There Should Be No Surprise

I recently saw a comic posted on Facebook about the death of Christianity in America.  On one side was an atheist who said they were not a Christian.  On the other side were two other people: a Christian who said they were, and another person who said that it was advantageous to believe that because it was more accepted in society.  Then it showed a picture of today and there was still the atheist and the Christian, but the guy in the middle had moved to the other side saying the same thing about it being more advantageous to not be a Christian.

That’s the truth people.  Jesus said the road to Him and Life was narrow.  He said there would be deceivers in sheep’s clothing.  That evil disguises itself as light.

Go Into the World

Over the past several weeks, we have gone over ways that you can expand your daily Bible study time to deepen your walk with God.  Today, as we wrap up this series, I’d like to give you some practical ways to make yourself more mobile in your Bible studies and what you then do with your greater knowledge and deeper faith.

Seasoned Mushrooms

My husband loves this recipe and now that it is grilling season, he is all for making these.  The mushrooms cook while you are grilling your other food and are usually ready by the time the rest of the food is done.  I make them up and put them in the packet and he grills them.  The mushrooms still retain most of their flavor, so for someone like me who likes their mushrooms more for texture than flavor, this recipe is not for you.  But for people who love mushrooms, my husband says they are delicious!

 

The Biggest Road Blocks to Daily Bible Times

 

Why do so many Christians supposedly not read their Bible regularly?

I have pondered this questions many times.  Mark and I have had discussions on it.  And I think that I have narrowed it down to six main reasons.

1. “The Bible is corrupted by man and manmade.  It’s not of God.”
2. “The Bible is no longer relevant, important, or needed anymore.”
3. “All we need to remember is Jesus is love and to love one another.”
4. People do not want to be convicted and change their lives.  (Happy Bubble!)
5. There is consistent sin in a person’s life.
6. They are not a true believer.

Chocolate Banana Chips

 

This is one of my favorite homemade desserts.  It takes only a few ingredients, tastes like ice cream, and even kids like them.  Chocolate Banana Chips are regularly made in this house.  You can make as many or as little as you want, just adjust the recipe, and it’s a great way to use up any extra bananas.  Make sure that they are ripe, but not heavily brown-spotted.  Enjoy!

 

Worship

 

What is worship?  In reality, all that I am writing about in this series is a form of worship.  Worship includes everything in a Sunday church service.  Worship includes helping those less fortunate.  If all is done as to glorify God and to be obedient to him.  However, it seems like today with many Christians, worship just comprises the singing portion of a church service.  And that is how I am using the word today in this blog post, but I just wanted to clarify for the sake of correctness.

One of my favorite things to do is to sing.  I love music.  The way it makes you feel an emotion.  The way that you can use it to make others feel emotions.  The way that it can cross all sorts of situations, cultures, and barriers to make everyone feel connected.  It brings together, but it can also divide.  It can be a rally cry.  It will be stuck in your head for days, over and over and over…

Man’s Great End

Lord of All Being,

There is one thing that deserves my greatest care,

            that calls forth my ardent desires,

That is, that I many answer the great end for which

            I am made —

            to glorify thee who hast given me being,

            and to do all the good I can for my fellow men;

Verily, life is not worth having

            if it be not improved for this noble purpose.

Yet, Lord, how little is this the thought of mankind!

Most men seem to live for themselves,

            without much or any regard for thy glory,

            or for the good of others;

They earnestly desire and eagerly pursue

            the riches, honours, pleasures of this life,

            as if they supposed that wealth, greatness, merriment,

            could make their immortal souls happy;

But, alas, what false delusive dreams are these!

And how miserable ere long will those be that

            sleep in them,

            for all our happiness consists in loving thee,

            and being holy as thou art holy.

O may I never fall into the tempers and vanities,

            the sensuality and folly of the present world!

It is a place of inexpressible sorrow, a vast empty nothingness;

Time is a moment, a vapour,

            and all its enjoyments are empty bubbles,

            fleeting blasts of wind,

            from which nothing satisfactory can be derived;

Give me grace always to keep in covenant with thee,

            and to reject as delusion a great name here or hereafter,

            together with all sinful pleasures or profits.

Help me to know continually

            that there can be no true happiness,

            no fulfilling of thy purpose for me,

            apart from a life lived in and for

            the Son of thy love.

The Valley of Vision

Edited by Arthur Bennett

Ideas and Guidelines for Prayer

 

As I mentioned last week, the post about prayer became so long that I decided to split it up into two posts.  So without further ado…

Prayer

Prayer is so very important.  Most people pray, even non-Christians when they are in a bad situation.  Many others give prayers of thanksgiving when good things happen.  However, we are called to pray “unceasingly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Now, obviously we cannot do that literally.  There would be no way to fulfill the call to go out and make disciples or to eat or anything else.  We are instead supposed to be continually in prayer throughout the day.  One of the habits that I got into was thinking about all the times that I could pray while doing other things.  When I am sitting waiting somewhere, when I am driving, when I am walking from one room to another, when I am crocheting or other projects that do not take much concentration, and at specific times that I can set aside a few more minutes for a longer prayer (like when I wake up, go to sleep, or at meal times).  Many of theses prayers are tend to be very quick; a minute here, a few minutes there.

However, I also have set aside a time each day to come to the Lord in a more meaningful and deeper way.  I have carved out a longer time in order to give precedence to talking to God.  I try to pair this with my Bible study and worship time if I can.  And the easiest way that I have found to be able to remember what to pray about is to create an in-depth prayer list.  I have tried having it on the computer but have found this distracting.  I have also tried to keep a prayer journal, but then I am flipping through it more than need be.  Now, I have a prayer list on my computer that I print off and update every so often.  I am able to change and add to it in the mean time and when it starts getting messy then I write up a new one.

Honey Mustard

 

One of the things that I love to make that most people either don’t know how or just don’t care to do is to make mustard.  It’s one of the simplest things that takes all of 10 minutes to create.  And when you eat it, wow!

I make this about once a year, and it lasts us throughout the summer.  The flavor is a kind of spicy brown mustard with a sweet wisp of honey.

Bible Reading vs. Bible Study

 

I would hope that regardless of whether they do it or not that many Christians would agree that knowing the Bible is important to the overall health of the Christian walk.  If not, that is a whole other blog post.

I have seen and heard of a million different ways to read the Bible.  I have also heard it said by many people that the most important thing is just to get into the Bible, if even for a little bit each day.  And while I agree that something is better than nothing, it should only be the very start if you are not reading your Bible at all.

For me, there are essentially two ways to read your Bible regularly: Bible Reading verses Bible Study.  Both I think have a place in a Christian’s life each and every day and the two accomplish unique and essential roles.

Expand Your Daily Bible Study

In the recent years, polls have shown that Biblical knowledge is at an all time low.  Mainstream Christianity is going towards a humanist-centric religion, based on how we feel, what we think, what others tell us outside our religion, what other religions do, and what popular consensus is with the masses.  Quite honestly, I wish these groups would stop calling themselves Christians because they hold true to almost none of the tenants of Christianity and those that they do, they have seriously twisted.

New Posts Starting Monday!!!

 

Join me next Monday for the start of a new blog series that will last for several weeks.  I also have some other posts that will pop up in the next couple of weeks as well.

See you Monday!

through His grace alone!

Sarah

No, I do not know everything!

If you were to ask me if I am very sure in the beliefs that I have, it would be a resounding “Yes!”  It’s not that I think I know everything, but that I have spent many years reading amazing works by the saints, studying my Bible, and listening to godly men preach the Bible.  I am most assured of the most important doctrines of faith and salvation; I know my salvation is secured.

And if you were to debate me on many other things, you would have to do a mighty job of convincing me with the Bible that your conflicting view is the correct one.  This does not mean that I am not open to admitting that I am wrong, but I have spent much time learning about the things that I speak of to be able to be almost sure that what I believe is correct.

There is a term that you probably haven’t heard: seminoid.  It describes a person who enters seminary.  Their whole focus in life becomes learning about theology and how to accurately argue those points.  However, this particular person becomes so puffed up with pride that they argue and often cause problems based on their attitude of arrogance and condescension.

I don’t think that this just applies to people within seminary but to anyone who makes it a goal to really study theology.  It is a pitfall that must be avoided when trying to learn more about the things of God.

“Never be wise in your own sight” (Romans 12:16b).

While I love, love, love! theology and discussing theology, I am also very aware that I don’t know everything.  There are parts of the Bible that I am not as familiar with as other parts.  Just like most people, there are certain books of the Bible that I gravitate more to than others.  And then there are other books that are harder for me to deeply understand (I’m calling out you, Isaiah and Revelation!).

I also have certain presuppositions that I am not always aware of consciously.  Recently, one of these presuppositions came to my awareness.  Many times when studying theology, you will come across two opposing view points.  The particular ones I came across, I couldn’t understand why each side thought they opposed each other.  I also didn’t understand how either could be correct.  Part of this, I believe was because I didn’t (and still don’t) understand fully what each was trying to purport.  However, as I searched for the answers to my many unanswered questions, I realized that I had some presuppositions that were clouding my very honest search for the truth.

Now, let me be very clear.  I do NOT define my beliefs on what theology is out there.  When I look into and learn about theology, I try to understand how my beliefs fit with what many others have agreed on is the Truth.  This is a way for me to try to “prove” what I believe is true to myself.  If many other true saints have decided that this one truth is the Truth, and I disagree… Well, how do I know what I believe is the Truth?  It’s not that I then change my belief, but I had better be able to back it up with Scripture.  It is a way to check out what I believe, and not to just keep believing something I heard from someone somewhere that I really can’t remember.

Now, this particular presupposition had no affect on my beliefs of salvation, the way I should live, or anything of utmost importance.  However, as I read the Bible, I see now that some areas have more meaning or are more understandable now that I am aware.  So, while I am always trying to provide only the Truth on my blog, I understand that I am not perfect.  I don’t get everything.  I don’t understand everything.  And for that matter, I will never get everything.  It is just a fact of being a human in this fallen world.  This is why discernment is still important.  Please understand that while I try to keep my beliefs and my interpretation of the Bible as pure as humanly possible, I am still that, human.  And that is also why I would love to hear from you if you disagree with me on something!  Please, don’t keep silent if you don’t believe exactly what I believe.  While I expect all comments to be made respectfully and with Scripture to back it up, I welcome what you have to say.  I hope that my blog becomes a place of learning, of challenging, and of understanding.

And for those of you who think that all you have to do is just read your Bible some and that’s it, I challenge you to consider looking into theology.  I challenge you to read some books by the true saints (beware, there are many out there right now that are false teachers, who spin Bible verses to fit what they want or are bringing in beliefs from other religions to affect their version of Christianity).  Yes, you can get everything that you need out of the Bible, but you come with your own culture, your own upbringing, and your own presuppositions that may cloud how you interpret the Bible.  Use it as a way to challenge yourself to know that what you believe is the Truth.

through His grace alone!

Sarah

Walking the Path in 2015—Part Three

 

Last week, I wrote about the specific areas that I was going to work on for 2015.  My hope through this short series was just to show you my way of trying to be intentional in my life.  God has His plans for my life, and I know that I usually uncover them as I walk with Him.  However, that does not mean that I can’t have a plan for my life to help me follow what He wants.  And I am always ready for all of my plans to go out the window, if He so chooses to change my course.  Actually, by not thinking that these plans are set in stone and coming back many times throughout the year to re-evaluate, I make sure that I am first seeking what He wants and then setting my goals to do what He wants in my life.

And that brings me to my last category, which is health.  For me, this is a big one.  As Mark loves to say, I “play disorder bingo where no one is the winner.”  For years, I have been trying to find ways to either eliminate or improve health issues.  This has been hard, since most medications make me much sicker than the actual disorder.  I have been left to find natural ways or just deal.  I choose to try to improve my health.

Walking the Path in 2015—Part Two

Last week, I shared with you how 2014 went.  Part of what helps me to decide what I want to work towards for the next year is to see how God has worked in my life in the past year.  Then from there I try to make goals that will guide how I want to live the next year.  These goals are flexible and I revisit them several times throughout the year.  They always change from the beginning of the year to the end as God guides me on my path.

My goals really fall into four categories each year: God, husband, home, and health.  Could I come up with more things?  Yes, but these are really the four areas that I want to be intentional about.  I will go over each one of the areas, and then tell you one or two of the many goals I have set for each to give you an idea.  If you would like to do this too, your categories and subsequent goals will obviously look different, but this should give you a general idea how to set goals that will work with how God works and changes your life.

Walking the Path in 2015—Part One

 

Now that it is a new year, I wanted to share a little bit about our previous year and what we are looking forward to in this new year.  Our lives look much different than they did (and oddly the same) at the beginning of 2014, and we have certainly changed ourselves.

Every year for the past several years I have taken the time at the beginning of a new year to examine my life and set goals that I want to work towards.  I don’t call them resolutions because they are not as firm or as concrete as normal “New Year’s Resolutions.”  They also tend to be about the same every year, not because I don’t accomplish goals, but more of the fact that it is a continuation on working to be a better person, wife, and Christian.  There is no end point to my goals and they are definitely fluid in the fact that I revisit them every so often through the year and adjust to fit where I am in life and correct what may not be working.

Why we write, when we write…

Not only do I write for this blog, but I also like reading several blogs.  Some are about homemaking, some are about homesteading, and some are about Christian topics.  When Mark and I talked about starting a blog, we talked about what we wanted to write and why we wanted to write.

Out in the “Christian” sphere of books and blogs, there is a spectrum of ideas and beliefs.  Most of the problems stem from if you believe the Bible is true and what percentage of it you believe is true.  The other set of problems comes from incorrectly interpreting the Bible by either pulling verses out of context or not correctly interpreting them from the style that they are written in.  That’s how you can call yourself a Christian and believe completely opposite things from someone else who calls themselves a Christian (among other reasons).

One of our foundational beliefs is that the Bible is 100% true and that we believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible.  That means that we believe that every word in the Bible, as it was put together with 66 books in the original language, is true and that if the style it was written in speaks of it as an actual event, then we believe that it truly did happen sometime is the past.

Because of this belief, and the many beliefs that are not lined up with ours, we wanted to start a blog.  We wanted a place to encourage other Christians to be built up and at times to be challenged to a deeper walk in their faith.  And we do this all for the glory of God.  We do it because it is what He has commanded in His Word.

This is also the reason why we do not write regularly.  We’ve read all the articles that say if you want a successful blog, you must write regularly.  While we would love to do that, and hope to someday get ahead of schedule so that we can post on a regular basis, that is not where we are in our life.  And we would rather have an unsuccessful blog in terms of number of hits to our sites than post information that was written in haste just to make a deadline.  Usually in haste is where mistakes will be made or unclear writing will make it seem like we are saying something that we are not.  While these will still happen because we are human and make mistakes, we do not want to be careless in what we write.  Also, we both read every blog post that is added to either of our blogs.  Sometimes this too adds a delay of when a post is added.

What we also want to say is that we appreciate everyone who does check into our blogs for our posts.  And if you are a person who doesn’t want to check to see if there is a new post to either of our blogs, then look to the right of this webpage for the “Follow by Email” box; if you enter your email, you can get posts sent directly to your email when we put up a new one.  And it’s really easy to unsubscribe to it at any time.  Just click the “unsubscribe” at the end of any of the emails you get from our blogs.

Also, we will begin with new posts to each of our blogs this month.  We have a little lull in our schedule right now that we intend to start writing again.  And we are preparing for when things get busier within the next few months.

Thanks for your understanding of our reasons for the sporadic writings.  And we absolutely love your comments, even if you don’t agree as long as it is respectful.  We hope that you find our blogs an encouragement and at times a challenge to live more for Christ each day.

through His grace alone!

Sarah