Goodbye, Blogger

You can find me here now. I'm still doing some housekeeping and importing photos, but all of my posts are at my new home, thanks to some very dear friends. Hopefully, things will be more user and reader friendly at my new address.

With love,
Trisha

Christian Discernment and Candace Cameron as a Model of Modesty

Controversy, bad theology, and depressing news are just a few of the reasons I try to avoid checking e-mail or getting on the internet first thing in the morning. Stuff like that tends to make my heart beat a bit faster, I get distracted from my priorities, and I get worked up and feel compelled to fight a battle that usually isn't mine.

But this battle is an important one, for us and our children.

Today's fast-hearbeat-inducing-story has to do with the highly praised Candace Cameron. She's acclaimed for maintaining standards of modesty while dancing with another man in a sensual manner on a show called Dancing With the Stars. And because she doesn't look exactly like the typical DWTS dancer, we're praising her. Yay! Finally here is a model of modesty.

And here we are speaking from both sides of our mouths as we tell our children to be in the world but not of it and then praise "stars" like this for their bit of restraint. There is no dying to self going on here, my friends, just because Cameron decides not to let it all hang out and doesn't get as sensual as she could while dancing with a man who is not her husband.

You can do your own search to see a clip of her dancing as well as pictures of her rehearsal outfit. Both instances should lead us to question why we think she's a role model of modesty and why her husband isn't bothered by her intimate moves with another man. And both should cause us to wonder why we're so easily pleased, and what kind of hypocrites we are to teach our daughters about modesty but embrace Cameron's very immodest heart and appearance.

Are we dwelling so much in the darkness that we don't know the light? Do we have such a low view of holiness that we've lost sight of what it really means to shine as a bright light in this very dark world?

With love,
Trisha

The Rudder of My Days

"The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day."

~Henry Ward Beecher

Rudder~"that which guides or governs the course"

Webster's 1828

What shall be the rudder of this day?

This day You've given me. This day full of new mercies.  This day that sings of Your grace.

This day I will never have again.

How will I spend this first hour? 

Will it be on rabbit trails on the computer or chats on social media?

Will it be spent blogging my own thoughts or being inspired by the thoughts of great men?

Will it be the reading the latest news or witty political commentary or theological debates?

Will it be doing another load of laundry and the many urgent tasks that call my name?

Or will it be Your words that guide and govern me? The Voice of Truth. The Way of Wisdom.

The One Who truly shows me how to love my children better, what to think of the latest news, how to spend my time wisely. The One Who shows me how to have a quiet and gentle spirit in the midst of things undone and many needs to meet. These words of life that transform me and renew my mind, that I may glorify You in all things and walk steadfastly in wisdom's way.

These words that are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness.

Oh, Heavenly Father, let me desire Your guidance and governing above all.  Let Your Words of life be the rudder of my days. Let them be my first desire when I wake and my soul's food all the day long.

With love,

Trisha

Just Enough

Too many times I've forgotten to check the ingredients before preparing a recipe only to discover I had "just enough" of something. What a relief that often is, especially when you're far into the recipe, the items are costly, and guests are on the way.

And "just enough" describes how God often deals with us.

For the Israelites, God provided "just enough" manna for the day. Hoarding reaped gross consequences. They had to trust the Lord would provide.

I know what it is to have just enough gas for the car until payday or just enough money to pay the bills.

I'm thankful when things last just long enough to replace them. The water heater. The car with over 200,000 miles. The years-old dishwasher. The worn clothing.

I'm thankful for just enough strength to not grow weary at the end of a long day, or in the midst of an overwhelming trial.

"Just enough" is a most fertile soil for growing faith and cultivating gratitude. It's a prime spot for worship.

When we have "just enough," our eyes stay fixed on Him. We remember Who provides. We remember how fragile our frames are, and how great our God is. 

In our mixed up world, "just enough" is considered not enough, and it sure isn't how we would describe abundant living. We want to be prepared for years to come, know how things will always turn out, and stuff our pockets full of self-sufficiency.

But God's economy is different, and in giving us "just enough" of what we need each day, He offers us truly rich living. Rich in faith. Rich in thankful hearts. Rich in complete dependence on Him. And His provision always leaves us satisfied.

What encouragement!  No matter what our trial, our heartache, our need, God will provide, and His "just enough" will always be plenty.


With love,
Trisha

Because Mothers Are Always On Call

“Mothers are always on call, expected to have all the answers and limitless energies. They’re supposed to do everything; it’s taken for granted. How can you be and do everything expected of you? What you need is a habitual sense of the presence of God. Think that Almighty God, who created the stars and keeps the seasons revolving in perfect rhythm, is there in your kitchen, in your bathroom, in the laundry room, in the grocery store. Mothers, be prepared for an arduous struggle. Your calling is impossible without prayer, the comfort and instruction of the Scriptures and fellowship in your church.”

~Elisabeth Elliot

5 Stumbling Blocks to Obeying God's Will

Lately I've been pondering life changes and wrestling with difficult circumstances and understanding God's will. And though some things are still unclear, and fear keeps creeping in, I understand a bit better why our decision making  gets so tangled.

1) God's will doesn't always feel good. We're in deep with the world and its belief that we should only do what feels good. But, as Christians, we're still at war with our flesh, which means obedience brings resistance. It feels good to obey God when His plans line up with ours, but what about when His will means the surrendering of our hopes and dreams?

2) Some of our friends will tempt us to take the road often traveled. This is the friend who cares more about comfort and ease than about sanctification. This is the friend who lives in "deserve" mode. Life is all about deserving a break, not about dying to self. She'll list your many sacrifices, as though sanctification is accomplished in 10 Easy Lessons instead of a lifetime of daily taking up one's cross.

3) We equate obeying God's will with a "good outcome". After Paul is blinded on the road to Damascus, and Ananias is told to minister to him, God declares that He is going to share with Paul the things he will suffer in Christ's name. The things he will suffer. He didn't say, "Paul has obeyed, and there will now be no hard days or challenges or pain." Obeying God does bring blessing, but it's not always the blessings we think of. Obedience doesn't always bring reconciliation or peace or more money or a bigger house or less difficult people in our lives. Sometimes the blessing is the gift of resting in the joy that you are honoring God and being made more like Christ even when everything around you is unpleasant or downright hard.

4) Our hearts are deceitful. I've sometimes clearly known God's will about something, not because I had a vision in the night, but because I read His Word and cried out to Him in prayer, and yet, I still resist doing it. My heart whispers that I must be the exception and the surely God wouldn't want me to have to work so hard. My heart lists all the reasons I can't obey, when the truth is that I don't want to obey. Perhaps our struggle with knowing is more of a struggle with obeying.

5) We leave no room for faith and trust.  My life is one big Ebenezer of God's providing in the most unexpected ways. And yet, I'm still tempted to listen to the naysayers who plan everything out and have no time for faith and trust. They think they're simply being prudent, yet all of their plan-making is often a cover for not believing God will wisely direct their paths. How does our faith and trust increase if we never take that step into the unknown? Why do we cry out for daily bread, but put our confidence in the world's wisdom or our preparations or our bank account?

The good news is that God is faithful to give us wisdom when we cry out for it. We have His word right before us, and we have His ear. And though obedience might not bring joy and peace right away, the surrender eventually becomes sweet, and we're able to praise Him for keeping us from leaning on our own understanding.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)

With love,
Trisha

So Much Home-Work

Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others; whereas a humble saint is most jealous of himself; he is so suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints, that they are low in grace, and to be much in observing how cold and dead they be, and crying out of them for it; and to be quick to discern and to take notice of their deficiencies: but the eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home, and sees so much evil in his own heart, and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with others' hearts; he complains most of himself, and cries out of his own coldness and lowness in grace, and is apt to esteem others better than himself.
~Jonathan Edwards

Either a Mercy or a Wonder

To be thankful doesn't mean we're denying hard providences or pretending our lives are problem-free. But it does mean we're obeying, and we're trusting that God is keeping His promise to use all things for our good. 

I'm thankful for God's current means of sanctification in our lives:

Mountain Man's prolonged recovery from dental work--infection, dry socket, continued pain.

The painful work that must often be invested in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ --to be at unity with one another isn't optional, but it is God's will, even though it often doesn't feel good and requires more effort than I want to give.

That daily battle with the flesh and the reluctance to put off the old 

and put on the new.

And I'm thankful for those daily wonders that refresh us:

The oldest and youngest taking a walk

Finally! Ink's graduation feast

Happy faces

One BIG strawberry shortcake

Guys in bowties

An amazing shot of the moon captured by Luke

The Littles breaking in our new couch with some book-time

Hashed Potato Pie

A single serving of deep dish chocolate chip cookie ready in five minutes in a microwave oven 

"Yeah, I'm cute" expressions

Brother helping brother

And the unseen gifts of forgiveness and repentance and daily provision of all we need to glorify the Lord and grow in grace

There is never a providence of God, but has either a mercy or a wonder in it.

~Thomas Watson, All Things for Good

With love,

Trisha

No, Look This Way, Brother