A Slice o' Family Life: Memories & Memorization

While playing my guitar this morning, I remembered some funny (and great) family videos we got a little over a year ago, felt nostalgic, and wanted to share them here, with you all.

October 2007
Our oldest son sharing Psalm 1 --
it's so sweet to hear the way he talked back then... they really DO grow up so fast.

November 2007
My favorite video-- one of the kiddos all dancing...
our daughter gets nervous when she sees the camera,
but then decides to go on dancing anyway.

December 2007
The boys sharing their memorization of the Beatitudes... this one cracks me up!

I don't always share private things, but I guess I just wanted to share these and remember some precious times "with" you all. Hopefully this will give you a few laughs and a glimpse into our home, and let you share in the joy of our entirely silly and wonderful kiddos.

Feb. 7th Home Sale Postponed

Sorry but circumstances warrant that I postpone the HOME SALE scheduled for February 7th. I will let you know asap when it will be held.

Lockwood Estate

The Lockwood Estate is an 1865 Carpenter Gothic/Stick Victorian House in Malvern, Pennsylvania. John Werry of Rare Victorian had a chance to take photos of it recently.



It's actually for sale -- just $2 1/4 million.

(note: I'm not sure the slideshow will come through on rss readers -- if not, click through to see the pictures.)

"Did God REALLY Say...???"

The Word of God. At various places in the Scripture, it describes itself as:

• breathed out by God
• entirely useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in godly living, for equipping and preparation for good works
  
• flawless; perfect
• with God
• God
• lasting forever.

But there are voices at work today, just as in Eden. Voices that question the validity and veracity of God's Word. Voices asking, "Did God really say...?" Voices that seek to shake faith, to rattle the cages of the faithful, and to devour, choke out, or scorch seeds that might otherwise grow. These voices crop up in "Christian" blogs, in homeschool circles, and within the "church" across America.

Interestingly enough, Christians who do so are not novel in their attempt to makeover the Scriptures. Thomas Brooks, writing in 1665 wrote:

"Are there not many among us that turn the whole history of the Bible, into an allegory and that turn Christ, and sin, and death, and the soul, and hell, and heaven, and all into an allegory? Many have and many do miserably pervert the Scriptures by turning them into vain and groundless allegories. ... Oh friends! it is dangerous to bring in allegories where Scripture does not clearly and plainly warrant them, and to take those words figuratively which should be taken properly."

It is not only the modern church that sometimes wants to adapt Scripture for its own purposes and comfort.

BEWARE OF DOUBT
Though it's certainly not wrong to ask questions, or to seek to understand, we need to be wary of any voices that press us to doubt God's Word. Our sure foundation is the strong, dependable Word of God. When we allow ourselves to apply portions of it, but write off other parts, we taint all of it.

While even the very intelligent among us can be challenged, strengthened, and taught by Scripture, it was written so that even the most simple among us-- the uneducated man in Uganda, the seven-year-old who is for the first time reading God's Words for himself, the person in the fifteenth century without the internet and a myriad of commentaries at their fingertips, and the illiterate woman in Kyrgyzstan who only hears the Word as read by others-- can/could understand and believe and be saved.

Christ Himself was first revealed to dirty, simple shepherds. He spoke His gospel to the poor, the needy, and the sinful, as well as to the religious and educated. Though we Christian blog writers & frequenters are often of the latter variety, we need to remember that His gospel is meant for all, and indeed was received most heartily by those in the former category.

We must be constantly on our guard against those who seek to delude our trust in God's precious Word. Our enemy loves to steal, kill, and destroy... and just like a predator seeks to peel a baby away from the safety of the pack and its mother, our enemy seeks to peel off the vulnerable and weak among us by causing them to question that which our hope is built upon: Jesus Christ, as revealed in His matchless Word.

Psalm 119: 9-16

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes!
With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

Most Fabulous Corkscrew in the World

The most fabulous corkscrew in the world by Rob Higgs. (Way better than any other steampunk wine accoutrements.)

via Alrededor del Mundo Steampunk.

Eric Freitas Quartz #8

Eric Freitas has a new quartz clock.

More of his work.

BLOGGING SPACE UPDATE

This post will be short as I have tons of work to finish up today to get it in the mail and also laundry, packing and some quick cleaning....ALL IN ONE DAY.

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for a week for Pennsylvania to the Market Square Wholesale Buyers Show and Cash & Carry for over the weekend...then off to Lancaster for the rest of the week for more shopping and visiting relatives there....and more shopping....did I say that before??? lol Soooo, that being said I won't be posting here for over a week...but hopefully I will at least be able to check in and comment on other blogs.

I had many e-mails asking about the black desk in the post below....well, 3 years ago when I started in my business I needed some kind of desk and I wanted it in the main part of the house because we don't have EXTRA rooms here.

So we set off in search of one for over a year looking at so many different styles, colors and NOTHING suited us/me....I wanted/needed certain thing for the functionality of it.

A couple years prior we had our fireplace surround, book cabinets built by this young gentleman and we were so pleased I thought why not ask him if he could build one. From there I drew out the plans/dimensions of what I wanted and presented them to him....got an estimate and WALLA....he did an excellent job.

As you can see it mostly doesn't look like a desk - it's 6 ft. long and acts as a buffet, cabinet and desk....so we have three pieces in one and I got all the interior functions that I was searching for.

I have three drawers on the left, bottom one is for files, then the center door pulls out and then slides into the side and is hidden and when we need to we pull a chair over to sit there, and on the right all the shelves pull out, one for the printer, one for the scanner (which I don't have anymore cuz it's an all in one) and one for supplies.... Didn't he do a great job?

CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE...

The Joy of Having a Young Reader in the House

On any given day at our house now, you're liable to hear conversations that start like this:

"Wow, so I eat a lot of protein, huh, mom?"

"Reepicheep is so brave, isn't he? I mean, he's just a little mouse, but he's braver than the bravest lion..." (stops to think) "... well, not braver than Aslan, but braver than a normal lion."

"Mom, what does ______ mean?"

Because now we have a young reader at our house!

And it is so much fun... hearing him learning about all kinds of things, getting wrapped up in stories, and go back and re-read books we've read together. His younger siblings love sitting next to him while he reads them stories too.

What an amazing thing it is to see the world open up to him. It also limits Doug & I's ability to talk in code. :)

But on the whole, what a wonderful thing it is to have a young reader in our home! What new accomplishments are you joyfully celebrating in your home?

WHERE I BLOG/WORK

Linda and Janae posted where they enjoy blogging from and their rooms are seperate from the other rooms in their home - mine unfortunately has to be in the main room of our home.

My work/craft room is upstairs and I really don't like being cooped up there away from the main part of the house so I always have my laptop sitting on our desk and when I want to relax while using it I just carry it over to the loveseat across from the desk and also that's where I do my actual stitching of my Penny Rugs as well.

Favorite Shop: Sundance Catalog

There are a handful of websites, catalogs, and stores that I like to browse for steampunk home items. One of the best is The Sundance Catalog, Robert Redford's lifestyle catalog.

I like this description of the catalog by Redford:
"To us, Sundance is and always will be a dream. What you see, smell, taste and feel here is a dream being carefully nurtured. "

The inventory turns over within a year, so you'll find things mentioned in the Kaboodle list that aren't available anymore, but they replenish it with plenty of wonderful new things. Here's a sampling of what's currently available.

Foundry Linen Cabinet

Eureka Lamp

Steamer Trunk End Table

Model B Table Lamp

Genesis Pendant Lamp

Our Amusements Are Dulling Our Minds

Our pastor back home in Texas has spoken before of the "literal definition of amuse".

"a"-- negative/not (as in "athiest"-- not a theist)
"muse" -- to think or consider

Therefore, the literal definition is that to be amused is to not think. [insert congregation laughing with amusement]

Let's admit it: we are a people who love to be amused. We laugh ourselves silly over comedians like Ferrell and Carell (and we includes me!); we watch TV shows to fill our weeks; we rent movies to fill our weekends. Video games have taken over much of the leisure time in boys' bedrooms and on college campuses around the nation. Internet usage has become a requirement for life. Even in the Christian community, we amuse ourselves ad nauseum. There are Christian comedians, Christian romance novels, Christian fiction... and on and on and on.

It would be shocking for the average American to live in the world of just 20 years ago, without the internet, e-mail, GPS, cell phones, Twitter, Facebook, (and blogs...). And I'm not suggesting that we pitch our laptops off the nearest bridge, so stay with me.

"BE CAREFUL THEN HOW YOU WALK"
But we need to examine how we use these things. We are in danger of being lulled to sleep, mentally, emotionally, culturally, and SPIRITUALLY-- by our amusements. When our days and nights are filled with technology, news, and fantasy games, and our homes, garages, and storage buildings are filled with toys, electronics, appliances, decorations, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff..., our minds are in danger of being overtaken, not only by our stuff (although I would argue that most Americans are indeed fixated on stuff), and not only by our amusements (although I would argue that most Americans are indeed fixated on amusements), but also by a creeping indifference to the dying, the poor, the uneducated, the spiritually dead people around the world.

While we upgrade our video games and buy the latest software and litter our children's rooms with educational toys (and yet, ironically, our children are less educated than any previous generation), and our teenagers drive cars the likes of which our parents would never have dreamed to have driven, even in adulthood, meanwhile, the world around us is in critical need of a Savior. In need of Bibles in their language. In need of people who will physically tell them. In need of more than the spiritually-bankrupt materialism and sexuality our culture is selling them. In need of Christ!

Oh how desperately they need Him. And though His coming hastens closer every day, our culture woos us, working to dull our minds, our hearts, and our desires (as well as the minds, hearts, and desires of every culture around the world desperately trying to be as wealthy and "happy" as America) to the things of God. Even in our Christian culture and in our churches... we are, all too often, fixating on stuff and on amusements rather than on intentional, prudent, judicious use of the resources God has given us to further HIS Kingdom.


Oh, God, have mercy on us. Save us from ourselves and our common drift into comfort and ease and that which entertains. Help us to do whatever it takes to wake up to the spiritual complacency we've developed in our fixation on amusement. Wake us up to the priorities of YOUR Kingdom!

Does Absence Make The Heart Grow Fonder?

So after what seems like an eternity, I am back and blogging. Since the beginning of the New Year my life has morphed into one that I am still getting accustomed to. I have done two shows,fallen victim to a horrible stomach bug that wouldn't go away, and probably the biggest change of all has been getting used to living alone. No Mr. Pea and I haven't done the big D! Unfortunately the economy finally caught up to our family-owned carpentry biz and we are sadly closing that chapter. So, Mr. Pea has taken a job that involves travel~~something he used to do many moons ago~~and he is currently freezing his buns off in Oklahoma. That leaves me to fend for myself here at home and while I don't miss the snoring the house does feel empty and weird.

Anyhoo, I did want to finally share a few pics of the Renninger's show with you. I can't say it was one of my better ones but I did sell some big pieces and right now I think we have to be grateful for what we can get. Next, I will start to get ready for my HOME SALE which will be on FEBRUARY 7th. After that it will be time to head to Texas! I can't wait!!!!! Until next time, stay safe and keep junkin'!

Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs: Be Still, My Soul

Here's another favorite... and yes, some of the lyrics are slightly altered from the original translation:

Be still my soul; the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain.
Trust in thy God to order and provide;
Through every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still my soul, thy Best & Heavenly Friend
Through trying times leads to a joyful end.

Be still my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake
What once was mystery shall be bright at last.
Be still my soul; the wind and waves still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below

Be still my soul, when dearest friends depart
And all is darkened by the rain of tears,
Then you will know the love of our Lord’s heart
He’ll come to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fears are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still my soul: when change and tears are past
One day, we’ll meet our Jesus, safe at last.

Amen and amen. I love this song.

WISHING AGAIN!

I just can’t help myself in the winter dreaming of things past - and this is one of the things….A couple years ago we took our kids on a cruise. I think that was one of our best vacations ever and wish we could repeat it!

We were on Royal Caribbean’s VOYAGER OF THE SEAS for a one week cruise headed for the Western Caribbean - Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Labadee Haiti.

I know the kids had a great time because we barely saw them except at dinner or to go on shore….while we were on the ship they were doing their own thing. We usually split up to do the shore fun because we all had our own ideas of ‘what was fun’. Being younger the kids took part in all the snorkeling, horseback riding, water sports and one of their favorites - ‘Carlos & Charlie’s’.

On one of the islands our middle son purchased an engagement ring and proposed to our now daughter in-law….a very special day for all of us.

So enjoy these warm filled pictures and let it take you to a warmer place like it does me.


Arriving on bus to the ship


At embarkation


In lounge before semi-formal evening

One of the formal evenings

A day on the ship

Brett, Doug and Darren on the cruise lines private island LABADEE, HAITI

And the ever popular Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Our ship at Ocho, Rios embarking passengers to their shore excursions

Our three sons, Doug and daughter in-law on next to last night.
They didn't know I was behind them with the camera...seriously - I guess that's why I think this picture is so special and perfect

Last of the sunset and ships trail

Etsy Find: Anatomical Skull Pillow

Looking for Tammy's pillows on Etsy, I did run across this great pillow with an 18th century anatomical skull print on it.

The bad news is you can't buy it because *I* did. The good news is that Crows Cloth has a similar pillow available and would also take custom requests.

Questions to consider...

Have you ever wondered...

• what life would have been like during your growing up years if 1/5th of the population hadn't been aborted?
• if one of those aborted people would have been your best friend? A co-worker? A pastor in the church down the road? A plumber in your community? The Mayor? A special-ed teacher?
• if our economy would be stronger now with 20% more people contributing ideas, work, taxes, and energy, had they not been aborted?
• how the average Nazi lived with the knowledge that millions were dying in their midst, and then stopped to realize that we're no different?
• if we might end up like the aborted nations of Russia and almost every European nation, with dwindling populations and the death of our culture and nation around the corner?
  

What would happen if every Christian...

• committed to love and serve pregnant women and their children, no matter the circumstance?
• gave sacrificially of their time and money to support crisis pregnancy clinics and stand as a silent protester and potential counselor for those women walking into baby killing centers?
• publicly loved and welcomed even "the least of these" (those deemed less desirable because of handicaps, learning difficulties, or family situation)?

Everyone knows it's a baby. Just like the Germans who could smell the smoke near the killing centers in WWII, the murder of our brothers and sisters is unthinkable and yet undeniable.

As I type this, my ten-month old son is grizzling as he falls asleep... and I can't help but weep as I think of those babies who will never exercise their lungs with a good healthy cry. Those who have their skin seared by salt solution, administered by a doctor who swore to protect life. Those who have their limbs ripped from their tender bodies in the one place they ought to be completely safe and protected. Those who could have grown up to be your friends, or mine... those who could have grown up.

As I type this, I think of my friends who have had abortions... and I hurt for them. I don't want to increase their pain, but even more, I want to stop other women from ever feeling the pain of having had an abortion, if it is at all within my power.

As I type this, I want to cry out, "Oh, Christian women, be a light in your community! Find ways to ACT on behalf of the unborn among us!"

And merciful Father, give each of us a burning passion to see your glory reflected in each and every individual created by Your wise and sovereign hand. Give us a desire to love the unborn and their mothers with the love that You have... love that bears all things, is kind, shares the truth, and never fails. Help us to rejoice over life, in every shape and form!

Oh, that we would view each birth and new life with the joy that John Powell describes as he for the first time witnessed a baby being delivered:

It was as if my mind were saying, 'Cannot compute! Cannot compute!" What I was witnessing was too big, too beautiful, too sacred to fit easily into my mind...

God had waited from all eternity for that moment of birth. And now, He would show His little boy the adoring face of the mother that had carried him so lovingly. He would show that little boy the magnificent stars He had strung in the sky. He would introduce him to the music of lullabies and the softness of his mother's arms, the gentleness of his father's hands. The "I" of God had been saying to the "Thou" of that small baby: "With an everlasting love I have loved you. This is why with lovingkindness I created you" (from the prophecy of Jeremiah, 31:3).

Cannot compute. Cannot compute. The miracle of life.

Tammy's Living Room

Tammy was so kind to share some pics of her not-just-steampunk but The Steampunk Home inspired living room.

I ended up getting the coffee table from Sundance based on your kaboodle list. We're sort of going for steampunk in a temp. rental so we haven't painted the walls. I got the skull pillows from etsy, they are burlap and really comfortable. Had the rug and the pictures on the wall are framed vintage Tango sheet music covers from Buenos Aires. The lamp is another Sundance purchase, although I sort of wish that we had look for a 'real' antique. Couch is Restoration Hardware.

Good job, Tammy! I love the bits of red in the rug and the couch. The whole room has a bit of an airship pirate vibe to it -- the skull and crossbones pillows, the striped pillow, the steamer trunk (but in metal, nothing too old fashioned for airships, y'know), and the spotlight for highlighting whatever-it-is-you-chase as an airship pirate.

Random Thoughts on History & Homeschooling

Why yes, that picture of me to the right IS with an actual Sidonian sarcophagus, obviously influenced by Egyptians, with heiroglyphics (that you, sadly, can't see in this picture) all over the body. Yes indeedy. And yes, I (or Silas) could have reached out and touched it, since there was no separating glass or little beeping lasers to tip anyone off if I had. But , you'll be pleased to learn that I acted like an adult and restrained myself, opting instead to just marvel and take it in.

One of the thing I have learned as a homeschool mom is that the way I learned history in school was absolutely THE most boring way one could learn about our world.

• Disjointed- with no "spine" for understanding where the stuff fit in... a large amount of Texas history, a little US history, even less Western history and no complete "world" history ... and you end up with a jumbled and incomplete view of how things fit together, and no real sense of the progression of world events.
  
• Dull- Year after year was spent reading paragraphs jam-packed with dates and so politically corrected that it effectively eliminates the real story. It was often presented in a way that treated every side of a battle as equally admirable (unless you're studying the nazis). Studying history this way, even the amazing heroes and heroines of the past become just names and dates to memorize. It all blurs together and dulls the mind.
• Taught by people who had seemingly no real interest in it. Is it OK to say this out loud? Nearly every one of my history teachers in school was a coach who took more interest in baseball, track, football, tennis, you name it, than they did in history. Dull, dull, dull. If you can imagine a full year of monotone memorization, that pretty much sums up my history courses-- particularly the high school ones. (I actually DID enjoy Texas history in Jr. High, but come on-- what Texan doesn't love Texas, yaknowwhatImean?) :)

I'm not trying to set it up so that homeschooling then becomes "The Answer" for this problem, but I'm telling you, I love the way that Sonlight brings history alive. For example, because of a book we read last year, our oldest son has begun to have a context for understanding WWII at an age-appropriate level, grasping how it affected the average people in France on an emotional level as well as informational level.

The curriculum that we've begun using as our "spine" for history this year, The Mystery of History, brings world history and biblical history together into a comprehensive, understandable whole. It has been refreshing to approach history in a logical way, rather than starting in the middle somewhere. It may not be everyone's preference, but we enjoy it... and we have such a greater awareness of the world that biblical characters lived in, by knowing the other things going on in the world at roughly the same time.

I love the way that homeschooling affords us the time and freedom to explore interesting things in real life that enrich our understanding of the world and its history. Here are some pictures of recent explorations we've done here... (sorry in advance-- some of the pictures are blurry from those times when we couldn't use flash).

Our oldest son and I enjoying the centuries-old tile work in the harem portion of the oldest surviving palace in the world.

Doug & the kids in front of an 8th-century B.C. Hittite lion.
(It amazes me that this is only about 150-200 years after King David.)

The boys inspecting an Egyptian-type sarcophagus found in Lebanon.

Studying a Greek-style sarcophagus up close. (The exhibit we saw was from a "city of the dead" that was discovered by a Turkish farmer as he worked his land in the early 20th century. It included an astounding number of Greco-Roman and Egyptian style sarcophagus' and burial chambers.)

They also had the opportunity to climb up into a kid-sized example of the Trojan horse.

Just hanging out in Ephesus about month ago.

The boys had an incredible time exploring the ampitheater at Ephesus.
(Yes, I was calling out, "be careful! Don't get to close to the edge of the steps!")
Just over 2,000 years old, Ephesus is sometimes named as the best preserved city of that time period.

They had a blast pretending to be Roman soldiers and strong gladiators as they stood under the ruins of the archway that led into the Ephesian gymnasium.

Because we live overseas, we obviously have different opportunities than you do if you are in the States, but there are things there that we would also love to see. (For example, the King Tut exhibit.) Mainly, I just wanted to share some of the things we've gotten to do and express my gratitude for the freedom and opportunities we have as we study history in our homeschool.


(Please note that you can click on any of the above pictures to see a much larger picture.)

Collecting Brass

I was browsing through Rare Victorian, a great blog dedicated to Victorian furniture, and ran into a comment by Zeke on collecting Victorian brass.

Sniffing around in antique shops, flea markets etc. can reveal a variety of Victorian brass and iron objects that can add interest when placed on your Victorian furniture.

Here’s a few that we have arrayed on a dresser in our bedroom:

Brass Eastlake thermometer - $60 - Ebay
Iron Eastlake inkwell - $65 - Grist Mill antiques New jersey
Modern gothic dresser mirror, brass or copper over iron - $28 Garage flea Market, New York
Brass victorian blotter - $10 - Lambertville NJ flea Market
Eastlake oil lamp converted to electric - $28 Milford PA antique shop
Aesthetic bird shade on lamp - $10 garage flea market New York.

These were all under $100 and are fun to search for. They make great little gifts for the Victorian enthusiast

Zeke's Photobucket account with lots of shots of his home and fabulous furniture.

Biblical Descriptions of Women

Here's a fairly exhaustive study of the word "woman" in the Bible, with all of its uses and descriptions (from the ESV version, so I may have missed some mentioned in other versions). I thought it would be helpful for us to see how women are described in the Bible, positively and negatively, as we strive to be godly women.

Not all of them will apply in each of our lives, and some are situation-specific... but perhaps one or many of these will catch your eye and inspire you in a particular area of your life... and we'll come back and examine these a little at the end of the list.

POSITIVE OR NEUTRAL BIBLICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF WOMEN:

• made by God (Gen 2:22)
• taken out of man (Gen 2: 23, 1 Cor 11:9)
• "beautiful in appearance" (Sarai-- Gen 12, Rebekah-- Gen 12, Bathsheba--2 Sam 11:2, Tamar-- 2 Sam 14:27, 1 Ki 1:3-4)
• "pregnant" (Exod. 21:22, Is 26:17, and many, many more)
  
• "skillful" (Exod. 35:25)
• "tender" (Deut 28:56)
• "refined" (Deut 28:56)
  
• "delicate" (Deut. 28:56)
• "loved" (Jud 16:4)
• "worthy" (Ruth 3:14)
• not worthless (1 Sam 1:16)
• "discerning" (1 Sam 25:3)
• "wise" (2 Sam 14:2, 2 Sam 20:16, Prov 31:26)
• "wealthy" (2 Ki 4:8-- the Shunammite woman who cared for Elisha)
• "barren, childless" given a home and children (Ps 113:9)
• "gracious" (Prov 11:16)
• receives honor (Prov 11:16)
  
• precious (Prov 31:10)
• trustworthy (Prov 31:11)
  
• interested in doing good for and pleasing her husband (Prov 31:12, Prov 31:23, 1 Cor 7:34)
• a willing worker (Prov 31:13, 19)
• prudent (Prov 31:16, 18)
• "strong" (Prov 31:17)
• diligent (Prov 31:18-22, Prov 31:27, Luke 15:8)
• generous (Prov 31:20)
• teaches kindness (Prov 31:26)
• "excellent" (Prov 31:29)
  
• "woman who fears the Lord" (Prov 31:30-- worthy of praise)
• great in faith (Matthew 15:20-28)
• worshipful, sacrificial, worthy of remembrance (Matt. 26:6-13)
• "saved" by faith (Luke 8:40)
• freed from disability (Luke 13:12)
• bearer of a faithful testimony that led many to believe (John 4:39)
• uncondemned by God (John 8:10-11)
• "believer" (Acts 16:1)
• "seller of purple goods" (Acts 16:4)
  
• "worshiper of God" with an open, attentive heart (Acts 16:4)
• unmarried/betrothed are interested in holiness & "the things of the Lord" (1 Cor 7:34)
• "glory of man" (1 Cor 11:7)
• not independent of man (1 Cor 11:11)
• "quiet" learner (1 Tim 2:11, 12)
• "submissive" (1 Tim 2:11)
• "weaker vessel" (1 Pet 3:7)
  

NEGATIVE BIBLICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF WOMEN:

• "drunken" (1 Sam 1:13-- Eli was mistaken when he thought this about Hannah)
• "perverse, rebellious" (1 Sam 20:30-- spoken by Saul to Jonathan about his mother in order to shame him)
• "desolate" (Tamar-- 2 Sam 13:20, because she was defiled)
• "cursed" (2 Ki 9:34-- Jezebel)
• "wicked" (2 Chr 24:7-- idolatrous woman)
• "barren, childless" (Job 24:21)
• "forbidden woman" (Prov 2:16, 5:3, 5:20, 7:5-- the adulteress)
• "evil" (Prov 6:24-- the adulteress)
• wily of heart (Prov 7:10-- a woman dressed as a prostitute)
• "a beautiful woman without discretion" is like a gold ring in a pig's snout (Prov 11:22)
• "quarrelsome" & fretful (Prov 21:19-- living with this kind of woman is worse than living in a desert)
• heart of snares & nets (Eccl 7:26-- godly men escape her)
• deceived transgressor (1 Tim 2:14)
  

There's a lot here, but I think it may be helpful to look at this both in a micro- and macro- way.

THE MACRO VIEW OF BIBLICAL WOMANHOOD: (The BIG picture)
Generally, the biblical woman is discerning, gracious, generous, and kind. Generally, women are given a role defined by family and the home. Rather than seeking to control or manipulate men, the biblical woman is focused on the Lord, and her husband, children, and home (if married). A godly woman passes her faith on to others (specifically including her children and those who know her testimony) and is willing to sit at the feet of Jesus and love and worship Him.

THE MICRO VIEW OF BIBLICAL WOMANHOOD: (The nitty-gritty)
Starting with what she is not... she is not quarrelsome or worrisome. She does not seek to ensnare, capture, or deceive men. She does not dress seductively. She doesn't act thoughtlessly or imprudently.

She works hard in order to serve her household, the poor, and widows. She worships God. She tells others what Christ has done for her. She learns with a quiet spirit, willing to submit to what is taught.

She is protected by the men in her family when she is a virgin (there were many instances of this, but these were not necessarily descriptive passages so I did not include them in the list), and focused on her family and home once married. She serves her husband and is faithful to him. She seeks to make him known as an honorable man. She raises children, teaching them kindness and faith. If unmarried, she is single-mindedly focused on serving Christ and being holy for Him. She fearfully, faithfully, and attentively serves a gracious, forgiving, and healing Creator God by serving, loving, and giving to the people around her.


This is encouraging and challenging stuff, huh? Any thoughts you'd like to add or other things you see in these descriptions?

Private Prayer

It probably seems contradictory to write a public post about private prayer, but I'm reading a Puritan classic by Thomas Brooks (called "The Secret Key to Heaven: The Vital Importance of Private Prayer") that is teaching me so very much in this area and I want to share some of the highlights here. Brooks lays out a phenomenal case for not only the necessity but the blessing of spending time in one's closet, engaged in private prayer with the Father.

Pointing to Matt. 6:6, he writes:

In the text, "But thou, when thou prayest", He does not say, when you [plural] pray, but thou, as speaking not so much of a joint duty of many praying together, as of a duty which each person is to do alone. The command in the text sends us to the closet [as well as] to the church. He is a real hypocrite that chooses the one and neglects the other; for thereby he tells the world that he cares for neither. He that puts on a religious habit abroad to gain himself a great name among men, and at the same time lives like an atheist at home, shall at the last be uncovered by God, and presented before all the world for a most outrageous hypocrite.

Heavy stuff, that.

Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus stealing away for private moments with His Father. Brooks points to Christ as an example for us in spending much time in private prayer:

Christ is a pattern of patterns; His example should be to us instead of a thousand examples. It is not only our liberty, but our duty and glory, to follow Christ... Other patterns are imperfect and defective, but Christ is a perfect pattern; and of all His children, they are the happiest that come nearest to this perfect pattern.

Brooks lays out a point-by-point case for why Christians should be utterly dependent upon and defined by their closet prayer time with the Father. Some of the reasons that he offers that really resonate with me and motivate me are these:

#4- Secret prayer lets us unbosom ourselves before God. In secret we may more freely and fully, and safely unbosom ours souls to God than we can in the presence of many or a few. ... In secret, a Christian may descend into such particulars, as in public or before others he will not, he may not, he ought not, to mention. Ah! how many Christians are there who would blush and be ashamed to walk in the streets, and to converse with sinners or saints, should but those infirmities, enormities, and wickednesses be written in their foreheads or known to others, which they freely and fully lay open to God in secret.

#6- God most manifests Himself in secret. [Brooks lays out many examples from Scripture and then writes:] Private prayer is a golden key to unlock the mysteries of the Word to us. The knowledge of many choice and blessed truths is but the outcome of private prayer. ... Certainly that Christian or that minister that in private prayer lies most at the feet of Jesus Christ, he shall understand most...

... A husband imparts his mind most freely and fully to his wife when she is alone... Wise men give their best, their choicest, and their richest gifts in secret; and so does Christ give to his the best of the best, when they are in a corner, when they are all alone.

... But as for such as cannot spare time to seek God in a closet, to serve Him in secret, they sufficiently show that they have little fellowship or friendship with God, whom they so seldom come to.

That last sentence is so convicting and illuminating, isn't it? I confess that I am guilty as charged... I have not consistently made private fellowship with my Heavenly Father and Friend a priority as it ought to have been. I am striving to be more faithful to spend time in closet prayer to the Father, as I have been convicted by Brooks' words, and even more by his right division of God's Word as he presents his case.

I have more to share, and I will do so soon, but wanted to get these thoughts out this morning. Hopefully it will challenge and convict others as it has done and is doing in my own heart.

PENNSYLVANIA STAR BARN

I do believe this has to be the most wonderful site in all our travels we have taken over the years...

Last Spring on a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania we stopped and took some pictures of a beautiful old barn.

We have traveled this route for 30 years and seen this wonderful piece of architecture and never gotten off the highway to visit it, but after hearing it will be re-located we thought it was time to visit this wonderful beauty.

Over the years it has taken a hit with wood decay and shoddy upkeep and was due to be demolished if someone didn’t come forward to save it.

Fortunately enough funds have been raised and has been purchased and all buildings will be taken apart board by board, stone by stone, numbered and re-assembled in their new location sometime this year.

Here is the video clip of the announcement and new location http://www.wgal.com/video/16764868/index.html

Go to this site to read about this beautiful piece of architecture. http://www.thestarbarn.com/About_OwnershipHistory.aspx

On February 29, 2000, the Millport Conservancy and Preservation Pennsylvania joined forces and funds to purchase The Star Barn Complex. The two organizations shared common goals in moving to save this endangered property: to preserve The Star Barn complex as a symbol of the region’s agricultural heritage and to insure its future survival by making it a part of the life of the communities that now surround it.

In December, 2007, Agrarian Country, a non-profit corporation from Middletown, Pennsylvania, assumed ownership of The Star Barn. AND SHE WILL BE SAVED!!!