Faith Things
I don’t write about politics on this blog very often, if at all. For one thing, I already have an established political blog. But mostly, it’s because crafting, cooking, etc. is an escape from politics for me and I hate to read about politics on my favorite non-political blogs. Like the endless Obama crafts on WhipUp.net made me want to scream!
We are all friends here, even if you are a liberal and I am a conservative.
I did want to mention a post I read this morning on The Anchoress, which, if you are conservative, is a must read blog. The post itself leans pretty political, but the message is universal.
Let’s face it, no matter what your political leanings are, these are uncertain times. They are a little more uncertain if massive government spending programs and expansions of government power totally freak you out, but still, we are all feeling the pressure of the tumultuous economy.
The Anchoress reminds us that peace comes through trust in God and that giving more during hard times is an exercise in trust.
I know this will strike some as an odd post – it is a little odd – a strange thing to hear someone say, “yes, times are scary, so go make a donation, somewhere.” But despair is not the way of faith. Trust is. And trust does foolish things like donating to charities while worrying about one’s own job.
When you are feeling afraid, an action denoting trust always makes you feel less fearful and more powerful, whether it is praying for another or writing a check for $20.00 that you suspect you may need, yourself, down the road. It is an action that helps one get in touch with the wider world, and with feelings of selflessness, engagement and wisdom. It’s like shoring up for hard times – filling the corn cribs, so to speak – for the famine on the horizon.
You might want to read the whole thing. She also has the names of some lesser-known charities that could use your help.
Happy Thanksgiving, to all my readers!
I hope your day is filled with friends, family, and good food. If you are alone, I hope that you are filled with peace and relaxation – and good food.
We watched a short video at church last Sunday (yes, we go to one of those churches) about thankfulness. It reminded us that no matter what our circumstances, we can always be thankful that we have a God who is with us through everything. 2008 was a hard year for many people, but ours is a God that stands with us through hard times, as well as good. That is our true blessing.
I know I needed that reminder. It is so easy to focus on all of the things that I have struggled with over the past year. This year was hard for me and that is not even taking into account the tightening economy and uncertainty about the future. But I can be thankful that my struggles have brought me so much closer to the Lord and I finally have peace, even though my circumstances have not changed.
I am not trying to be trite. I know that it can be annoying to hear, in the midst of a really hard time, that it will bring you closer to God, expecially if you are not feeling it at that moment. Sometimes, that is the last thing I want to hear. Sometimes, I get caught up in the self-pity and anger about life.
That is where I was for a lot of the summer and into fall, even. But God brought me back into His loving arms. The Lord is my strength is not just a logo on Christian goods. I was not getting through the day when I was trying to do it on my own.
I am not sure how this went from a “Happy Thanksgiving” post to a testimonial. It just sort of flowed out of me.
I just want you all to know, if you don’t already, that He is there for you. He knows your hurts. He is waiting for you to call out to Him.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful that I will get to see our extended family, who we do not see nearly enough. I am thankful for the nice car we have to drive there that my father-in-law so graciously gave to us. I am thankful that I get to share my baking with a wider audience (I love to bake for people). But more than anything, I am thankful that I know God, after so many years of not knowing Him. I am thankful that we have a God who welcomes us back, again and again, meets us where we are at, and offers us his love and his grace.
I have had this song in my head for day. I really like it. I had never seen the video, until I just pulled it to post here. It is a little quirky, but it is the official video posted on YouTube by the band.
Enjoy!
All That Matters by Addison Road
That’s all that matters
I may never be the one that gets a second glance
I may never be the one they call the prettiest
But thats alright with me
And maybe I don’t follow every crazy passion
Spend all my time trying to get a good reaction
But thats ok with me
This world is like a trampoline
High and low no in between
Jumping at the chance to please
Everyone but thats not me
Cause all that matters is
All that matters is
I know your love has set me free
And thats all that matters to me
Cause all that matters is
All that matters is
I know your love has set me free
And thats all that matters to me
Some people tell me to step out and do my own thing
And others say I got to blend in just to be the same
And stop being me
But this shallow world is no longer what I’m made of
I’ve been changed by grace
I’ve been saved by love
What more do I need
All that matters is
All that matters is
I know your love has set me free
And that’s all that matters to me (x2)
My life comes from the One
Who made the stars and brought the sun
He loves me more than these
So I don’t need another identity
All that matters is
All that matters is
I know your love has set me free
And that’s all that matters to me (X2)
That’s all that matters(x3)
Instead of working on a post tonight, I went to the grocery store, then I watched Lesson 1 of The Truth Project with Bob. They are going through the series in his Bible study, but he missed the first week, so he borrowed the DVD. Of course, now I want to see the whole thing.
Here is a 37 second clip of what lesson one is about.
There is also a 6:21minute extended trailer about the series.
From the website:
The Truth Project is a DVD-based small group curriculum comprised of 12 one-hour lessons taught by Dr. Del Tackett. This home study is the starting point for looking at life from a biblical perspective. Each lesson discusses in great detail the relevance and importance of living the Christian worldview in daily life.
I love this video. It’s been around for a while, so you might have seen it already. It’s about a guy walking through the city while listening to “O Praise Him,” by David Crowder Band.
The song is great, but if you don’t want to listen to the whole thing, skip to just before 3:30 for the really good part of the video.
Here are the lyrics. I did not proof read them, so hopefully they are accurate.
Turn your ear to heaven and hear the noise inside
The sound of angel’s awe, the sound of angel’s songs
And all this for a King, we could join and sing
All to Christ our KingHow constant, how divine, this song of ours will rise
Oh how constant, how divine this love of ours will rise
Will rise…Oh, praise Him, oh praise Him
He is holy, He is holy (yeah)Turn your gaze to heaven and raise a joyous noise, yeah
The sound of salvation come, the sound of rescued ones
And all this for a King, angels join to sing
All for Christ our KingOh, la, la, la, la, la, la
How infinite and sweet, this love so rescuing
O, how infinitelly sweet, this great love that has redeemed
As one we sing…Alleluiah, alleluiah
He is holy, He is holy
We are getting ready to go visit my parents-in-law for the weekend in Massachusetts. My sister-in-law and her family are moving to the other side of the state (they currently live near my in-laws), so we want to see them before they go.
I think it will be good to get away for a couple of days.
Plus, I love driving through Vermont in the summer (and the fall, spring, and winter, too).
I just want to take this opportunity to say, God is good.
He gave me some real peace in a very, very stressful situation (that I will probably share with you soon). I honestly have no idea how I got through things before I knew Him, or why I would ever want to go back.
On that note, have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!
I struggle with American Christianity. There is the inclination to focus on what God can do for us and to become angry when God doesn’t make everything go our way.
Then there are the ever present prosperity preachers, who lead us to believe that if only we are faithful enough, God will heap riches upon us.
We have books that promise us a great life – a great life by worldly standards – if we are Christians. And in turn, leave people broken and bitter at God when it doesn’t happen.
So, when I was asked to review Joyce Meyer’s new book, which will be released next Tuesday, April 29, entitled, “The Secret to True Happiness,” I was skeptical, to say the least.
Well, I am glad to say now that I was also pleasantly surprised.
Joyce Meyer’s latest work, The Secret to True Happiness: Enjoy Today, Embrace Tomorrow
Instead, Ms. Meyer explains how God calls us to enjoy the life and the circumstances that we have been given. She teaches us how knowing who we are in Christ can allow us to experience true happiness even through the pain and suffering that life can bring us.
Unlike some other popular Christian books that shy away from scripture, The Secret to True Happiness embraces the Bible as the source of its truth.
I must admit, I will be re-reading and working through this book for some time to come. Joyce gives her readers a lot to read, think about, pray about, and apply to their lives.
Joyce Meyer walks us through:
Making the most of what we have,
Living by the Word,
Choosing to be happy,
Finding joy,
Knowing who we are in Christ and how God sees us,
Living by faith,
Trusting God through trials,
Finding rest,
Making good choices,
Having a right perspective about possessions,
Gaining wisdom,
Developing a true commitment to your Christian walk,
Being healthy,
Simplifying,
Cultivating good habits,
Letting God lead,
Practicing discipline,
Embracing tomorrow,
And more.
In The Secret to True Happiness, Joyce Meyer will walk you through how to apply biblical principles and a deeper understanding of your relationship with God and finally understand what it means to be truly happy.
The Secret to True Happiness: Enjoy Today, Embrace Tomorrow
I would also like to give a copy of The Secret to True Happiness to one of my readers. Just leave a comment and you will be entered to win.
When filling out the comment form, be sure to use a valid e-mail address, so I can contact you, if you win.
The winner will be drawn at random on Friday, April 25 at 5:00 PM EST.
This post is included in the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. Stop over for loads more bloggy giveaways.
I had to share this comment that I read on a blog today. It was just so beautiful, so exactly what has been on my heart to write about lately, but said so much more succinctly and eloquently than I would have said it.
The post that the comment was made on is about prayers of protection. It is a discussion that expands on a previous post at the same blog entitled, The Divine Protection Racket? A Fixer God? The comment (on 19 Apr 2008 at 8:49 am) was made by Tim Melton.
When Jesus taught us to pray for “our daily bread”, he was teaching us to pray for intimacy with him. He is the daily bread. We don’t necessarily pray so that God will change our circumstances. We pray for the Spirit of Christ to fill us and sustain us in the midst of them. The difference between an atheist and a Christian is not that our circumstances are different, but that we are different in circumstances. We pray as a means of appropriating the Grace of Christ so that in even the worst that life has to offer, we plead: Lord Jesus, abide with me, hold me, sustain me, give me faith, grant me hope, feed my soul, help me to worship, help me to love, forgive me idolatry, walk with me through this.
The only, but huge, difference between me and an Atheist is that I have Jesus. Nothing more should be expected. Truly, nothing more should be desired.
When I first became a Christian, I fell into the trap of thinking that my life was going to be better (from a worldly perspective) than it was before. I believed that if I tithed, God would make sure we had money. If we gave to people who needed, God would make sure we did not struggle financially ourselves. If we trusted God, He would give us a life that we wanted.
Boy, was that wrong! In many ways my life is much worse (from a worldly perspective) than it was before.
As you can imagine, that led to a lot of struggles with my faith, which I have discussed a little on this blog before. I had to relearn my understanding of who God is and what it means to be a Christian.
This quote so beautifully sums up what I have struggled over the past 9 months or so to come to grips with: I have Jesus. Nothing more should be expected. Truly, nothing more should be desired.
I have had this song in my head for days. I think I heard it at Easter. At any rate, I thought I would share it.
Because of Your love, we’re forgiven
Because of Your love, our hearts are clean
We lift You up with songs of freedom
Forever we’re changed because of Your love
I mentioned a few times in the past that I had some struggles with my faith last year. I wrote a couple of posts that laid it all out there, but I never published them.
I decided that I do want to share, but since this is a long post and not everyone will be interested in the subject matter, I am going to snip it here. Click the link if you want to read on. (more…)
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