend, and not my own sad sense of rejection. The scene has been playing out in my head, and I remembered the wise words from Jim Wilson in his booklet, "How To Be Free From Bitterness." He wrote:
Before we can get rid of bitterness, we have to realize that we are bitter. How can we tell if we are bitter? One good rule of thumb is this: Bitterness remembers details. You have had thousands of conversations in your life, most of which you have forgotten. But this one took place five years ago, and you remember every single word, his intonation and the inflection of every part of his voice. You know exactly what happened--which means you are bitter. Someone might object and say that it is also possible to have a good memory of a wonderful conversation. Is this possible? Yes, but not likely. Why is this? Because memory is helped by review, review, and more review.
Am I bitter when I am reviewing these troublesome details in my memory? Probably. This morning I prayed out loud: Lord, I choose to forgive __________. Help me to forgive _______. I pray that you will break Satan's attempt to tear apart relationships in Your Body (the Church). And I tell Satan, "Be gone, in Jesus' name. You have no power over me to destroy me. I am bought with the blood of Jesus, who has defeated you." Thank You, Lord. Lord, have mercy. Amen.
That prayer shone the light into the darkness and sin of my heart. Jesus took every sin and every bitter word and action upon Himself when He died on that cross. He defeated sin and death and the devil when He rose again from death and walked around after the Resurrection. By Jesus' power, we can walk in newness of life, and in forgiveness.
Sing to the Lord. Sing of His marvelous deeds. Sing of His forgiveness. Sing praises to God.
We just got back from a bike ride in our little town. The sun was in the west and the air was still a Springtime warm. We saw friends who are building a house about a mile from us while we were biking, and we enjoyed some "Grounders" and "Shocking each other after sliding down the nylon slide" games with neighborhood kids at a local park. Another great blessing of this ride was discovering a little park just south of us about a half mile tucked into the sloughs and trees, that I had never realized was there until tonight. It was a beauty, and a refreshing ride after a whirlwind week. Ethan took off Thursday for a 17 day teaching trip to Uganda at Africa Renewal University. His class will be for pastors in the region, and they will be studying Christian Leadership with him. We meet regularly with some people from our church in order to study the Bible and pray together. This week, a friend mentioned that while we were praying for Ethan last Sunday, God gave her the words "Abundant Peace" in regard to this trip and the kids and I staying here at home. The fact that trusting in God, almighty, eternal, and sovereign, yet loving and holy, brings about a close relationship with God and a deep heartfelt peace that allows us to go about every circumstance with assurance in the bigness of God. Abundance means beyond what we need and overflowing. God is giving us that peace....after needing to return three times in one day to the Driver's License office in Anoka to attempt to apply for G's driver's permit (we kept messing up the documents we needed and had to go back home over and over again), after broken eyeglasses that needed replacing, after our hot water heater broke down and plenty of cold showers (eeeeek!) but a plumber friend was able to diagnose the problem and fix it for a low cost this afternoon, after the death of a favorite pet, after remembering the painful past and the shame of wrongs I have done and the trespasses against me yet finding comfort in one another and in God's Word that brings life, after a surprise overnight visit from my sister and her daughters, and after hearing the Gospel preached again in our home church this morning during communion and throughout the service.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
By the way, Xhristos Voskress to all our friends in Eastern Europe and Asia celebrating Easter today!
O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down, Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown; How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn! How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain; Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place; Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance, Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance. How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn! How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!
Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair; From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there. Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life; Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.
My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me, For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee. I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot; Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend, For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine. Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine. Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love; Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.
Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part; O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart, When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp, Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.
The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside, When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide. O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see, Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.
My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door; Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore! When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone, But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!
Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die; Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh. Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell, My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.
I chose this hymn because the words and music from Rene Clausen's "O Vos Omnes" for 8-part Choir have been going through my head today. Dr. Clausen was my college choir director, and we sang this piece on our Eastern European tour in 1996. Here the song is performed by a concert choir from Cuba, a completely different country, but the power of Jesus suffering and glory speak through clearly. The passionate singing of the soprano soloist quotes Psalm 22: "How long, o Lord, whilst Thou forget me forever? How long shall my enemies be exalted over me. My heart shall rejoice in Thee." O Vos Omnes translated into English is written:
O all you who walk by on the road, pay attention and see:
The Slough of Despond by Edward Callum, BBC paintings, photo credit: Luton Culture
After many conversations with my husband on parenting over the years, one area has never really "stuck" with me. I flounder when I must stand up and operate under the authority God has given me as a mother. Knowing my role as a mother to lead and train my kids in righteousness and knowing my kids' propensity to try to gain control brings me to certain "crisis" in parenting every few months. I know what I must do, but I fail time and again. In frustration and perfectionism, I sink in the slough of despond.
Recently as we have been calling out to God in prayer for our children, God has been leading me to seek Him and to sow seeds of righteousness and steadfast love in the hearts of my children. I have been renewed in my desire to read the Bible to them and teach them to love the Lord. Unbeknownst to me, a friend had been praying for us these words from Hosea 10:12:
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
When she shared this with me, it was a timely word…like apples of gold, in settings of silver. Oh, how these words apply to our parenting! God has been listening to our prayers all along. He will not forsake us and our children. While I was ironing some clothes for Ethan's upcoming trip, I put on a two-part youtube talk from Elisabeth Elliot on Christian mothering entitled "A Peaceful Home." I read her book "The Shaping of a Christian Family" many years ago, but the time was really right this time as I listened to her old-fashioned advice and help for mothers. I especially finally understand what Ethan had been talking about all these years when she described the meaning of "Verbal Authority." Of course, I responded with grief, guilt, and regret as I heard her many wise suggestions for parents. Immediately, I turned to Jesus in prayer.
Lord, You know how weak I am. Have mercy on me, Jesus! Help me parent these children. Transform us. Give our family peace. Peace. Peace. May we honor You, Jesus. May we glorify You. Have mercy on me, Lord, a sinner. Help me to be the mother, the authority, that you have made me to be. Teach us to obey Your commandments.
Giving the weight of parenting to Jesus is my only option. I have already tried to implement a legalistic set of requirements and methods in order to raise my kids in the way they should go. In many ways, these outside rules and lists only take the authority from me as the mother to some outside abstract "way." This only leads to judgment and joylessness. The result is not happy, joyful children who love Jesus, but angry little legalists. Hmm…that is not what we want for them. I want a relationship with my kids that is loving between us (horizontal) and loving towards God (vertical). Raising your children to know the grace of Jesus and the loving, consistent authority and discipline of a parent is entirely different than a list of rules. I know I have not arrived at a perfect epiphany on parenting, but God is gradually moving me towards Him and giving me back what sin has tried to steal: Love, Joy, and Peace.
Anything this lady wrote or said is worth listening to, even if the video was made in the 1990s. :)
