Hospitality Begins in the Heart

Feb 22, 2012 by Guest

Lauren Spangler. Age 10. Rather short, a little plump, strawberry blond hair, freckles, crooked teeth, and mean as a rattlesnake.

Her latest victim – my younger sister, Michelle.

Since they shared the same grade, they attended the same classes in church. For some reason, Lauren took it upon herself to start spreading lies about my sister and poking fun at her during any chance that presented itself.

I’d love to impress you and share how I, as the godly big sis, encouraged a Biblical response to my sister. But, alas, I wanted Michelle to ignore Lauren and run the other way. Much to my surprise, one Thursday afternoon I overhear my sister talking with my mom. “Are you sure?” my mom asks. “Yes, ma’am,” my sister replies. Within five minutes Michelle has hung up the phone with a smile on her face. “Lauren is coming over Sunday afternoon,” she states with a confident sweetness.

Sure enough, Sunday following church we all piled into our minivan, Lauren included! I don’t remember much about that afternoon other than all of us enjoying Sunday dinner around our dining room table, Lauren acting mannerly and answering our questions, and my sister sharing her toys and favorite places with this new found friend. All afternoon these ten year olds giggled and played the day away.

In the months and years that followed, Lauren and Michelle remained acquaintances, but they never became best friends. However, I know that the love and hospitality my sister shared squelched the meanness Lauren gave forever.

Hospitality – a word we often use to describe opening our home to friends, sharing a meal, and having Christian fellowship. But does hospitality begin when guests arrive at our door? How did Jesus, our ultimate example, the One we are to follow, show hospitality? I mean, he had no home or place to lay His head.

Matthew 9:36 speaks of Jesus looking with compassion on the multitudes. He saw individuals in need, people longing for love, and men and women searching for hope.  Jesus healed, fed, listened, and sought these souls. Shouldn’t we do the same?

Hospitality begins in our heart. When we look at others, do we see the outward appearances? Do we focus on the things that others may do that we would never participate in? Or, are we seeking to have a hospitable heart that welcomes and loves others? Are we remembering the love, patience, and compassion that Christ has shown us, and therefore sharing that hospitality with others? Do we really believe that all we own belongs to Christ? If so, we shouldn’t worry about how fancy our home may be, what types of dainty food we can afford, or if our children will act perfectly for company. When we trust Christ for all we call “ours”, how can we help but share those blessings with others?

Since hospitality begins in our heart, we need to spend ample amount of time praying for others and seeking to love those around us. Whether it’s a sweet couple from church or the annoying classmate that makes our life miserable, may our lives mirror the compassion of Christ and be hospitable to all those around us – even the Lauren Spanglers.

Monica is married to Matthew and has two adorable little girls Abigail and Aubrey. She can be found writing at A Godly Heritage.

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Reader Feedback Question: What is Your Favorite Attribute of God?

Feb 16, 2012 by desiringvirtue

On Monday I asked you what your favorite attribute of God was. As I have thought over this question I have been reminded of how intricately interwoven his attributes truly are. If I prefer one over another it is simply because it further defines or modifies another attribute that I am thankful for. As most of you shared, the Lord’s sovereignty is a great encouragement to my soul. The fact that he controls every aspect of the universe, including my own life keeps me sane when the difficulties of life present themselves. It gives me hope that there is a purpose in all the suffering, waiting, pain, and even sorrow. But more than even his sovereignty, I treasure his love.

Without the knowledge of God’s intense love for me I would be tempted to think him a cruel Sovereign who delights in my suffering. It is his love, the love that sent Christ to calvary, that comforts me even in the darkest of nights. It was his love that guarded my heart as I delivered my lifeless baby girl at 17 weeks, and his love that gives me hope for future healthy pregnancies. This God who is so infinitely powerful is infinitely sensitive. He knows our frame. He knows our needs, our desires, our struggles and he cares deeply about them. He does not desire our harm, but desires our good and this knowledge opens heavens doors and allows us to step into the Holy of Holies. This love that shed the Prince of Light’s blood for my dark, sinful soul. It is God’s love that draws me to him and makes his grace impossible to resist.

Here are some of your answers:

Lauren said…

I have been listening to the cd Attributes of God by Shai Linne (based on AW Pink’s book) ever since we got it two months ago. I think the song on there that hits me the most is the one on God’s amazing patience. “He loves us patiently” the chorus goes. The fact that my God is slow to anger makes Him so different from man–from ME. It challenges me to consider that if I want to demonstrate His patience to others (especially my kiddos!) then I must look to Him and see just how amazingly patient He has been with me. And I am overwhelmed. I’ve also been meditating on the fruit of the Spirit lately, and how that fruit is in line with the character of God. If we want to bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must be depending upon Him and looking to Him to produce His likeness in us. The fact that He does this work in sinners is truly amazing, demonstrating His power, His kindness, His love, His wisdom…It’s hard to meditate on one attribute without it relating to His other perfections!

Becky said…

For me, the attribute of God that has turned my life upside down is His Sovereignty. That He is above all, reigning over all is just incredible. It brings me to my knees, comforts me, and gives me hope when I don’t find a reason for it. God is Sovereign over all… just think about that! That makes me shiver!

Holly said…

I agree with Becky. My favorite attribute of God is His Sovereignty (I think that would be wisdom on the chart). As mothers we tend to be worriers (at least most moms I know are) and knowing and trusting that God is Sovereign over ALL even things I cannot understand is so comforting. It is the ultimate hope for me. This world can have such sad moments that knock the breath out of you and I cannot imagine going through them without knowing God is ordaining it all for His glory and the good of His people.

Please feel free to keep the conversation going and share your favorite attribute in the comments. 

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The Attributes of God Infographic & Reader Feedback Question

Feb 12, 2012 by desiringvirtue

Tim Challies has begun a new series called Visual Theology that uses infographics to explain the truths of scripture. I would highly recommend that you first follow Challies if you are not already (always encouraging and challenging) and then that you check out the first few infographics he has already released.

I really like this one that focuses on the Attributes of God. Not only does it show various attributes (different aspects of his character), but it also classifies them into communicable (those attributes that he shares with other beings) and incommunicable (those that are specific to him alone) attributes. You can click on this image to go to a larger one.

This week’s reader feedback question is this:

What is your favorite attribute of God and how does it effect your life as a woman, wife, and/or mother? 

I will share my answer and select five of yours to publish on Thursday! I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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A Good Wife

Feb 7, 2012 by desiringvirtue

Did you know that God is in the business of making you a better wife? I know that you struggle with a bad attitude and with a propensity to selfishness. I know that the word submission makes your stomach churn and the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I know that it isn’t easy to love that man you are with, to give your life for him, to sacrifice your desires for his. I know because I feel it to. I feel that struggle with sinful flesh, the struggle to satisfy my own longings, my own wants, my own “needs.” It is the struggle against anarchy, against a body that desperately wants to defy its Maker. It is a struggle against this woman in me who desires to follow after her mother Eve; that woman who chose the promises of a liar over the truth of the Living God.

But Christ, precious Messiah, holy Savior came to liberate us from the chains of sin. He was willingly put to death by the Father so that he could secure the death of the sin reigning in our bodies. Yes, he died to crush the power of our pride, our selfishness, and our insubordination. He rose mightily from the grave so that we could live new, holy lives. He implanted his Holy Spirit within our very bodies so that we would bear good fruit–so that we could learn to love, sacrifice, submit. We are new creations. The cross demands that we turn away from our old ways and live in the knowledge of what Christ has done for us. He has made us better wives. He is making us better wives. His Spirit, full of GRACE, full of POWER, is at work within you to do his will and his will is to transform you.

The Lord hasn’t commanded you to respect your husband and not given you the power to do so.

The Lord hasn’t commanded you to submit to your husbands and not given you the power to do so.

The Lord hasn’t commanded you to love our husband and not given you the power to do so.

No, your obedience to God, your ability to respect, submit, and love your husband, is empowered by his GRACE, his mighty, life-giving grace.

You see, your story is part of God’s story. He is in the business of renewing his creation. Through Christ, he is restoring what was broken; he is erasing the horrid effect of Adam and Eve’s sin. Through Christ, he is growing your marriage toward the perfection that Adam and Eve were meant to live in. He is giving you the strength to fight against the sin that still wages war in your body.

No, perfection will never be attained in this world, but the pursuit is possible and victories are attainable because you do not work alone. You do not strive toward holiness alone. You are fighting with the power of the God of the universe. It is his pleasure to bring about respect, submission, and love in your thoughts, words, and actions. It is his will for you to live in the glorious reality of the redeemed. You were set free from sin so that you could taste the joyful fruit of Christ-likeness. What heavenly delights are made available to those who are in Christ and how desperately those who have tasted of these delights long for the day they will fully experience holiness, when this sinful flesh is wiped away forever. Those who have tasted the appetizers of Heaven are ravenous for the feast set before them.

Press on today toward holiness, but only as you press in to Christ. Your efforts toward being a good wife are futile if they are an attempt toward self-sanctification. Self-sanctification is impossible. You will only find disillusionment, pain, and failure in your own attempts.

Christ is your sanctification.

Christ is your path toward living a holy life.

Christ is your hope of being a good wife.

Look to Christ and be saved.

Look to him and be sanctified.

You can obey God’s commands, because Christ bought obedience for you. He has provided a way of escape from every temptation, but you must look to him as your Savior and King and choose to follow him. Take hold of the obedience he bought for you and walk in that newness of life. Fight hard toward being a good wife because he fights with you.

Respect your husband.

Submit to your husband.

Love your husband.

Christ has made it possible.

Live in the reality of the freedom he has bought for you and taste the fruits of living according to his perfect will.

Why?

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4 ESV)

“…you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.” (Romans 7:4 ESV)

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11 ESV)

“…and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:15 ESV)

“…having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12 ESV)

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…” (Colossians 3:1-5 ESV)

“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV)

“I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” (Romans 6:19 ESV)

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The Power & Pattern for Marriage

Feb 3, 2012 by desiringvirtue

“The reason that marriage is so painful and yet wonderful is because it is a reflection of the gospel, which is painful and wonderful at once. The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. This is the only kind of relationship that will really transform us. Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keep us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. God’s saving love in Christ however, is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us. The merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance moves us to cling to and rest in God’s mercy and grace.

The hard times of marriage drive us to experience more of this transforming love of God. But a good marriage will also be a place where we experience more of this kind of transforming love at a human level. The gospel can fill our hearts with God’s love so that you can handle it when your spouse fails to love you as he or she should. That frees us to see our spouse’s sins and flaws to the bottom–and speak of them–and yet still love and accept our spouse fully. And when, by the power of the gospel, our spouse experiences that same kind of truthful yet committed love, it enables our spouses to show us that same kind of transforming love when the time comes for it.

This is the great secret! Through the gospel, we get both the power and the pattern for the journey of marriage.”

-The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller

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Katie’s Story of Grace

Feb 1, 2012 by Katie

I’m amazed that I even have a story about God’s sweet grace to tell.  It’s astonishing to me that the Lord of the universe would make it possible for any of His creation to stand before Him in righteousness–that He would choose me to be one of His children is absolutely insane.

Before I knew Him I was a mess.  I was angry and manipulative and I lied all the time.  I didn’t care about others–I only cared about what others thought of me. I tried my hardest to be a good person, but in my attempts to seem like a good person, I was actually deceitful and overbearing and generally an incredibly unhappy person.  It was pointless trying to be good, because try as I might I could not be as good as I knew I was supposed to be.  And so I continued to struggle with anger, manipulation and deceitfulness.

I was raised in the Catholic church and my parents always did a great job at making sure that I knew what we, as Catholics, believed.  I hardly ever missed a Wednesday night religious education class and was an altar server two seconds after Pope John Paul II allowed girls to serve in that capacity. I completed all four (of the seven) sacraments that were appropriate to me, and my mother always made sure I knew by heart the important prayers.  I was a good Catholic girl.

I made several gigantic mistakes growing up and was involved in some fairly serious sinful activities, but on the whole, in my eyes, with the exception of my natural personality (you know, the manipulation and the lying, and the overbarring-ness), I thought that I mostly came across as a “good girl.”

After graduating from high school and my father’s retirement from the Air Force, our family moved from Washington State to Texas.  I began attending college and because I knew religion was important, I immediately joined both the local Catholic church and the large para-church non-denominational Christian organization on campus.

One night a Christian friend of mine asked me some specific questions about my faith.  I didn’t know what to tell him.  I knew that I believed there was a God and I believed that his Son, Jesus, died on the cross for my sins, but I didn’t really know what that act had to do with me. I wasn’t really sure how it was supposed to affect my life. I knew the answers I was supposed to give him about Catholic doctrine, but I realized then that I didn’t know these things for myself—I only knew them because someone else had told me the answers.

Throughout the next few months I spent a lot of time reading about Catholicism.  I read books upon books and articles upon articles covering what I was supposed to believe and I used my Catholic Bible as a cross-reference hoping to find those beliefs proven as true in the pages of Scripture (somewhere, by the grace of God, I had picked up and believed heavily in the inerrancy of Scripture).  Much to my dismay I could find nothing in my Bible that upheld the doctrines I held so dear.  I was crushed.  My whole life–my whole world–was nothing but a fraud and everything I held dear was nothing more than lies.  I studied like this for an entire semester and found myself, through it, talking to God in a way I never had before.  I began going to my friend’s church and I began hearing the truth—the Gospel–on a bi-weekly basis.

Through this research & attendance of a Bible-believing church, the Lord showed me the real truths of the Bible.  He taught me that I was a sinner and had fallen short of the glory of God (Roman 3:23).  He taught me that no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried to be a good person I was still going to be angry and manipulative and a liar—because it is impossible to keep all His commands.  He taught me that the wages of those sins that I’d committed is death (Romans 6:23) and no matter what I did to try and earn my way to Heaven, it would never be enough. I was headed to Hell because of my blatant disobedience.

BUT He also showed me that (don’t miss the second part of Romans 6:23!) the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!!  He taught me that I couldn’t be the person I always knew I was supposed to be without Him.  Most importantly He taught me that there is only one way to God–that Jesus is the only mediator between God and myself (1 Timothy 2:5).  He showed me that Jesus is the perfect, sinless one. He was the only human who could sacrifice Himself for the disobedience of everyone else.  God demonstrated His love for us in that even while we were sinning against Him, He sent Christ to die as the punishment for our sin instead of us (Romans 5:8).  Jesus’ death on the cross satisfied the wrath that God was completely righteous in having against me because of my disobedience to Him. Furthermore, He taught me that because Jesus died all I had to do was confess that Jesus was Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead and I would be saved (Romans 10:9).  Jesus’ resurrection from the dead proved His deity and that He had truly conquered death.

These truths astonished me—why would a perfect Man die in my place?  Why would the Son of God sacrifice His closeness and His relationship with God to die for ME!?  I learned that it was because Jesus loved me that He died for me—so that I could enjoy a relationship with Him—with God. Realizing this totally changed my life.  Nothing else mattered near as much as these new-found truths; only my relationship with Christ mattered.  I began filling my time with learning about Him, knowing him better, loving Him more, and in turn, loving others more.

It has taken a long time for me to understand that there is nothing I can do to find favor with God. I spent the first three or four years of my Christian life immersed in legalism—trying to do my best to obey, to follow God’s law, and to love Jesus in all my strength.  It has been a long process, and continues to be one.  Before salvation I was taught that the things I did would give me a right standing before God, and so after salvation I was sure that if I just figured out how to obey Him biblically, He would be pleased with me.  I’ve spent hours studying, memorizing, and dissecting verses on anger and manipulation and lying.  I’ve journaled about and meditated on my sin for longer than that!  I’ve wasted so much time focused on myself, on my sin and short-comings, in an attempt still to be that “good girl.”

It’s taken much prayer and study and many humbling confrontations to bring me even to where I am today–which is to say not very far–I still struggle with thinking that I can redeem myself.  However, He has changed my heart and my mind: God has changed me from a person running after what I thought I needed to DO to get to Heaven to someone who knows that it’s only because of Jesus (and not the good things I do) that I can be sure that I’ll go to Heaven when I die—and of that I am quite sure!

Today I have a peace and a love of Jesus that comforts me (Romans 5:1).  I know with all my heart that Jesus died for my sins and that’s enough.  I no longer need to scrape by barely obeying—attempting to meet God’s standards on my own.  I no longer need to worry myself silly every time I sin.  My standing before the Lord has nothing to do with my performance.  It has everything to do with Jesus’–and His is perfect.  Jesus is enough.  His sacrifice–His love–has set me free.  It’s hard for me to explain the love of Jesus.  It’s like nothing that I’ve ever experienced before.  It’s unconditional and it’s perfect and it’s the one thing in my life that can never change: Jesus will always love me.  And so, in light of who He is, how can I not pray to Him ceaselessly, think of Him regularly, study His Word obsessively, and obey Him with all my heart? 

As Katie has studied and learned more and more about what it means to be a godly woman, she has become passionate about cultivating her home, the health of her family, and her heart for the Lord. Through these pursuits, she has begun to learn about living a more natural life. Her husband, her son, and she live north of Houston where they attempt a modern-day natural lifestyle, joyfully serve at their church, run a photography business, and enjoy just spending time with each other. You can find more tips for living a natural lifestyle while loving Jesus every step of the way at homehealthheart.wordpress.com.

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Breakfast Cookies

Jan 31, 2012 by desiringvirtue

I know, yesterday I showed you pictures of bread and today I am tempting you with these breakfast cookies, but at least they can claim some health benefit! Not only that, but they make a very quick breakfast when you are on the go… and with two little ones, most mornings I am definitely on the go.

Somewhat Healthy, Delicious Breakfast Cookie Recipe

Adapted from Ellie Krieger’s recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 can of sliced carrots (the small can)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
• 1/3 cup Craisins
• 1/3 cup chopped dates
• 1/3 cup toasted, chopped nuts (use whatever you have on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
3. Beet butter, oil, and sugars in a stand mixer on high until mixture is light in color.
4. Add carrots and beat on high until they are mushed into little tiny pieces.
5. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds.
6. Add flour mixture and beat another 30 seconds.
7. Add oats, flakes, craisins, dates, and nuts. Stir until just combined.
8. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
9. Form balls from dough (about the size of golf balls) and place on cookie sheets.
10. Press down balls with the palm of your hand to flatten a bit (cookies will not spread in the oven). Keep cookies about 1/4 inch thick.
11. Bake for 12 minutes and take out while cookies are still soft.
12. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Keep these cookies in zip lock bags at room temperature. You can also freeze some to make them last longer. My husband LOVES these cookies and really appreciates being able to grab one before he walks out the door.

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Four Loaves of Lusciousness

Jan 30, 2012 by desiringvirtue

A couple weeks ago I found a new white bread recipe that made four loaves. Four loaves. Talk about making the most of your time! I usually make honey wheat bread, but couldn’t help entertaining the idea of incredibly delicious grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade white bread. Plus I was having a craving for something sweet and decided that I would use half of the dough for cinnamon raisin bread! Both types turned out delicious, which makes my inability to find the recipe again very disturbing.

Two inner sections for white bread and two outer (smaller) sections for cinnamon raisin bread.

Butter.

Cinnamon sugar and raisins.

Rising. Don’t touch!

Milk and egg mixture.

Plain white bread. Yummmm.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Yummmmmier….

Both were sampled (multiple times) with a generous helping of butter. I spent the rest of the evening regretting eating so much bread. I was, however, happy to be able to pop two loaves into the freezer to use the next week! There was a serious feeling of accomplishment going on in those moments.

I was even happier to pop them out of the freezer a few days ago and enjoy some easy breakfasts and delicious lunches. There is definitely nothing better than a grilled cheese on homemade white bread alongside some tomato soup. Unless of course you have some homemade tomato soup to go with it!

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Warm Scallop Salad with Bacon and Vinaigrette

Jan 25, 2012 by Julie

As the resident foodie here at DV it may not surprise you that I enjoy good food.

In fact, whenever my husband and I go on vacation we plan our entire trip around wherever it is we are wanting to eat. Anything from food trucks to five-star restaurants is fair game. We may be tourists, but we dine like locals, and enjoy it to the fullest!

When we can’t go on vacation, though, we bring what feels like a vacation into our home by re-creating some of our favorite meals. The recipe I’m sharing with you today is similar to one we enjoyed at a “dive” during our honeymoon in Palm Beach.

Warm Scallop Salad with Bacon and Vinaigrette

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• Fresh Scallops, 6-8 large
• 1-2 T Olive Oil
• 1-2 T Butter
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 C feta cheese
• 3 green onions, sliced thin
• Fresh Spinach
• Grape Tomatoes (optional)
• Vinaigrette to taste (we used this Texas Pecan Vinaigrette from Costco-delicious!)

Notes: Be sure you’ve rinsed the scallops and patted dry prior to cooking. Keep it simple by seasoning them with only a little black pepper.

Directions:

1. In a sauté pan, combine the olive oil and butter over medium high heat.
2. When it starts to sizzle add the scallops. Sear for about a minute and a half per side. The scallops should be have a golden crust with a translucent center. You do not want to overcook the scallops!
3. When finished, remove the scallops from pan. Reduce heat slightly and add spinach.
4. Using tongs, give the spinach a couple turns of the pan to wilt, but not fully cook.
5. Remove from pan into serving bowl.
6. Layer the salad-spinach, scallops, bacon, feta, onions
7. Serve warm with vinaigrette on the side.

Julie’s love of cooking and her travel experiences have sent her on a quest for creativity in the kitchen! Julie and her husband James live just outside of Dallas, Texas where they share a passion for serving others through their local church. As the Turner’s are newlyweds, Julie chronicles their journey together on their family blog www.theturnyeahs.tumblr.com

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Marvelous Meditations for the Homemaker

Jan 23, 2012 by desiringvirtue

The Two-faced Whirlpool Galaxy

Today is Laundry Day at my home. As I sort through various articles of clothing, loading them, unloading them, folding, and ironing I can’t help but meditate on these incredible verses from the Word of God.

How powerful is our Savior! How mighty is his name! All that is around us, the trees, the mountains, the animals, the sun and moon, the galaxies and asteroids are all in his control. He created them with the power of his voice and upholds them with mere words! 

All that is around us is temporary. The mountains that today seem so strong and permanent, the sun whom we cannot imagine going dim, the ocean waves that pound incessantly against the shores-they will all be folded away as easily as I manipulate the clothing coming out of my dryer. They will soon be exchanged as effortlessly as I change out of my pajamas and into my day clothes for a new and glorious creation void of the blemish we call sin.

All this through the might of our infinitely powerful God, the Son, who chose to come down into our broken humanity and carry our sin to the cross. He who can whisper the galaxies in and out of existence, who can fold them up like a piece of clothing, stooped down to reveal his loving character and do the impossible in us.

He, who’s days will have no end, stepped into the perishing flesh of men to offer them the free gift of salvation. And just as he will one day shout into the heavens and transform his creation, he took hold of our souls, folded up their sinful natures, and exchanged them for new, glorious, redeemed, natures. We have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness and brought into his kingdom of light by the power of his voice. He whispered into our hearts, “Awake oh sleeper and arise from the dead,” and bestowed upon us eternal life.

Now, like our glorious God, we will live forever rejoicing in the love shown to us through Christ. Though creation be folded up like a robe, we will forever live with our eternal God, our Savior, and King. He has imparted eternal life to us and bound himself to us forever!

The sinful have been made holy.

The perishing have been saved from eternal destruction.

All you who believe in Christ, listen to me: you are a new creation and one day you will trade this earthly, failing flesh for a body of perfection, for a sinless body of righteousness. You will be clothed with the holiness of Christ! This is the joy set before us-to be with our king and to be like him.

Let’s live this day in the knowledge of our glorious future and our glorious God.

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.”
(Isaiah 51:6 ESV)

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This post is linked up at Time~Warp Wife

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Reader Feedback: What is Hospitality?

Jan 19, 2012 by desiringvirtue

The always beautiful Julie serving some tasty treats at her sister's (my sister-in-law's) wedding shower!

On Monday I shared a wonderful quote from Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others and asked you to share your thoughts on hospitality.

How do you define hospitality?

What practical ways do you practice hospitality?

You gave some great answers to these simple questions and I would like to share some of your comments today:

Wendy said…

There are so many aspects to hospitality and I happen to just read and article entitled “Hospitality Begins at Home” in Credenda Agenda Magazine on this topic that was so helpful and from a little different angle. Here are a few highlights:

Hospitality is a means of loving others by supplying their needs from what we have. Hospitality doesn’t keep score. It is a testing point of how we are doing with all our stuff. Do we share? Do we give our stuff ( money, time, food) away freely?

At its most basic level, hospitality is simply feeding people. God enables us to turn a sack of flour into cookies and cinnamon rolls; this is a profound mystery! God is blessing us with food. He gives it to us freely, and we should be grateful to turn and give it freely to our own children in imitation of Him. This is a profound ministry that God has given wives and mothers. Feed people! Feed your people! This is the essence of hospitality…

When company comes we give them our attention and use our best manners. We say, ” Make yourself at home.” Consider then our own families. Are the children also free to “make themselves at home”? Are we hospitable to our own people? …Children know if they are welcome or unwelcome guests. They know if Mom is stingy with the food or not…Home should be the measuring stick of what beautiful, glorious, God-ordained hospitality looks like. If it isn’t, then how will we understand what it means to be given to hospitality?…. In feeding all these people, we are feeding Jesus. “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me”

Becky from Daily on My Way to Heaven said…

We love to have people over very often, and most of the times, it is big groups of people  We just love having our Family Table full. We also have had the opportunity, because we live in Mexico, to have many families visit us and stay with us for several days; so yes, hospitality is an important part of our family.

One of the most important things I have learned about being hospitable is that Peter’s words are vital if we want to serve God when we open our home to others.

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and ydominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:9- 11

We may have all the food ready, the house clean, and the table beautifully set with a vase of fresh flowers, but if we grumble (even in our hearts), it won’t be a pleasant service to God.

What happens when the guests leave your home? Do you grumble with your kids and husband about how tired you are. Do you talk about little Jimmy who just left and you just can’t figure out why he behaves in such a way. Do you grumble on how Mrs. So-an-So did not help you clean the table?

As in all the things we do, let’s us see that we keep a heart that pleases God.

I would love to recommend you a great book on the subject (the best I have read), it is called A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community and Mission Around the Table by Tim Chester

Julie from The Turner Table said…

I loved reading A Meal With Jesus! It really challenged me to think about hospitality differently than I had before. One thought being that hospitality should also extend outside of our homes.

A practical way I do this from time to time is bringing my girlfriends a homemade treat-muffins, cookies or coffee cake- to enjoy when we meet at Starbucks for coffee. Its like a “taste” of home even when we aren’t gathering there.

Heidi said…

I love having freezer meals on hand for last minute invites over! In fact, we just did this Sunday after church. Chili was a quick and easy meal to whip up right after church and to share with our friends. I freeze full meals often and brown hamburger in and freeze in ziploc baggies which is what made chili such a breeze.

I also try not to leave the house if things aren’t in their places for two reasons: 1. I hate coming home to a messy house that I have to pick up. If I’ve been out running with the kids, the last thing I want to do is come home and pick up! 2. If someone stops by or I run into someone and have them over, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about! The house is mostly ready for company!

One of my goals this year is to be ready for company any time. The two ways above have made that possible ”

Justin said…

I think a good definition of hospitality, or at least a big part/aspect of hospitality, is anticipating needs. I believe that is a principle of hospitality that can apply in all contexts. Of course, that implies meeting those needs and whatnot, but it is the having a cup of coffee ready, knowing a persons likes and dislikes, adapting accordingly, etc.

Hollie from Reformed Redhead said…

I agree that hospitality is, in the most basic form, just being prepared for visitors/taking people in. It’s seeing your home as God’s and being open to minister to and meet the needs of whomever He brings into your home. I also think another part of hospitality is taking the initiative to bring people to your home and host them. One of the goals my husband and I set for ourselves this year is to have at least one guest over each month to enable us to practice hospitality more often.

Amy from Making a Joyful Home said…

I try to always have some kind of treat on hand so that if people stop in, I can welcome them to stay, or I can have something to send to a home that might need remembering. And I also try to keep ingredients on hand for at least 1 quick dish I can bring to a potluck.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the topic of hospitality! They were all so wonderful and encouraging. Keep a lookout for more opportunities to share your thoughts and practical tips here at Desiring Virtue!

This post is linked up at Time~Warp Wife

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Hollie’s Story of Grace

Jan 18, 2012 by desiringvirtue

My testimony to Christ’s saving grace in my life can be summed up into one line: “I was a sinner, then Christ saved me.” Isn’t that truly the story of every believer? And what an amazing story that one line is! One short sentence is full of so much mercy, grace, and love. Amazing.

Unlike many Christians I know, I was not saved as a child. I grew up in a church that taught a three-step and false path to salvation. These steps included repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and speaking in tongues. By fourteen I went through the motions of the first two steps, but the third step (the one that sealed the deal) never happened. No matter what I tried, the gift of tongues would not come. So, by age fifteen I resigned myself as one destined to hell and gave up hope on eternal life in heaven.

Of course, in all those years I never truly desired to be saved. Not in the biblical sense. How could I? That desire comes to the people of God alone. I desired to be saved from Hell, not from my sin. My church preached heavily on the Rapture and Hell and my motivation to obtain citizenship in Heaven was prompted by fear of the horrible things that I would have to endure after the Rapture. Sin was something I never clearly understood. Repentance was taught as apologizing to God only. I certainly was never even aware of my sin let alone grieved over it. I knew I was pretty much a “good” person. I trusted in what I had been taught and lived in fear of Hell and death because, as I said, speaking in tongues was something I could not do. I was serving an idol I created; a god that served me and was not sovereign. The years went by, and like anyone who doesn’t have Christ, I was a slave to various sins.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Romans 6:21-22 NKJV)

But, God. Ah, what a sweet phrase! What if there were no “But God”? What hope would we have? But God had other plans for my life.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 NKJV)

His plan involved giving a wretched, Hell-bound, hopeless sinner hope. His plan involved redeeming grace for the person that least deserved it. His plan involved unimaginable mercy for someone who hated Him and His laws. God’s plan was to, one night, give this sinful woman eyes to see and ears to hear. So, in the late hours of a night in January of 2009 I picked up my old Bible and read the book of Romans. Through God’s kindness I had eyes to see my sin and His holiness. Because of His mercy He opened my heart to His word and sent the Holy Spirit to give me an understanding of it.

I grew up in a church that preached on the “rapture” and being “left behind” almost every Sunday. And I lived in a fear of that for my entire life before being saved. I had nightmares about the rapture frequently and they were terrifying. But nothing–nothing–is as terrifying as having a realization of your sin and helplessness before the eternally Holy God. That night was spent in tears, pleading for repentance, and finally peace and trust. Trust that Christ had died for me. Trust that He conquered death by rising again. Trust that He had lived perfectly and trust that God would now look at me and see Jesus’ righteousness because I had been covered by His blood.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth-

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the LORD.

(Psalm 40:2-3 NKJV) 

One cannot find peace in false religions, vain good works, or any other trick of men. It is the saving Grace given to us by faith in Christ alone that brings peace. Jesus wasn’t lying when He said His yoke was light and His burden easy. On June 24, 2011, I was finally baptized biblically, in the name of the Trinity. This enabled me to seek membership in a local, Bible-believing church, and share in the Lord’s Supper with the other saints.

My journey is far from over, but my destination is guaranteed.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 5:13,14  NKJV)

Hollie and her family live in a small village in the Piedmont region of Virginia. She spends her days keeping home and home-schooling her children. In their spare time they enjoy reading, taking historical field trips, hiking and serving their local church. You can find more from Hollie on her blog Reformed Redhead

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Be My Valentine All Year Long (Gift Idea)

Jan 16, 2012 by desiringvirtue

Alright. I realize that it is a little early to begin talking about Valentine’s Day, I mean, many of us are just now getting all of our Christmas decor put away!

But really February 14th is only a few weeks ahead of us and this gift idea will take a little time to get together.

For Christmas, Richard and I usually make each other gifts, and since I already shared his wonderfully thoughtful gift with you from this past Christmas, I decided to share mine today. Perhaps you will find inspiration for a unique Valentine’s Day gift for your husband!

I call it the “Year of Romance” box.

I was inspired by a gift I found on Pinterest called “Let’s Go on a Date.” The idea was to plan out 12 different dates (one for every month) with your hubby and then buy gift cards, tickets, or include cash for those dates in an envelope. The point is to be intentional about your date nights and surprise your husband with creative and out of the ordinary experiences.

I was really excited to create my own version of this gift for Richard, giving it my own personal spin. Also, there was no way I was going to be able to pay for all the dates in advance (hello, we are making gifts for each other!), but I did pay for one specific date that will be a special outing for us… which will be revealed in March!

Here is how I created my Year of Romance box:

First, I needed a box of course, so I snagged a pretty one at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, plus it had a crack on the top, giving me an extra 15% off… yes.

Then I created 12 different envelopes for each month. I bought stickers to label each month on the envelopes.

Each envelope contained three items:

1. A Planned Date Night

Ok, I said that the only date I paid for was one special one in March, but I got this Groupon right before I made the Year of Romance box and thought it would be nice to use in January since Christmas always leaves you a little stretched financially. -Plus Richard is a HUGE fan of going to the movies, so it isn’t as lame as it sounds. (The other dates are a little more “out of the ordinary” for us)

2. A Marriage Challenge

I “created” challenges for each month. These are just simple things that we can do together as a couple to work on our marriage. Similar to the Love Dare idea. The first month is a challenge to pray for each other every day and with each other ever day… something pretty basic, but often neglected.

3. Prayer Bookmarks

This is meant to assist us in the challenge to pray for one another. There are new bookmarks in each envelope so that we can keep up to date on what we need to be praying for. There is a section for prayer requests for the other person, for yourself, and for your marriage as a whole.

Also in the box was a small envelope of Coffee Talk cards.

These cards each have a couple of questions to ask your spouse. They are called “Coffee Talk” cards because they are meant to be used on nights when we are unable to go out and do something, but can brew a cup of joe, sit, and talk together. Again, sounds simple, but sometimes when you don’t plan for things… they just don’t happen. The questions range from simple things like “What are your favorite blogs to read these days” to more important things like “What can I do, that I am not already, to let you know how much I love you.” They are basically conversation starters for those days when you seem to only talk about the kids.

Part of my desire in creating this box was to spur on our desire to “explore” each other again. It seems like the longer you are married the less you purposefully look at your spouse and seek to get to know them. This of course is understandable, since you feel like you know each other so well, but we are constantly changing, constantly growing in our walk with the Lord, and as a result our relationships are constantly shifting. The purpose in these Coffee Talk cards is to help us to rediscover one another.

And now it gets to the really cheesy part. (What? You thought we were already cheesy? Ha ha!)

In addition to everything mentioned above I included two resources for our time together:

We love to read to each other. We love to read period. So to add a little out of the ordinary reading into the mix as well as expand our literary horizons, I included The World’s Greatest Short Stories ($3.50!) and 100 Best-Loved Poems ($1.50!) in the box. Usually we read non-fiction to each other which is always a positive (books like this one which we are reading right now), but I wanted to provide something that we could read that would take the place of a movie one night or something to read while we have a picnic at the park or sit in a coffee shop together. And what could be more romantic than reading poetry? (Cheesiness Explosion!)

For those not fond of reading out loud, you could include some new romantic DVD’s in your box. I was going to add a few into our box, but didn’t have enough room.

So, there you have it, the Year of Romance Box. Create your own and wow your husband with a desire to grow closer over the coming year!

UPDATE: Click here to print your own Coffee Talk cards for free!

This post is linked up at Time~Warp Wife

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Love for God = Hospitality Toward Others

Jan 16, 2012 by desiringvirtue

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13 ESV)

“Hospitality is a practical way to love others. Therefore, a person practicing biblical hospitality would also be a loving person. This element separates biblical hospitality from social entertaining or even distinguishes between the hospitality of a believer and an unbeliever. Believers can uniquely display God’s love as they extend hospitality. Entertaining focuses on having a beautiful table decor or preparing gourmet food. Biblical hospitality is a demonstration of love. Food and other elements are merely tools used to express our love for people. Our motivation for being hospitable women is a response to God’s work in our lives. Hospitality is one way we can tangibly demonstrate our love for God.” Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock

Reader Feedback:

We are all commanded to be hospitable to those around us. How do you practically practice hospitality? Encourage, inspire, and challenge Desiring Virtue’s readers by sharing what hospitality means to you and/or how you specifically like to practice hospitality. Here are a couple examples from Lisa and Pat’s book:

Patti Morse shares, “We are military, so we move often. Within the first two weeks in a new home, I bake a batch of homemade cookies and take a plate of cookies around to all my neighbors. With each plate, I write a note containing our name, phone number, and a Scripture verse. To minister to my husband’s unit, I make every Monday special by sending in a back-to-work treat for them to enjoy with their morning cups of coffee. Each treat is accompanied by a special Scripture and word of appreciation.”

Elizabeth Gilbert reminds us, “Hospitality is the act of sharing one’s substance with kindness, graciousness, generosity, and genuine love (Luke 8:3). Just today in the midst of checking my son’s job of cleaning out the van, a man happened by with a child on his shoulders. He explained he had just run out of gas; his car was parked by the church across the way, and he asked if he could plea borrow some lawn mower gas just to get him to the nearby gas station. I had my eldest son run down to the shed and bring our lawn mower gas can with not much gas in it. We gladly gave the man what we had, and his immediate need was provided for. He brought back the gas can with more gas than it has held originally-a grateful man!”

So, how do you define hospitality? In what ways do you try to be hospitable to those around you? Share your thoughts in the comments and I will choose five of them to share in a post later in the week!

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This post is linked up at Time~Warp Wife

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Read ALL the Books in the Bible!

Jan 11, 2012 by Becky

Have you chosen a Bible plan to follow this year? I am very, very happy with my reading plan because it allows me to have all the flexibility I love, and at the same time it helps me not to leave out books like Amos or Numbers. Sisters, no matter which Bible Reading plan you follow, make sure you read all the Bible this year, not only the Psalms.

I have learned that the easiest way to read all the books that seem to be hard to understand is to study them in depth instead of just jumping from one verse to the other trying to catch some vague significance.

So my little advice today is this: read those “hard” books from the first chapter to the last with a good study help at hand. You don’t have to spend a lot of money if you don’t want to, however, building a good library with good Bible commentaries will be very profitable if you decide to do so. For example, let us take  a look at the book of Amos; there are many great helps that are available online and are free:

• John Piper has two very good sermons, one entitled Prepare to Meet Your God, and The Poor of the Land and the Pride of Jacob.
• Ligonier Ministries has two sermons available too.
• Monergism offers a wide variety of teachings on Amos

If you would rather buy a commentary you can choose from several good options:

• The Prophets Speak of Him: Encountering Jesus in the Minor Prophets (Emmaus)
• THE WORD AND PRAYER: Classic Devotions from the Minor Prophets
• The Lord is His Name: Amos Simply Explained
• Handbook on the Prophets

If you would like to listen to a whole series on this book while doing the dishes and folding laundry, why not investing in this, Biblical Studies: Amos, which is a compilation of sermons preached by Douglas Wilson (verse by verse chapter by chapter).

Well, hopefully you get the idea, whenever you come to hard books or passages in the Bible, dig deeper, and you will be sure to find unexpected treasures.

Let us not forget that:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”  (2 Tim. 3: 16- 17)

Dear friends, I don’t want to put a burden over you, or the feeling that you NEED to read ALL the Bible in a year. Many of you, I am sure, have little ones and you hardly have time to read a few chapters every day. My encouragement is that you put every effort to dig deeper into ALL the Bible. If it is little by little, that is perfect, but read, eventually, through all of it. It will be good, very good for you, if you can read a few books in depth, with a commentary at hand this year. Try it and you will see how much you will reap!

May His grace abound as we feast on His Word this year!

Becky is a Mexican living in one of the most crowded cities in the world, Mexico City. She has been happily married to an incredible man for almost 20 years. They have four children (from lower grammar to College) and have homeschooled them following the Classical Christian Education model. Becky enjoys the big books and the small books, she loves to study God’s word and read mostly, from dead authors, like the Puritans. She currently teaches Spanish at Veritas Press Scholars; loves to take out her watercolors on a sunny Saturday and paint, and you will always see her with her camera ready to capture the simple everyday moments that make up her days. She loves to bake muffins for her family on Saturdays while they are still asleep, so they wake up to the sweet smell of home. You can find Becky on her main blog Daily On My Way to Heaven.

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Submission as a Freedom?

Jan 10, 2012 by desiringvirtue

“In assuming the relation of a wife, the woman surrenders much; still, it is a surrender. There was a moment when her independence was undisputed; if it be resigned, it is through the election of her own will. The considerations which were addressed to her judgment, or to her fancy, led her to prefer the new condition; where, if her freedom be restrained, certain advantages accrue, which, in her esteem at least, more than compensate its loss. In the comparison between the two, she deliberately chooses to be less free in order to be more happy, and therefore, she submits herself.

In this, there is manifest reservation of all her original dignity. No sense of degradation can attach in the voluntary surrender of what she might easily have retained; and in all the friction of will she may hereafter experience, there is a pleasant recurrence to this fact. She retains a sense of freedom in the conscious freeness with which it was resigned and with which it continues to be resigned. The absolute freedom of her own surrender of freedom comprehends within it all the acts of subsequent submission; and it makes them as free as the very freedom which she has for ever renounced. So far from vein dishonored in her subordination, it is throughout life a conscious consecration of herself to the condition of her choice; and the sentiment is one by which she is consciously ennobled.” (The Family by B.M. Palmer)

In other words… the very act of submitting implies that we, as wives, actively lay down certain freedoms when we become wives. This purposeful submission is an expression of freedom that is granted through Jesus Christ and is continually used to sanctify us.

Good food for thought isn’t it?

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A Wonder Pet Birthday Cake Success!

Jan 9, 2012 by desiringvirtue

Yesterday we celebrated our little Elliot’s 3rd birthday. All he asked for was a Wonder Pets birthday cake, so of course, I had to make that happen. If you are not familiar with The Wonder Pets, let me fill you in. Day after day these little classroom pets spend their time saving baby animals who are in need of assistance. When the school children leave for the day, the Wonder Pets receive phone calls from helpless baby animals. Soon Linny, Tuck, and MingMing too, are off to save the day!  Both of our boys love these helpful little animals, so I was racking my brain for a way to make a cake that would capture the “adventuresome” nature of these little characters (that wouldn’t include me, shaping and molding their little faces out of icing!).

I found this toy at Wal-mart, (also available on Amazon) that lights up and sings the show’s theme song. It was a perfect cake topper (as well as an additional present!). I decided to create a cake that provided a background for their “fly boat.” Blue buttercream icing dotted with puffy white clouds was a simple enough setting for their adventure to begin, as it always does, with them flying through the sky “on their way to save a baby animal.”

But wait, a Wonder Pet birthday cake can’t end there! It must contain a rainbow of course. Inspired by this cake, I decided to give this birthday cake a little something extra.

As Ming Ming would say, “This is serious!” The rainbow layers were simple enough. I used a yummy crumb cake recipe that starts off with white cake mix as a base. I then divided up the batter to dye it different colors and then bake. (Note: when making purple, start with blue, then add the red a little at a time. I had a panic moment when my “purple” turned out brown, but after adding more blue it turned out ok.)

Once the layers were cool, I layered them with white butter cream icing to give their color a little extra punch! This cake didn’t only look awesome, it tasted awesome as well. (Be forewarned if you create a cake like this, you will need to make a TON of icing. I think I went through almost six pounds of powdered sugar!) Let’s just say, it was YUMMY.

Here are some more pictures from our little Wonder Child’s birthday:

Happy Monday!

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Blank Day Planners in Purple and Green

Jan 6, 2012 by desiringvirtue

On Sunday I talked about how much I enjoyed Large Family Logistics and beginning to implement some of the “systems” into my daily routine. I made my new daily planner available for you to print out, but know that since it is so specific, many of you will not be able to use it.

However, I really liked the color scheme and lay out and wanted to make it more universal so that more of you would be able to use it. This planner also provides another option for those of you who use the Plan of Attack.

These printables follow the LFL model of focusing on one major task every day:

Monday: Laundry- try to get all of your laundry washed, folded, ironed, and put away before 4pm.

Tuesday: Kitchen- Deep clean your kitchen and do all of your food prep/freezer cooking/baking on this day.

Wednesday: Office- Do your budget, go over calendar, emails, internet research, menu plan, etc… on this day.

Thursday: Errands- Use this day to get all of your errands (including your grocery shopping) done on this day. Put your dinner in the crock pot before leaving home!

Friday: Clean- Dust, vacuum, and clean house.

Saturday: LFL recommends using Saturday for gardening, cleaning your vehicles, garage and such.

Sunday: The Lord’s Day- Let this be your day of rest and try to focus your heart on the Lord.

I hope that this printable will be helpful to you. Just scroll through the pages below and download from here!

Blank Day Planners (Purple and Green)

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Scriptural Examples of Answered and “Unanswered” Prayers

Jan 5, 2012 by desiringvirtue

On Tuesday I wrote about “When Prayer Goes Unanswered.” I gave two scripture references as I talked about the Lord sometimes choosing to grant our requests and sometimes choosing not to. One is from the life of Elijah and the other is from the life of David. Today I wanted to take a closer look at these two passages and the application of them to our prayer lives.

Elijah’s Answered Prayer:

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Easy, Yummy Cake Box Cookies

Jan 4, 2012 by desiringvirtue

Do you ever have those days when you randomly crave something sweet and chewy?  There are times when you aren’t necessarily planning on baking, but think, “If only I could magically whip up some brownies or cookies or a cake! The thought of measuring out flour, baking soda, sugar, and more is enough to stop your delicious fantasies in their tracks (probably a good thing right?). Then you think about all of the time and effort, all of the clean up…. but wait, I am going to share a little secret with you:

They are called Cake Box Cookies.

Chances are you have a random, unused box of cake mix in your pantry. Why? I don’t know, it makes no sense. For some reason or another we have a habit of buying too many boxes of the stuff. But now you are going to be happy you do. Just take that cake mix, add two eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and stir. Instant cookie dough.

Now you can do whatever you want with them. Feel like rolling spoonfuls of it in cinnamon sugar? Excellent choice. Want to add some chocolate chips, that is great too.

Once you have your combo complete simply pop them in an oven set to 375 degrees (on an ungreased cookie sheet) and in 4-10 minutes you have delicious cookies for you kiddos… and yourself.

Yesterday I made three different variations, all using classic white cake mix:

Variation 1: Plain recipe rolled in cinnamon sugar

Variation 2: Plain recipe with a little vanilla mixed in- I think these were my favorite.

Variation 3: Plain recipe with added vanilla, a little brown sugar, and chocolate chips-a nice alternative to full out chocolate chip cookies.

You can use any kind of cake mix and fiddle with it to your hearts content… or your stomach is full of cookies!

So. Have you made these tasty morsels before and if so, what is your favorite combination?

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When Prayer Goes “Unanswered”

Jan 3, 2012 by desiringvirtue

I have lost two children in the womb (see here and here). Two darling little babies, at different stages of developement. I had the highest hopes for each of them and prayed often for their safety, growth, and healthy delivery. I prayed for their souls even before they had fingers and toes, for their future before their brains were even fully developed. I asked my God for their lives, and he refused my requests.

I was asked recently by a sweet sister in Christ if I now found it difficult to pray. From our perspective my prayers for my children were unanswered. It would be easy to assume that God either didn’t hear my prayers or that he simply didn’t care about them. Even worse, someone in my position may begin to doubt the reality of a God who doesn’t “answer” prayer. It is the perfect situation for an unbeliever to say, “Ha! You see? He isn’t really there; you are waisting your time praying to a God who can’t hear you!”

When we are faced with the unthinkable we are often faced with a crisis of theology. Suddenly what we believe about God becomes imperative to how we respond to his providence. Perhaps you have been in a similar situation or are going through one today even. It is all too common in this sin drenched world for us to face the effects of the fall. Death is all around us. Pain and suffering seem to sweep through our families as often as the flu. Hopes and dreams are too often crushed into tiny pieces of disillusionment. All the while our prayers can sometimes seem pointless.

If.

Our prayers are only pointless if the point of prayer is to get what we want from God. If God is a genie who simply grants wishes no matter what their consequences, then a God who doesn’t grant your wish is broken and the lamp you rub as you pray might as well be sold in your next garage sale.

But this is not the God we serve. This is not the God we lift our hands in worship to. The God we entrust our deepest desires, our greatest hopes and biggest dreams to is the all knowing, all powerful, infinitely wise Lord of the Universe. The Galaxies are the work of his hands (Psalm 8:3) and yet he stoops down to provide food for the tiny birds of the air (Matthew 6:26). He is infinitely big and yet infinitely personal. The God we pray to hears our prayers (1Peter 3:12), even when it is too difficult to put them into words (Romans 8:26).

The problem isn’t that God can’t hear our prayers or that he isn’t powerful enough to grant them. God is not limited. The problem is that we are limited. Unlike our heavenly Father, we do not know what the future will bring, we do not know what he plans for our families, we do not even know what is best for our own hearts (Jeremiah 17:1). We can only see what is right in front of us; we can only ask for what seems to be the best thing at the time. But God doesn’t see like that. He sees the past, present, and future all at once. In a sense he lives with us (in our time) and yet, he also lives outside of time. His purposes are beyond our comprehension because we are limited to the here and now. He is not.

This is precisely why we bring our prayers to him: because he is the only one who has the power to answer them and because he is the only one who knows if they should be answered. I have no desire to pray to a God who will blindly answer my prayers no matter what the consequences. I would much rather spend my time in communion with the God who works out everything for my good, the God who has a glorious plan for his elect, the God whose purposes will not be thwarted.

Jesus taught us to pray according to the Lord’s will (Matthew 6:10), not our own. His will is perfect, ours is not. We can be confident that he will answer prayers that specifically echo his revealed will. Prayers such as the sanctification of another believer, that glory would be brought to the Lord through your circumstances, that he would provide a harvest of believers to missionaries across the world. Other things are not as clear. As I prayed for my little babies, I did not know if it was the Lord’s will to bring them into adulthood, but I did know this: He calls me to make my requests known to him and to trust him.

Sometimes he chooses to use the prayers of his children as the means of accomplishing his perfect will (1 Kings 17:21-24) and sometimes he doesn’t (2 Samuel 12:18-22; 2 Samuel 12:23). He always uses them to develop in us a reliance on his power and wisdom. Prayer is more than an ask and receive exchange between you and the God of the Universe. As Wayne Grudem so beautifully puts it:

God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in him increases. In fact, perhaps the primary emphasis of the Bible’s teaching on prayer is that we are to pray with faith, which means trust or dependence on God. God as our Creator delights in being trusted by us as his creatures, for an attitude of dependence is most appropriate to the Creator/creature relationship. Praying in humble dependence also indicates that we are genuinely convinced of God’s wisdom, love, goodness, and power-indeed of all the attributes that make up his excellent character. When we truly pray, we as as persons, in the our character, are relating to God as a person, in the wholeness of his character. Thus all that we think or feel about God comes to expression in our prayer. It is only natural that God would delight in such activity and place much emphasis on it in his relationship with us. (Systematic Theology)

When I prayed for my children I was conversing with my Heavenly Father, who loves me and knew that their little lives would only be with me for short while. He had a plan for their lives and for their deaths. His will was to bring glory to himself through their short lives and the sanctification that such a loss would bring about in my heart.

As I shared with this dear sister:

“Some ways that the Lord has blessed me through my miscarriages are more obvious than others. I have been tremendously blessed by the opportunity to be a witness of God’s goodness even in the midst of trials. I have had the privilege of sharing in many women’s sorrow as they pass through the waves of miscarriage and loss. I have had a new appreciation for grief and been able to mourn more appropriately with those who mourn. My own character has been altered through the experience of pain and suffering. My spirit is quieter, slower to speak, more willing to listen to people, as these were the things I so treasured in others when I was going through my own trials. My relationship to my husband has grown by leaps and bounds as we have had to rely on one another through such dark times. We share a particular loss that no one else will ever be able to comprehend and that unites us. I have been able to look into my Savior’s face and acknowledge that he is indeed good and been able to feel his very real presence in the darkest of hours. These are no light blessings… they are the blessings that produce endurance, and joy in the faith. Physically, I have been blessed with two wonderful children-one of which would not have ever been conceived if I hadn’t lost my first precious child. This was the Lord’s will for me and I rejoice in it.

Would I have ever asked to miscarry? No. I will always pray for the safety of my children and hope for their safe delivery, but I am confident that the Lord does not bring any trial our way that isn’t good for us and that won’t draw us closer to him.”

And so dear sisters, I encourage you to continue in prayer. Remember that no request, if it be in line with this revealed Word, is to great. Our God is able to answer the most impossible of requests (Matthew 17:20). But do not be disheartened if he does not seem to answer your prayers. Do not think him unkind, unloving, or powerless. Instead, find in him the wisdom that knows his purposes are good and his will is perfect. Know that if your request was not answered, he, in his infinite wisdom has chosen another path for you-a path that he has planned from eternity past for his glory and your good.

Pray without ceasing to the one who is able to answer your prayers, but always with the desire that his perfect will be done, whatever it entails.

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Encouragement for a New Year of Homemaking

Jan 2, 2012 by desiringvirtue

These are the quotes at the top of my daily planner this year:

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2:3-5 ESV)

“Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty. Christian women, by teaching children the Holy Scriptures, are as much fulfilling their part for the Lord, as Moses in judging Israel, or Solomon in building the temple.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of the this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,-she would see that in all of God’s world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other hands the sacred and holy trust given to her.” (J.R. Miller)

“The best way to make homemaking a joyous task is to offer it as unto the Lord; the only way  to avoid the drudgery in such mundane tasks is to bathe the tasks with prayer and catch a vision of the divine challenge in making and nurturing a home.”  (Dorothy Patterson)

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.”  (Elisabeth Elliot)

“It is a high honor for a woman to be chosen from among all womankind to be the wife of a good and true man. She is lifted up to be a crowned queen. Her husband’s manly love laid at her feet exalts her to the throne of his life. Great power is placed in her hands. Sacred destinies are reposed in her keeping. Will she wear her crown beneficently? Will she fill her realm with beauty and with blessing? Or will she fail in her holy trust? Only her married life can be the answer.” (J.R. Miller)

“What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word of faith from which the obedience and the work flow.”  (Martin Luther)

Be encouraged. The work you do, if you do it for the Lord, has profound worth. For that reason it is imperative that you take it seriously and put forth every effort to do it well. Let’s seek the Lord’s grace for a year of intentional homemaking!

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Preparing for the New Year and New Daily Planner Printables

Dec 30, 2011 by desiringvirtue

One of the most exciting (as well as practical) gifts I received this Christmas was Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family. By most standards our family is still small (it is just the four of us at the moment), but this book is by no means just for the large family. In fact, I don’t think you have to have kids to be able to profit from this book and the wisdom shared within its gigantic pages (the size of this book is impressive in and of itself!). What this book offers is an insider’s look into one homemaker’s methods and systems as she goes about caring for a large family. It is a textbook of sorts on homemaking, a guide to organizing your life as a homemaker. This is something that I can benefit greatly from. Yes, as the years continue to pass I get wiser in the way I do things and I slowly begin to figure things out (things that usually amount to simple discipline on my part), but how much more helpful is it to have someone show you the ropes before you become overwhelmed? Sure, some days I feel overwhelmed already, but things are tame for the moment with only two children and neither of them homeschooling yet. More than anything I want to master some basic home management skills before my family gets any larger and and I begin homeschooling (this is when hyperventilating my enter into my daily routine). This is Kim’s purpose in writing the book. Listen to her heart:

“…I found that there are many young moms who are in the same position that I was-unprepared for keeping the home with lots of children. While women historically were equipped to be the caretakers of thriving, busy households when they reached maturity, most of today’s women are ill-equipped for such responsibility. this change has happened in the wake of feminism, which teaches young women that they can have a career and be a mom. Guidance counselors in the schools encourage those who enjoy children to be teachers or day care providers. Childbearing is an experience to have after practicing with a dog or cat for a few years. I read recently that in some circles chidden are an economic status symbol along with all the accouterments to buy for them.

When the Internet came along, I met many fellow casualties of feminism. I realized that I was not the only woman who desired to be a faithful homemaker who was crying out to God, “How do I do this?” That realization caused me to begin sharing my ideas through blog writing, articles, and, eventually, completing this book for this moms who were a step behind me in my journey of motherhood and home keeping. I am motivated to take the time to write now because the answer I often heard to my own question of “How?” was, “I don’t know, I just did it.” There’s truth in that answer-there are so many things that we need to just do-but I wanted specifics. the specifics pass into the deep recesses of our minds because often they are small tips, tricks, or ingrained hap its that require little thought. My goal is to write those things down for those who are struggling with “How?”‘ 

And so, I have been quickly searching through this fabulous resource for the how of actively managing my family. I say actively because it can become very easy to passively manage. You know what this is like: you begin to play more of a defensive role as the home manager, constantly making up for lost time and reacting to the day rather than planning out the day and successfully accomplishing all you set out to do.

Most of what Kim shares amounts to routine and setting a pattern of living and working within your home. She shares specific systems that she uses in order to manage her own large family and persuasive reasons for doing things in a like manner. Because of this I have decided to alter my daily routines to more closely aline with the one she prescribes in her book. She follows a similar “one focus a day” approach, but makes my previous attempts at the same system look pathetic in comparison. Her goals and expectations are much more detailed and assure that she will accomplish a finely tuned home. This is something that I long for. After spending some time in the book (preparing for a new year of homemaking) I typed up some new printables to fill my home management notebook with. They follow her system almost exactly (with a few modifications), focusing on one major household task a day.

Monday: Laundry Day

Tuesday: Kitchen Day

Wednesday: Office Day

Thursday: Town Day

Friday: Cleaning Day

Saturday: Outside Day (She refers to this day as Garden Day, but I have no garden… so yeah)

Sunday: The Lord’s Day

The biggest difference in this system to what I was doing the past is that most cleaning is reserved to one day of the week. There are daily cleaning tasks to be done, but Friday is reserved for getting down and dirty.

Also, she recommends focusing on one area of your home every week for doing Deep Cleaning (you know, the stuff you never ever do until it gets just terrible). In her family they do one thing in that area every day, but you could also do it all on cleaning day. I have decided to do it every day like she has and then catch up on Friday if needed. Examples of Focus Areas are bathrooms, living room and family room, bedrooms, etc… and examples of deep cleaning to do in those areas are things like declutter the area, catch cobwebs, dust ceiling fans, clean light switches, etc…

I also love the idea of having a day completely focused on paperwork, computer work, budgeting, menu planning and the like. This is what she refers to as Office Day and would really benefit my home management by encouraging me to be intentional and disciplined in these areas.

As the new year begins so does my prayer that the Lord would continue to empower me to serve my family well through the ministry of homemaking. I am thankful for the tips I am learning in this book and look forward to implementing more of them in the future.

If you follow Kim’s plan, or are looking forward to reading the book in the future, you can download and print my printables below for your own use. I am sure that I will be modifying them in the future as I try out this method and tweak it to better serve our family, but this is a good starting point. Please let me know if you find any typos or have any suggestions!

Day Planners

I can’t recommend Large Family Logistics enough. If you are looking for some inspiration and motivation for your homemaking, I would encourage you to check it out!

Also, if you are looking for some less specific printables to organize yourself with this new year, check out these Daily Plan of Attack printables.

Other printables you may be interested in:

Weekly Menu Plan,

Running To-Do List,

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Pacing Yourself During the Holidays

Dec 21, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Life is messy. Our days are filled with all kinds of good and not-so-good things to attend to, and it doesn’t all fit into neat, organized little squares (or at least MY life sure doesn’t!). Sometimes things work out, but it will never be perfect so long as we live in this fallen world.

And sometimes, in this less than perfect world, I find myself feeling very burned out. I suspect that you do, too. This time of year can be a major burnout season if we’re not careful. There’s always one more social event, one more gift to buy, one more moment I want to snatch to meditate on what this beautiful Christmas time of year really means – and that’s in addition to all the usual bits and pieces that make up this beautiful mess we call life.

Between moving, trying to find a church and make friends, my husband getting a big promotion, my grandmother going home to God, caring for elderly relatives and all the rest of it, I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed this year. The holidays always excite me, but also add to that feeling of being utterly spent sometimes. And so I started praying about it and thinking about it, and what I’ve been learning has been helping me not just get through this season, but truly enjoy it.

So, what have I learned?

1. Get some sleep

Easier said than done, I know, especially for those of you with very small children. However, life is so much less overwhelming when I’ve had at least a passing acquaintance with my own snug, warm bed. If I can’t get enough sleep at night, I try to fit in little naps during the day.

2. Don’t over schedule yourself

I once knew someone who planned to be at 3 different family gatherings in 3 different cities all on Christmas Day. This may work for some, but I’m not sure that everyone would want that road trip! Look over the social events on the near horizon and think about what makes you and your family happiest. Are you extroverts who get more energized every time you see friends and family? Are you more introverted, and need to have some down time built in between all the open houses, office parties and the like? Try to decide in advance what kind of schedule will work for you, so that you can head off that “Oh my goodness, I’m WAAAAY overcommitted!” feeling of stress. This one is a particular challenge for me.

3. Prioritize the volunteering

I can be one of those people who feels dutybound to volunteer for everything. However, I’ve learned over time that it’s best to prioritize. It may be really important to volunteer to bring a cake to the Senior Center Christmas party for my great-aunts and to pick up items for the homeless shelter, but I don’t need to put my name on every church and charity list that comes my direction. Learning that sometimes we have to forego a good thing in order to concentrate on the best things has been a hard lesson, but it’s one I’ve been learning very much this year, and it is so worth it.

4. Figure out what recharges your batteries

What revives you? For me, picking out songs for my Songs of Advent series, puttering on the blog, and reading have all been good downtime for me. I find that if I schedule time for these things, I have so much more energy to then pour back into serving others. I used to fear that carving out time for myself was selfish, but I find that if I don’t have it, then I get worn down and my service to others starts becoming much less than I think it is called to be.

5. Take care of your health

As tempting as the notion sounds, we can’t live on Christmas cookies alone. Be sure to fit in some healthy meals full of fruits and veggies, and drink plenty of water. Getting exercise a few times a week helps a lot as well. You’ve heard the saying, “You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself?” Well, it’s true, very true indeed.

6. Take time to really think about the season

The more I read God’s Word and read good Advent books, the more I find myself pondering the amazing miracle of Christmas. The details of wondering which cat knocked over the tree or when I’m going to get cards and gifts wrapped fall away in the face of this baby Jesus brought into the world to die for our salvation.

And most important of all…

PRAY

Keeping all those stresses of life heaped upon our own shoulders is futile. We will not fix the world, or even our own lives, by our power alone. God has told us in His Word to bring our burdens to Him, and when we do, He does give us rest. It’s right there in Matthew 11. When I spend time with God pouring out my heart to Him, my troubles don’t just magically disappear, but in various ways, they always become bearable rather than hopeless. He is my rock, my refuge, my source of strength and my all. And this time of year is such a beautiful reminder of just what a miracle God is. I hope that you have a blessed and merry Christmas!

After several years of trying to balance the management of her home with being a professional woman, Amy is in the process of transitioning home to serve primarily as a homemaker. She now lives with her husband in the Washington DC area where she is enjoying the challenges of figuring out how to make a house a home. Hint: It’s requiring a much broader skill set than she or many other people would have ever dreamed! In her spare time, she enjoys travel, reading, and serving in her church. You can follow her adventures at MakingAJoyfulHome.blogspot.com.

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Menu Planning Mayhem and The Best Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

Dec 20, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Christmas is just around the corner and our home is already full of sweets! We have Christmas cookies, peppermint bark, candy, and more on our counter as I speak… with more to come I am sure. Last week I made the Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe I linked to in a previous Menu Planning Mayhem and man… it was DELICIOUS! These muffins turn out huge and perfectly sweet (yet not too sweet if you know what I mean). The chocolate chips are a perfect punch of flavor against the slightly sugary muffin. Today I want to share the recipe with you! Who knows, this may make it into your menu for the week! It would be a welcome departure from the overly sweet items filling your list… and your counter.

This recipe is from the blog Cream Puffs In Venice, but originally appeared in Fine Cooking.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Winter 2006 issue of Fine Cooking dedicated to Chocolate.

Note: I did not use the glaze for this recipe and they were absolutely delicious; I guess you just have to decided now much “sweet” you are really wanting!

Ingredients

3-1/2 cups all purpose flour (use unbleached if you have it)
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the glaze (optional):

3 cups icing sugar
6 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and place a rack in the centre of the oven. Lightly oil the top of a 12-cup muffin tin or spray with cooking spray. Line with muffin cups (it’s best to use grease-proof ones if you can find them).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a bowl, whisk together the butter, whole milk, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla exctract.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently combine using a rubber spatula. Mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don’t overmix or your muffins will be too dense. Don’t worry if the batter seems lumpy or if there are still some flour streaks.

Add the chocolate chips and fold in quickly, again being careful not to overmix.

Distribute the batter among the muffin cups. Mound the better up in the centre of each cup. It will rise above the rim of the muffin cup by as much as an inch. Don’t worry. These are big muffins!

Note: When she says to mound it, she really means it! Just keep adding the batter until you run out. It will look like way too much, but your twelve muffins are going to be humungous so don’t worry.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The muffins will be golden and will spring back when pressed lightly. As an extra test, insert a toothpick into the centre of a muffin. If it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.

Remove the muffin tin to a rack and let cool for 15 minutes. With a knife, separate the muffins evenly and then gently lift them out of the tins. Let them continue cooling on the rack.

If you want to glaze them, make the glaze and pour over the muffins. If not, enjoy them as they are!

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I would love to hear what your kitchen is filled with this week. Link them up your menu, recipe, or baking plans below! You can also feel free to share in the comments section of this blog post. I look forward to seeing what you guys are cooking up!

This post is linked up at Time~Warp Wife!

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The Passion Tree Painting

Dec 15, 2011 by desiringvirtue

On Saturday I shared our take on the traditional Christmas Tree. After spending so much time and brain power coming up with a way to make our tree as symbolic and Christ-exalting as possible, I came across this painting on the internet that was so similar to the intent behind our own tree. I only wish you could buy the ornaments that adorn this beautiful tree-then I wouldn’t have had to make my own! Take a moment to watch this video describing The Passion Tree and all of the symbolism this artist put into it. Also, you can visit his website to read in detail what each of the ornaments represents by clicking here.

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Three Ways to Tie in Christmas with Easter

Dec 14, 2011 by desiringvirtue

The joy of celebrating the Messiah’s incarnation can only be rivaled by the celebration of his death and resurrection. Without his sacrificial death on my behalf, I would be left only with a wonderful story of God coming to live with his people. That would be amazing and special, but carry no weight for my eternal soul. It is because of Christ’s mission to die for me, to take my place on the cross, that his birth on earth is so important. It is because of his powerful resurrection that I know he was more than a little baby in a manger, he was the Son of God. Without these key truths I would be left with no way to please God, no way to gain salvation.

Today I am going to share some practical ways to tie Christmas and Easter together as we celebrate these most wonderful of holidays.

1. Your Christmas Tree and Easter Cross

If you use a real Christmas tree, don’t simply toss it when January 1st roles around. Chop off a portion of the trunk and keep it for Easter time. During the season of Lent, fashion that trunk into two beams and make a cross. Use this cross as a centerpiece at your Easter celebration.

Using your Christmas tree to make a cross will remind you of the reason for celebrating Christmas- because the babe came to die for our sins.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ESV)

2. Advent Candles in Reverse

Just as we celebrate the light coming into the world at Christmas time, during the season of Lent, we remember the Light of the World’s sacrificial death. As Easter approaches, instead of lighting candles one by one, blow them out one by one, representing the death of the Light (Christ). Then on Easter morning wake your family to a house full of lit candles representing the miraculous resurrection of Christ.

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46 ESV)

3. Continue the Story of Your Jesse Tree

If you are partaking in the Jesse Tree tradition, let the story continue with a Passion Tree. Most Jesse Tree devotionals or suggested readings end with the birth of Christ (which is what we are celebrating at Christmas). A Passion Tree picks up at the birth and follows along with the life of Christ, preparing your family’s heart for the remembrance of Christ’s death and resurrection. Click here for an example and even free devotional guide to a Passion Tree.

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:9-13 ESV)

Do you have any suggestions for tying in Easter with Christmas? If so, share them in the comments below!

This post is linked up to A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

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A Different Kind of Christmas Tree

Dec 10, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Throughout the series Cultivating A Christ-Centered Christmas I occasionally mentioned how our family incorporates some of the practical traditions shared. Today I wanted to go into a little more detail as to how our family celebrates with a Christmas Tree.

As I mentioned in the series, no family’s traditions are exactly the same. In fact, most of the traditions I shared with you are not ones that we personally use and among the ones that we do use, some we have tweaked or recreated to fit our personal needs and desires. That is the point of family traditions right? They are your family’s traditions!

I am going to share with you the way my husband and I combined the Christian “Jesse Tree” tradition with our the traditional “Christmas Tree” tradition to provide a beautiful and unique way to worship the Christ of Christmas.

Our Tree’s Backstory

Three years ago we decided to assess our Christmas tree. I’m sure it had something to do with me reading “Treasuring God in Our Traditions” by Noel Piper. In the book she explains that there never was a Christmas tree in their home. They didn’t really see a point since it had nothing to do with the incarnation. Rather than simply accepting cultural norms, they decided to only include traditions that truly pointed to the Christ and encouraged meditation on the Savior. My head started reeling the first time I read this. No Christmas tree?

My mother’s Christmas tree is a paradigm of Christmas trees. It is always very large, perfectly adorned by bows, ribbons, lights, and beads. The ornaments that decorate its fragrant branches range from porcelain ballerinas to fantastical glass blow fish.

Picking out the perfect tree every year growing up was a family affair (a battle that my brother somehow always won) and decorating the tree was a major event, one that my mother always seemed to make special. I loved our tree. I am still utterly enchanted when I walk into my parent’s home and take in the beautiful job she has done each year.

Would our home not have that same tradition? Would our children not walk through isles of trees searching for the perfect one to adorn our family room? This was something I would have to think and pray about.

As I researched more and more traditions that were specifically Christ-centered I came  across the Jesse tree tradition. I loved the way it encouraged us to celebrate redemptive history, the way it caused us to think about the waiting that God’s people experienced as he fulfilled his promise of salvation. As I began to consider implementing it in our Christmas celebration I couldn’t help but feel that having a little tree (or even a branch as some use) that focused on the Savior and a very large, mostly arbitrary (beautifully arbitrary mind you!) Christmas tree during the celebration of Christ’s incarnation was a little lopsided.

Since we were already reassessing our Christmas tree to begin with, we decided to give the tradition an overhaul and meld the two trees together into one Christ-centered tree that would spur us on to love the Savior more every time we decorated it. And so our Christmas tree was born.

Our Christmas Tree Tradition

We begin decorating our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That night as Richard brings it in and sets it up, I prepare the hot chocolate and treats. We start in the same way most do by stringing lights around the tree; a beautiful reminder of Christ’s illuminating character and sinless life (the more lights the better!).

Once the lights are strung, we begin putting our ornaments on. One by one we adorn our tree with simple, beautiful ball ornaments that display the names of Christ. On each ornament I have written one of the ways the Bible refers to the Messiah as well as the scripture references. As we hang each name we say it out loud reminding each other of the many attributes of Christ. As our children get older and the tradition can last longer, we hope to take time to read several of the references associated with the names.

Next we hang cross ornaments to remind us of the reason Christ was born as a baby in the flesh of men. This is a collection we have just begun and look forward to adding to. I love to see the crosses amongst the various names of Christ as well as amongst our advent ornaments as it reminds me that every event in Biblical history points to the Savior.

Once all of our ornaments are hung, we add red ribbon that cascades down our tree reminding us of the precious blood that was shed for our forgiveness.

And of course, the last thing to be added is the star, reminiscent of “his star” which the wise men followed to find the Christ-child.

The next day is Sunday, the first day of Advent. This is when we begin adding our “Jesse Tree” ornaments. These ornaments trace through the course of redemptive history beginning with Creation and ending at the coming of the Messiah. I made ornaments for each event by downloading images of paintings off of the internet and then Mod Podging them into picture frame ornaments. Each night leading up to Christmas we add one ornament to the tree and read the corresponding account in the Bible. This wonderful tradition is helpful not only for the children, but for us as well. Together we remember (and our children learn) the need we, as a fallen race, had for a Savior. Through learning the anticipation of God’s people, we too build anticipation for Christmas day when we celebrate the Messiah’s coming.

As the advent ornaments continue to be added to our tree, a wonderful story of God’s interaction with his people begins to unfold. All the while this incredible story is nestled in among reminders of the Savior, to whom it all belongs.

I love our tree. 

I love that it has a purpose and that every time I look at it I am stirred to think on the amazing truths of salvation. When I look at it I think of my Savior.

Our prayer is that God would use this tradition in our children’s lives to not only teach them the story of salvation, but captivate their little hearts with the joy we have in God’s goodness to his people.

My Challenge to You

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Every family’s traditions will look different. My hope in sharing our Christmas Tree Tradition with you is not say, “You should do this too,” but to encourage you to be intentional about your celebration and don’t be afraid to step outside the box a little in an effort to honor the Lord and worship him through your traditions. I have found so much joy in coming up with creative ways to make our Christmas about the One who is worthy of so much celebration.

This post is linked up at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

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The Waiting Continues

Dec 6, 2011 by desiringvirtue

“Suddenly, Abraham saw a ram caught in some brambles-the sacrifice. God had given them what they needed just in time. The ram would die so Isaac didn’t have to. And so Abraham Sacrificed the ram, intend of his son… Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on his back. Like Isaac, he would trust his Father and do what his Father asked… Who was he? God’s Son, His only Son-the Son he loved. The Lamb of God.”

The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones

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Why Not Santa Claus? (Part 3)

Dec 2, 2011 by desiringvirtue

From my last two posts regarding Santa  you might think I was raised with these convictions, but that is simply not the case. Like most children, I grew up believing in and enjoying Santa Claus. All season long I would anxiously wait for the gifts he would bring and  every Christmas morning I awoke with the excitement of knowing that “Santa” had left these special gifts for me under the tree and would quickly rush to unwrap them. Even when I got older and understood that Santa was not real I enjoyed the tradition of having gifts say “from Santa” on them. I do not look back on those wonderful experiences and abhor them, on the contrary I find them very sentimental!

However, having experienced the joy and excitement of Santa as a child I can honestly say that I would have rather been taught how to worship and enjoy Christ instead. My parents tried their best to tell me about the birth of Christ, even reading the Biblical account, but I never really gave it much thought. In my childish mind I understood that these moments of thinking about Jesus were supposed to be the real purpose of our celebration, but in my heart I really only cared about getting to the part where we unwrapped the gifts from Santa.

You see, when my family and I became Christians and totally devoted our lives to Christ (starting around my sophomore year in high school) Christmas took on a whole new meaning. Suddenly it was a time to thank God for the miraculous gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, rather than a time to focus on material gifts. Every part of my life, including Christmas, became an opportunity to worship and adore the one who saved my soul from eternal condemnation. As a Christian, my heart’s desire is to glorify God in every area of my life (as much as humanly possible) and I desire to help my family do the same. I especially want to teach my children how to know and honor the Lord early on in their lives through our family traditions.

Christmas provides a special opportunity to take extra time to focus on Jesus and why he came to earth in the form of man. Rather than let this time slip through our fingers, Richard and I want to make the most of it. We have come to the conclusion that the best way to do this is to cut out anything (anything possible) that distracts from this message and add anything we can that will bring to life this message. For us, Santa falls into the category of unnecessary and even distracting traditions and because of this we have no need of him. Though it was emotionally hard for me to make this decision at first, I have found that the Lord quickly blessed our desire to focus our hearts and time on him alone. My prayer is that one day he will use our Christmas traditions to usher our children into a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessing to have a time so devoted to the Messiah! What a tragedy it would be if I simply let it slip through our fingers.

And so this is why Richard and I have chosen to not include Santa in our Christmas traditions. Not because we think Santa is evil, or that other parents who tell there children about Santa are evil, but because through prayer and counsel we honestly believe that the best way to help our children love Christ more is to show them that we love Christ in every area of our lives, including our Christmas traditions. Through our joyful celebration of the Messiah’s birth it is our prayer that they too will come to have a similar joy and excitement when the season approaches. I am so very grateful that our God is worth celebrating every moment of every day, and that we have a special opportunity to do so in even greater abundance during the season of Christmas.

So, in answer to the question “Why Not Santa?” I simply want to say “Why not Jesus?”

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11 ESV)

You may be wondering what you would do during Christmas without Santa. If so, I would love for you to read the recent series “Cultivating a Christ-centered Christmas.” Just click here to learn about many Christ-centered traditions you can implement in your family!Photo Credit

This post is linked to Time-Warp Wife’s Titus 2sday.

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Why Not Santa Claus? (Part 2)

Dec 1, 2011 by desiringvirtue

If the world wants to celebrate a fictitious person then so be it.  However, when Christians begin to embrace Santa and try to meld him in with their celebration of the birth of the Messiah, I fear that we have lost our grip on reality. When well meaning parents explain that they simply want their kids to be able to experience the “magic” of the season I wonder if they, themselves, truly understand the incomprehensibly profound act of God becoming man so that he could save the world from the power of sin. Is there anything more magical, more incredible than that? Is there any need to celebrate or focus our hearts on anything but this mighty act? Claiming that your children will “miss out” on the fun and excitement of Christmas without a mythical character at its center is paramount to saying that Jesus isn’t enough. Perhaps the true problem is that you, yourself, don’t believe that Jesus is enough to bring joy and excitement to your child’s Christmas celebration.

I am not trying to make the case that Christmas has always inherently been about Jesus and that there is no room for other celebrations. I am well aware that Christmas finds its roots in the long celebrated Winter Solstice and that it was only when the Pope declared December 25th to be the anniversary of the birth of Christ that it became a Christian holiday. What I am trying to say is that as Christians our celebrations should be inherently and distinctly Christian.

There should be an obvious difference in the way we rejoice in and experience Christmas when compared to unbelievers. Let the world raise their children to believe in Santa Claus while we raise our children to believe in the Christ, the Son of God! Let the world teach their children that Christmas is a time when you get glorious gifts while we teach our children that Christmas is a time to celebrate the most glorious gift of salvation!

I understand that tradition is hard to break and that it is emotional. But if you love the Lord and desire for your children to experience that same love, diverting their attention to a mythical being may not be the most helpful exercise. There is One who is greater, lovelier, and much more gracious than even Santa and his name is Jesus. I wholeheartedly believe that the children who miss out on Christmas are actually those who’s attention is divided between Santa and Jesus. There is no way to whole heartedly appreciate and be excited about an Invisible God when at the same time a visible, tangible, and physical, gift-giving man is also being endorsed and encouraged by your parents. But this, I think is the problem. It doesn’t so much bother us that our children might be half-heartedly excited about Jesus (or even a fourth-heartedly for that matter). We just want to see the smiles on their faces as they awake to see the presents that Santa left for them under the tree.

Ultimately it comes down to our hearts as parents. What do we value? What do we want our children to value? What do we want the world to see that we value? Are we content with teaching our children to have divided affections? Are we satisfied with our Christmas celebrations knowing that, though we tried our hardest to make “Jesus the reason for the season,” our little children were too caught up in the magic and excitement of Santa to really care? We have to ask ourselves if we really care.

I have heard parents say “they are only children once, let them have some fun and enjoy Santa while they can!” My only response to that statement is this: Children are only children once! You only have one opportunity to instill in them a love and adoration for Christ; use this time to teach them how to find their joy and excitement in the eternal God who never changes and will never fade.

Come back tomorrow for the conclusion of “Why Not Santa Claus?”

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This post is linked to Time-Warp Wife’s Titus 2sday.

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Why Not Santa Claus? (Part 1)

Nov 30, 2011 by desiringvirtue

The topic of Santa Claus is very interesting to me. How is it that a fourth century bishop who was known for his generosity to children, the poor and the destitute became the center of a an entire holiday season? When and why did people feel the need to mold this real and supposedly God-honoring man into an idol?

The word idol may sound harsh. I am not proposing that everyone who participates in the Santa Claus tradition is an idol worshiper, but I fear that the vast majority of Americans are in fact teaching their children to worship an imaginary man (imaginary because the historical St. Nicholas of Myra is vastly different from the one we celebrate now).

Think about it for a moment, how is the way we encourage our children to worship the true God any different from the way we teach our children to relate to Santa Claus? We teach them that Santa is all-knowing (after all he can see you when your sleeping and know when your awake), he is omnipresent (he somehow can be everywhere at once in one night), and he rewards good behavior while punishing bad behavior. We actively ingrain in our children the validity of Santa, reading them stories, teaching them songs, taking them to “meet” Santa and more. We remind them throughout the year (especially as Christmas gets closer) that the gifts they get on Christmas will depend upon their obedience or disobedience making Santa an authority in their lives. In many ways, and in many homes Santa may seem more “real” than God himself!

Of course we know that we are basically lying to our children so that they can have some childish fun, and they will find out sooner or later that it was all just an elaborate story meant for their enjoyment, but they don’t know that yet. In their childish minds Santa is the coolest man on earth! Who could be better than Santa? I mean goodness, all I have to do is make a list and he will give me all my little heart desires come Christmas morning!

It should not surprise us to find that Santa has grown into such a phenomenon, for we know that man’s heart was created to worship. As humans we were created to have a relationship with our Lord. In fact, our hearts and minds are fitted to worship (though this natural inclination is skewed as a result of the fall). No, it should not surprise us when we see the world grasp at any and all earthly idols as they search for joy and spurn the one true God, but it should surprise us when the Christian community embraces the worship  of a fictional character with little more thought than “I want my child to have fun.”

Come back tomorrow to contemplate what we are truly saying when we say, “I just want my children to be able to experience the magic of the season.”

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This post is linked to Time-Warp Wife’s Titus 2sday and A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.

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Day 1 of the Christmas Story: Creation

Nov 29, 2011 by desiringvirtue

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 ESV)

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The Celebration and the Waiting Begins….

Nov 27, 2011 by desiringvirtue

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A Thanksgiving Tree

Nov 21, 2011 by desiringvirtue

This year I “created” a Thanksgiving tree for our family to hang our thanks on. It was very easy and has already been a lot of fun. I was surprised by how quickly Elliot caught on to the idea of things you are thankful for. He had many things to add to the tree and I am sure as Thursday gets nearer more will come to mind. Two of the sweetest things he was thankful for were “Memaw and Papa’s house” (we are living with them for the time being) and for “Ashton” (the little girl we used to live next to). I was really impressed that he was able to come up with these things. It just proves that it is never too early to begin teaching big truths to little minds!

We don’t have any trees in our neighborhood so we went on a “bear hunt” at our local park and found many broken, dead branches to use. Then we simply stuck them in a vase and cut out some round cards from scrapbook paper. I am keeping a little cup with extras and a pen next to the tree so that we can all add to the tree as Thanksgiving gets closer.

Here is where I got my inspiration!

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Cultivating a Christ-Centered Christmas: Resources and Link-Up

Nov 19, 2011 by desiringvirtue

In this series we have looked at our MOTIVATION for practicing a Christ-Centered Christmas, practical ADVENT traditions, simple ways to MEDITATE on our Savior, practical ways to WORSHIP our Messiah King, and wonderful ways to IMITATE our Savior this Christmas season. I pray that you will be able to implement some of these ideas in your own celebrations and that the Lord will be glorified through our desire to honor him and praise him for the miraculous gift of the incarnation!

As we bring this series to a close I would love to hear what it is your family does to keep Christ the central focus of your Christmas. Do you practice any of the traditions I have shared with you? Do you have any traditions that haven’t been mentioned that may be beneficial to DV’s readers? What are your favorite, specific ways to spread the love of Christ to your neighbors, coworkers, church family, etc…? Do you do any special projects with your children or grandchildren? Please feel free to leave a comment with your favorite traditions below or link up a blog post that is related to cultivating a Christ-centered Christmas!

Today Becky, a most beloved DV contributor, is going to share some helpful resources that will help you to focus deeply on the incarnation of our Lord. I know you will find this list very beneficial; I can’t wait to order a few of these things myself!!!

Christmas Resources

by DV contributor Becky Pliego

Jessalyn has shared many practical traditions that we can put into practice to cultivate a Christ-centered Christmas.

Advent is around the corner (it starts the last Sunday of November) which is why today, as time approaches, I want to suggest to you several resources that have been a blessing in our home as we wait, as we sit around the family table, and read about His glorious coming.

Noël Piper says about Advent,

“For four weeks, it’s as if we’re re-enacting, remembering the thousands of years God’s people were anticipating and longing for the coming of God’s salvation, for Jesus. That’s what advent means—coming. Even God’s men who foretold the grace that was to come didn’t know “what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating.” They were waiting, but they didn’t know what God’s salvation would look like.” (source)

Our Favorite Books:

Treasuring God in Our Traditions

The Innkeeper, by John Piper

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas.

The Incarnation in the Gospels (one of my favorites)

Songs of the Nativity: Selected Sermons on Luke 1 and 2; by John Calvin (Excellent)

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room: Daily Family Devotions for Advent

The Christ of Christmas

Through the Year With Martin Luther: A Selections of Sermons Celebrating the Feasts and Seasons of the Christian Year.

Our Favorite Christmas Music:

Christmas Carols for a Kid’s Heart

The Word Became Flesh

Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man

Veni Emmanuel

Joy: An Irish Christmas

Handel’s Messiah: The Complete Work

More Christmas music can be found here.

Do you have any other books, sermons, or music you would like to suggest us for this season?

We would love to hear about them!

What a beautiful privilege we have, as children of God, to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord and to announce the excellencies of His Name throughout the nations.

Let our hearts rejoice and our mouths be filled with His praises.

Halleluja!

Becky

Becky is a Mexican living in one of the most crowded cities in the world, Mexico City. She has been happily married to an incredible man for almost 20 years. They have four children and  have homeschooled them following the Classical Christian Education model. Their oldest son is a sophmore in College and their youngest is a 7 years old girl. Becky grew in a typical Evangelical church, but after much prayer from her Dad and reading A.W Pink’s book entitled God’s Sovereignity she came to love the Reformed faith. Becky enjoys the big books and the small books, she loves to study God’s word and read mostly, from dead authors, like the Puritans. She says that her real education began when she started homeschooling her children. She currently teaches Spanish at Veritas Press Scholars; loves to take out her watercolors on a sunny Saturday and paint, and you will always see her with her camera ready to capture the simple everyday moments that make up her days. She loves to bake muffins for her family on Saturdays while they are still asleep, so they wake up to the sweet smell of home. You can find Becky on her main blog Daily On My Way to Heaven; on her photography blog, My Daily Journey-through my lens- and on her Spanish blog, Delicias A Tu Diestra Para Siempre.

And now it is your turn ladies! Share your Christ-centered Christmas recommendations (from books to music to traditions to charities to projects) in the comments or by linking up your own blog post. I look forward to reading your suggestions and personal stories. 

To see all of Desiring Virtue’s Christmas resources click here!

Make sure to link back here so that others can benefit from the ideas shared!

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Cultivating a Christ-Centered Christmas: Practical Traditions (Imitate)

Nov 18, 2011 by desiringvirtue

We have looked at many different practical traditions that you can make a part of your family’s Christmas celebration, today we are going to look at the most important ways that we can glorify and honor our Lord at Christmas time. By imitating the heart and love of our Savior we will point others to the most wonderful of Kings, the one who can give them true and lasting joy. I hope that you will prayerfully consider making service and giving the biggest part of your Christmas, rather than parties, gifts, and shopping.

Imitate Our Messiah King

Care for the Orphans and Widows- Imitate the heart of our Savior by paying special attention to the orphans and widows around you. Consider who around you (or around the world for that matter) you can show the love of Christ to. Is there a nursing home near you? Is there an elderly, home bound member of your church you could spend time with? Can you volunteer at a shelter? Will you participate in Operation Christmas Child? Is there a needy family that you are aware of whom would be blessed by your generosity during Christmas? Look for ways to serve and give to those who are the most alone and needy this Christmas, for this is undefiled religion, this is what our Messiah loves to see his redeemed doing. Photo Credit

Care for the Church- Find special ways to honor those who serve faithfully in your church family. People who may not be recognized often are nursery workers, set up crews, sound and tech crews, small group leaders, and youth workers. Take the time to thank them for serving our Messiah King and bless them in some special way (keep in mind that a personal note of thanks is probably more appreciated than a baked good even… and more economical too). Also remember to honor your pastors and their families during this time. They will be especially busy during this season (many will be unable to spend their Christmas with extended family as they serve the church). A practical way to serve these busy people is by offering to prepare dinner for them one night during the Christmas season as they may be too busy to come over to your home for dinner. A good meal that is already prepared is a very special blessing! Gift cards to Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target, etc… would also be excellent blessings as pastor’s families often operate on small budgets. Don’t forget those you do not see! Send Christmas cards and gifts to missionaries you have been praying for and supporting throughout the year.

Care for the Poor- Consider spending less money on gifts for your family and more on gifts that will make a lasting impact on those who have nothing. (Talk to your family about this goal before making any drastic changes to your gift buying; make it a family project). Perhaps you will begin supporting a child through Compassion, or you will donate money to an organization that provides clean drinking water to those who are dying without it-one such organization is Living Water International.

Care for the Persecuted Church- Look into different ways your family or you personally can encourage and strengthen the persecuted church. Check into the many opportunities that Voice of the Martyrs provides like filling an action pack for persecuted Christians, collecting blankets for Sudanese Christians, writing a letter to a Christian who has been imprisoned for his faith, or simply giving money.

Invite someone over for your Christmas Eve/Christmas day celebration who doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Let them be a part of your family and participate in your traditions. Show them that your family is different, that your family serves the Lord and not the lust for material possessions. People you might not think about are college students (especially students from other countries), elderly neighbors, and seminary students/couples.

While we were in another state for seminary we were very blessed by a family in our church who “took us in” for Christmas and allowed us to enjoy their feast with them.

Be Set Apart-  All of the traditions we have discussed throughout this series are meant to be distinctly Christian. We want the world to see that we have something incredible to celebrate, something that is beautiful and wonderful and exciting, something that they will want to partake in too. Think about Christ’s character and make it your aim to display that to the world around you this Christmas. Keep spare bills in your wallet so that you are ready and able to give to The Salvation Army, to beggars on the street, to buy your friend lunch. Be prepared to share the gospel with your coworkers, fellow students, and neighbors. Make baked goods for your neighbors to show them the love of Christ and personally deliver them. Invite people to church with you on Christmas to hear the good news. Carry your faith into every aspect of your Christmas (that includes your Black Friday shopping!).

Click here to share your favorite Christ-centered tradition. You can either leave a comment or link up a blog post. I look forward to hearing how your family celebrates Christ during Christmas!

To see all of Desiring Virtue’s Christmas resources click here!

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Cultivating a Christ-Centered Christmas: Practical Traditions (Worship)

Nov 17, 2011 by desiringvirtue

So far we have looked at the Motivation for a Christ-Centered Christmas, Advent Traditions, and Ways to Meditate on Christ. Today we are going to turn our attention to practical ways we can worship Christ during the Christmas Season!

Worshipping the Messiah King

Christmas Eve Service- Make your church’s Christmas Eve Service a focal point of your Christmas tradition. If you have children, build up the excitement of going to the special Christmas service where you will worship the Messiah King with your church family. Make time for the service and plan your other activities around it, so as not to be rushed and simply adding more “activities” to your night. Candlelight Service Photo Credit

Incorporate Christmas Hymns into your family devotion times and play Christ-exalting Christmas Carols in your home throughout the Christmas season.

The First Gift Tradition- Wrap a box that can be used every Christmas and fill it with white index cards that read “Jesus blessed me this year by…” (or something to this effect). Fill out as many cards as you want individually and then place them in the box on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning open the box and read them out loud to one another reminding each other of the many blessings our Messiah King has bestowed on us. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving to our giving Lord for all the many gifts he has given us (including the gifts you are about to open). Pray that he would cultivate thankful and mindful hearts in each of us. Open each other’s gifts with the desire to bless others because we have been so richly blessed. 

Save the cards from each year by tying them up in ribbon and leaving them at the bottom of the box. Throughout the Christmas Season take a peak at old cards!

This is the first year we will be incorporating this tradition into our Christmas. I plan to write “Jesus I thank and worship you because…” on each of the cards so that our gift to Jesus is filled with praises to him (what he truly desires). 

Rejoice! Make Christmas morning a very special and exciting day by making a lavish breakfast lighting lots of candles and singing loud worship music to the Messiah who has “arrived.” Consider waking before your children wake up (I know…) so they can see that you are thrilled to celebrate Christ’s birth. In this way you can capture their hearts and minds before they even begin to think about presents. Burst into their rooms singing “Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul, and voice; Give ye heed to what we say: News! News! Jesus Christ is born today; Ox and ass before Him bow; and He is in the manger now. Christ is born today! Christ is born today!” Then lead them to your tree to give Jesus your gift of praise!

Shepherd’s Pouches- Cultivate a giving spirit in your children’s hearts by encouraging them to collect spare change or allowance money (provide opportunities for them to earn money) during the Christmas season. Hang “Shepherd’s Pouches” rather than stockings and allow them to fill them up with money for Christ (their gifts of praise to him). Tell them that you will put all of the money together when Christmas arrives and donate it to the church, a charity, a needy family you know, or use it to send your Compassion child a special Christmas gift. Christmas Eve night, exchange the money for small trinkets that you would normally put in a stocking.

Don’t forget to have a Shepherd’s Pouch for Mom and Dad too! Let your children see your desire to worship Christ as well. Giving your money to someone or sending it off to a charity on Christmas day would be an excellent way to make the experience more realistic to younger children (even if the Post Office isn’t open you can put it in a drop box). Leather Pouch Photo Credit

Consider limiting the amount of Christmas gifts you give to your children in order to help them focus less on material things. Some use a “three gift” rule mimicking the frankincense, gold, and myrrh brought by the wise men to Jesus.

We have a one present tradition, that we hope to build on as our children grow and are able to make/buy gifts for their siblings (we also ask that extended family use temperance in their gift buying).

Some larger families have a “Night of the Giver” for every person in their family where each person is assigned a night when they are able to give the gifts they have made/bought to each of their family members. (If you have four members in your family you have four nights of gift giving.) This helps to cultivate an attitude of giving rather than receiving. Christmas Eve and Day are then reserved to celebrate Christ, our ultimate gift and no gifts are exchanged.

Cut out Santa- I will share more on Santa during the month of December, but for now let me just say this: Allow your children to be thankful to the true Giver of Gifts rather than a fictitious person who will only distract from your worship of the Lord. Use the gifts from family and friends to teach your children about our great God who blesses us, so that we can in turn bless others.

Click here to take a look at ways we can practically imitate our Messiah King this Christmas season!

To see all of Desiring Virtue’s Christmas resources click here!This post is linked up at The Encouraging Home.

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Cultivating a Christ Centered Christmas: Practical Traditions (Meditation)

Nov 16, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Yesterday we looked at Advent activities that will help you and your family focus on celebrating our Messiah King during the Christmas season. Today we are going to look at some practical ways to encourage meditation on Jesus throughout this sometimes hectic and distracting time.

Meditating on The Messiah King

Names of Jesus Ornaments- Create a collection of tree ornaments that display the names of Jesus and their references. As you “trim your tree” or decorate your home read them out loud to each other and look up some of the verses they are found in. This is a wonderful exercise that allows you to remind yourself of who Christ is and to teach your children that Jesus was so much more than a little baby in a manger. It is also a wonderful way to continue to meditate on Christ throughout the Christmas season as you sit next to your tree and read through all of the wonderful descriptions of our Lord. You may also use one ornament a day to focus your personal devotions on.

We began this tradition two years ago when we decided to make our Christmas Tree our Jesse Tree. The Sunday after Thanksgiving we put up our tree and decorate it with ribbon, lights and simple names of Jesus ornaments. We made ours by writing the names on pretty ball ornaments with paint pens. Then every night we hang a new Jesse Tree ornaments (see yesterday’s post) until the tree is filled with the story of Christ. Out of all of our traditions the Names of Jesus tradition is my favorite. It is such a blessing to read through all of the different descriptions of Christ together as a family.

Read through a Christmas Devotional such as “Come Though Long Expected Jesus” during your personal devotions or as a married couple to help focus your heart(s) on what you are celebrating.

Make use of Symbolism- Use deep red ribbon to decorate your Christmas tree in order to symbolize the blood that Jesus planned to shed for us even before he came to earth as the baby in the manger. As you decorate your tree with twinkly lights, remind yourself and your children that Christ came to be the Light of the World. As you decorate your home with lights, talk about how God calls us to be the light to a dark world. Just as our homes shine brightly in the darkness, we should seek to live holy lives that are different from the sinful world around us.

Further use of colors representations: Red for Jesus’ blood, Green for everlasting life, White for purity (both in Christ and in how he makes us white as snow), Gold for Christ’s Kingship. Remind yourself of these truths as you decorate and make sure to verbalize them throughout the holiday season for the benefit of your children. Meditate on a verse for each of the colors throughout the season. Decorate your home with angels who are “announcing” the coming messiah. Use a star to top your tree symbolizing the star that led to the baby Jesus in the manger. Consider waiting to place it on the top of the tree on Christmas Eve.

Gingerbread Gospel (For families with children)- There are a couple ways you can use the traditional “Gingerbread House” to focus on Christ. The first is by building a traditional house and relating it to the gospel message. Here is a way one mother does so:

“Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a life-sized gingerbread house? What would your favorite candy house be made out of? What would you use for beds, chairs, pillows, toys? (let the children offer ideas) That would almost seem like the perfect place to live, wouldn’t it? Well, the Bible tells us about a real live “perfect place to live.” It’s called Heaven. Long ago, that’s where Jesus lived. But God decided to send Jesus from His perfect house in Heaven to Earth. (John 6:38) What was the first house Jesus lived in on Earth (pause to let children answer)? It was a stable. What is a stable? (a barn) What would have it looked like? What would have been in that stable? What would it have smelled like? And Jesus’ first bed was a manger. What is a manger? (A feeding trough for animals) (Luke 2:1-7) Was it anything like the perfect place Jesus came from? Now, why do you think that God would send His own Son from a perfect house in heaven, to a dirty, smelly, cold place like a stable? (let children offer answers) Because He loves you very much! He wanted you to know Him and so He sent His Son to tell you and to show you all about God. Jesus did just that. He taught us about God, and the things that He taught are all written down for us in the Bible (John 3:16) One day, when Jesus was still a young man, He left His home on Earth. He died for all the bad things we’ve done. And now He has a new home. Do you know where that is? He wants to live in our hearts. He will come and live in our hearts if we ask Him to, and forgive us all of the wrong things we’ve done! (John 14:15-17) Now, why do you think He would want to live inside us, and forgive us of our sins? (pause for responses) He does that because He loves each one of you so much! He wants to always be close to you, and help you. Finally, the Bible says one more important thing about houses. It says that Jesus is preparing a house for each one of us in heaven! He says that one day, we can all live forever with Him there in that perfect, wonderful place! (Luke 1:31-33; John 6:38-40; John 14:1-3) Can you tell me what houses we have talked about that Jesus has lived in? (heaven, stable/earth, our hearts, and heaven again) Now, I want you to remember how much Jesus loves you every time you look at it. And I want you to remember that Jesus wants to live inside you, and to have you live with Him in Heaven someday.” Gingerbread House Photo Credit

Another way to use gingerbread to focus your children’s hearts on Christ (and your own for that matter) is to build a gingerbread nativity scene rather than a house. There are nativity cookie cutters that can be used for this and as you bake and decorate the different characters you will be presented with another opportunity to share the story of the incarnation with your children. Gingerbread Nativity Photo Credit

Play Nativity Sets (for families with children)- use a children’s nativity set to act out the nativity story with your children over and over again during the holiday season. Let them keep the nativity in their room and play with it at will.

Act Out the Nativity Story (for families with children)- Many families put on a little Christmas pageant of there own where each member of the family plays a role (Mary, Joseph, an Angel, etc…) reenacting the Christmas story either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Creative people can even make costumes!

Watch “The Nativity Story” as a family during the Christmas season.

We love this movie for the sole purpose of showing the reality of real people (Mary and Joseph) with real faults and fears being used by God during this miraculous event. I cry when Christ is born every time we watch it! We usually watch it on Christmas Eve.

Read the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth before opening presents. This simple tradition may have a tremendous impact on your children’s hearts as they learn to control their desire for presents and put Christ first in all things. Don’t rush through this activity and make sure that you are visibly excited to spend time with Jesus as a family on this very special morning-your enthusiasm will make a huge impact on their view of the activity.

Decorate with the Glory of God in Mind- So often we take our decorating cues from the world rather than thinking through our purpose in using such decorations. What do your decorations say about what you are celebrating? Reindeer and snowmen are not evil and can bring glory to the Lord, but they also may not be the most helpful for focusing your heart on Jesus. What’s worse, your children may grow up believing that Christmas is all about those things rather than the Holy Son of God. Let’s decorate our homes in a way that worships the the Lord! Try to make and find decorations that remind you of the miraculous event we are celebrating. Names of Jesus Frame Photo Credit

Click here to look at practical ways to worship our Messiah King during the Christmas Season!

To see all of Desiring Virtue’s Christmas resources click here!This post is linked up at The Encouraging Home

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Cultivating a Christ-Centered Christmas: Practical Traditions (Advent)

Nov 15, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Yesterday we looked at the motivation behind celebrating a Christ-centered Christmas. If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to take the time to read yesterday’s post before moving on to these practical suggestions for Christ-centered traditions. 

Now that you are considering how you can cultivate a distinctly Christian Christmas celebration in your home, let’s look at some practical ways to do so. Keep in mind that no family should do all of these things. Trying to do too much during the holiday season, even good things, can result in a loss of the meditative spirit we are hoping to cultivate. Many of these traditions overlap and some of them cannot be done at the same time. Choose the traditions that are the most meaningful to you or use these suggestions as inspiration to create your own Christ-centered traditions.

Through sharing a wealth of ideas with you, I hope to prove that by focusing on Christ, rather than the many materialistic and mystical traditions the world focuses on, you are not giving up a joyful, meaningful, memorable Christmas. On the contrary, by focusing our hearts and minds on the Living God throughout the Christmas season, we will do lasting good to our lives, our children’s lives, and the lives of the watching world around us. Today we will start with advent activities.

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Cultivating a Christ-Centered Christmas: Our Motivation

Nov 14, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Yesterday I introduced you to Desiring Virtue’s new series “Cultivating a Christ-Centered Christmas.” Today we are going to begin the series by looking at our motivation for being intentional about our Christmas Celebrations.

Many Christians are increasingly concerned with the state of Christmas in our country. Phrases like “Keep Christ in Christmas!” have become anthems of our Christian community as even the word “Christmas” fades into obscurity, replaced by the more politically correct word “Holiday.”

Yet we must concede that Christmas is not a Biblically mandated holiday and it is not the only holiday that has ever been celebrated during the winter season. It is not even the first holiday to be celebrated during cold winter months! Most of us are aware that Christmas (the celebration of Christ’s birth) was first instituted by the Catholic church on December 25th in an effort to capitalize on the pagan celebrations already taking place during that time of the year. By doing this they not only ensured that The Feast of the Nativity, as it was originally called, would be easily embraced, but that it would soon eclipse pagan worship festivals as Christianity continued to grow. Many puritans (and even like minded Christians to this day) actually rejected the “Christmas” holiday due to its affiliation with such pagan festivals and the influence that those pagan cultures continued to have on the holiday.

It is vital that before we talk about specific ways to cultivate a Christ-centered Christmas we first explore our motivation behind celebrating Christmas at all. For when we have a specified purpose for our celebration we will be less likely to get derailed by our worldly, materialistic tendencies. Let it be our goal to celebrate a Christmas that is distinctly Christian and points others to our great Messiah King.

Motivation 1: For the Glory of God

As Christ’s redeemed people our purpose in every aspect of life is to glorify the Risen Lord. The Westminster Catechism explains that the “chief end of man” is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Indeed our lives are no longer about us, but about our glorious God and what he has done for his creation. Just as we seek to place every other aspect of our lives under his lordship, our traditions, celebrations, and holidays must also be purposefully about proclaiming his glory to our own hearts and to the hearts of the watching world around us. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to bring every decision, every facet of their lives (including what they ate and drank) under Christ’s reign and thus bring glory to him through it. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)

The birth of Christ, the incarnation of God, God becoming man for the purpose of living a holy life and then dying for sinful men in order to secure eternal salvation for them is a historical miracle that deserves celebration! Just as we seek to remember and celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection at Easter, we seek to celebrate the miracle of God becoming man so that one day he could die and be resurrected for our eternal good. By celebrating the birth of Christ we seek to worship and glorify God for his infinite goodness.

Motivation 2: To Remember

Indeed this infinitely beautiful truth should be carried within our hearts and lived out in our actions every single day of our lives. Yet, we are weak, frail human beings and we often forget how marvelous this truth really is. And so in bringing glory to the Lord by celebrating Christmas we naturally do ourselves the good of focusing our hearts on this marvelous truth and meditating on its implications for our lives.

In the Old Testament God instituted many feasts and celebrations for the people of Israel to remind them of all that he had done for them. The Passover, for instance, what created to remind the people of the Lord’s having passed over the Israelite’s first born by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. Thus the passover yearly pointed to the coming Messiah who would be their sacrificial lamb and cause their sins to be “passed over.”

God encouraged the Israelites to be careful to remind themselves of his goodness to them, lest they forget. Listen to this passage from Deuteronomy 4:9-10 where Moses warns the Israelites to diligently remember the law the Lord had just given them and the many ways he fought for them on their way to the Promised Land: “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.” The many traditions and feasts that the Israelites partook in were meant to serve as reminders to them and their children of the Lord’s work in their midst.

In the same way, we as new testament believers, have been given the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. These visual, tangible acts of obedience that we rehearse over and over again are meant to enliven within our souls the reality of spiritual truths, bringing encouragement to our hearts and glory to the Lord himself. Holidays like Christmas, though not Biblically mandated, can serve a similar purpose in our lives. -That is if we are purposeful in how we celebrate them. A Christmas that is characterized by reindeer, snowmen, and gift giving may bring temporary joy to the heart, but does little to bring lasting spiritual benefit to your family.

Motivation 3: To Teach Our Children

After God had given the Israelites the ten commandments, he warned them to be diligent to not only keep them themselves, but to be faithful to raise their children in the knowledge of the Lord. Take a moment to reread this passage from Deuteronomy:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Christmas provides us with a wonderful opportunity to capture our children’s hearts with a clear understanding of a difficult doctrine to grasp -the incarnation of Christ. This doctrine is essential to our children’s formation of the Gospel. As we set out nativity scenes, as we light advent candles, as we decorate Jesse Trees we visually, and verbally teach and instruct their little hearts and minds the truth of God made man, come to save sinners. As they see us joyfully reaching out to neighbors with gifts of love and as they hear us blissfully sing Christmas hymns they learn that we are marked by the virgin birth, that the baby Jesus transformed our lives because he was not just a cute, and cuddly little baby surrounded by fun animals, but was the King of the Universe who came on a rescue mission to ransom us from our sins. These are the precious truths we have the responsibility to impress on our children, and in the holiday of Christmas we have the opportunity to explore them in a magical way.

Motivation 4: To Witness to the World

The fact that we celebrate Christmas and how we celebrate Christmas can be a tremendous testimony to a watching world. We live in a culture that has long observed a holiday that was created to be a Christian holiday. Even with the tide receding from a Jesus focused Christmas, we have an incredible opportunity to talk about Christ during a season when people are more open to hear about him-after all, many of them are celebrating a holiday which began as a means to celebrate his birth. Many people are curious as to what in the world these Christmas carols they like to sing are all about! Just as the shepherds left Jesus rejoicing and telling others about what had taken place, we too desire to inform a watching world about this miraculous event in history that changed our world and our lives forever.

Because of this opportunity we have to witness to the lost world around us we must consider what our celebrations and traditions preach, so to speak, to those watching. Are we fostering a greedy, commercial, fantastical, frantic holiday within our homes? Or are we encouraging a giving, serving, God-exalting, Christ-centered, joyful atmosphere in our homes through our celebrations?

Does our Christmas look any different from the world’s Christmas? We have so much to celebrate and enjoy in our Lord while the world clamors to find peace in joy itself. Let our homes be brilliant not simply because of the millions of lights that decorate our roof tops, but let them be blindingly illuminated by the light of the Gospel as it spills out onto all that we encounter.

Right about now you are probably thinking, “yes, this is great, but let’s get to the practical stuff, how can I practically make the most of this upcoming Christmas, what traditions can I add to our family’s celebration to encourage Christ-centeredness?

My hope in beginning this series in such a way is to challenge you to rethink your Christmas altogether, not simply tack on some fun, thought provoking traditions, but to evaluate your motivation for the ways you celebrate. Ask yourself these questions:

Why do you do the things you do?

Do your traditions bring glory to the Lord?

Are they beneficial to your spiritual growth, to the spiritual growth of your family, to the world around you?

Are there things you are doing that are actually detrimental rather than beneficial?

Are there things you need to cut out of your celebration altogether?

If an unbeliever were to join you for your Christmas celebration would they know you were celebrating Christ?

Does your Christmas look any different from the world’s around you?

What do your decorations celebrate? Christ or a commercial Christmas?

I would encourage you to step back and evaluate the way you celebrate Christmas and don’t be afraid to depart from the cultural norms around you or your family’s norms in an effort to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life. We only get this one life on earth to bring as much glory to the Lord as we can and to spread as much of his love and truth to the world around us. We simply can’t afford to waste an entire holiday season that has tremendous opportunity to glorify the Lord. Think about the Christmas celebrated in your home, with your family, is it characterized by snow men, gingerbread houses, and Santa Claus?-or is it characterized by the wonderful hope of our Messiah King.

We as wives and mothers have the privilege of setting the tone for our holidays, we usually choose the decorations, bake the yummy stuff, and talk to our children throughout the day about what we are celebrating. Let us take these opportunities, this responsibility, seriously and focus our hearts and homes on Christ this Christmas.

To see all of Desiring Virtue’s Christmas resources click here!
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This post is linked up with Time Warp Wife’s “Titus Tuesdays” and Raising Homemakers’ Homemaking Link-Up, and at the Encouraging Home.

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Cultivating A Christ-Centered Christmas: Introduction

Nov 13, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Many of you will be familiar with the name John Piper. Piper, an incredibly gifted preacher and writer has centered his church ministry at Bethlehem Baptist Church and his para church ministry, Desiring God, on the one paramount focus of exalting Christ through knowing him and enjoying him forever. His preaching and life testimony have had a tremendous influence on my perception of the Christian life. He is one of those people who seems to naturally exhale the worship of God, so full of his holy presence that he can’t help but breath it out onto you. People like John Piper challenge you to live every moment of your life through the glorious reality of the Gospel, to live your life in a Biblical, Christ-centered fashion.

When his wife, Noel Piper, released a little book titled Treasuring God in Our Traditions, in which she shares simple ways to focus your heart and your family’s hearts on the Lord during various holidays, I knew it was a must read as a young wife and soon-to-be mother. I couldn’t wait to find out what the Pipers did in their home to exalt Christ and draw near to him during holidays like Christmas.

You see, one of the things that Richard and I used to fantasize about as a young, engaged couple was how we would purposefully try to cultivate an atmosphere of genuine love for the Lord within our home. We would talk about everything from nightly devotions with our future children to what we were going to do with the cultural phenomenon known as Santa Claus during the Christmas season. We were so excited to begin our family and begin a legacy of faithful worship of the Risen Lord.

Mrs. Piper, describes a similar desire within a younger John and Noel as they prayerfully considered each tradition they would begin or continue within their new family. Their zealousness to be completely focused on the Lord during Christmas lead them to ixnay the familiar Christmas Tree tradition simply because they couldn’t find Biblical reason to include it in their celebration. They desired to have a distinctly Christian celebration and felt that the Christmas tree was simply a cultural tradition that lent little spiritual benefit to their holiday. They simply desired to be counter-cultural. She later goes on to explain how such extreme measures are not necessary, how some traditions are simply traditions that we enjoy as a blessing from the Lord, but that our motive should always be to put careful consideration into why we celebrate in the way we do and how our celebrations reflect and encourage our relationship to the Lord.

I am very honored and excited to explore these topics with you through a new series called “Cultivating A Christ-Centered-Christmas.” It is my prayer that I can encourage you to make the most of this Christmas season as we seek to bring honor and glory to our Messiah King.

I want to start by exploring our motivation in cultivating a Christ-Centered Christmas and then end by sharing many practical traditions that you can implement within your own home to encourage spiritual growth and Christ-centeredness in your own heart and in your family’s hearts during this wonderful holiday we call Christmas.

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When God Asks You For Your Isaac

Nov 9, 2011 by desiringvirtue

I could hear an audible sob from my husband, but couldn’t bear to look back at him. My eyes wouldn’t move from that computer screen, the screen projecting our lifeless baby girl. In grainy black and white we watched as the technician traced his mouse over her tiny, motionless heart. I struggled as tears fell from my eyes and my chest began to heave.

A baby girl.

How often I had hoped and dreamed of raising a daughter, a woman I could disciple in the ways of Biblical femininity, a little girl who’s hair I could braid and decorate with ribbon, a baby who would wear sun dresses in the summer and tights in the winter. But none of that mattered for those few minutes in that dark room. All that mattered was that she was dead, my little baby was dead.

Sleepless nights, hopeless days, blood shot eyes and puffy red faces: tokens of a sorrow running deep within our souls. And yet beneath the wavy, turbulent surface of our lives there rested a deep and abiding Spirit, a Comforter who anchored our faith.

“Will you give me your little girl?” I kept hearing those words over and over again.

With trembling lips and a frail countenance I offered her up to him as often as he asked; “Yes Lord, she is yours, I give her freely.”

Some wonder at our devotion to a God who would take something so precious from us, who would allow us so much hurt. Others look at us as spiritual giants who seem to possess such incredible faith. And all I can reply to both is, “How could we not love him? How could we not be completely devoted to the one who has given everything for us?”

If you truly met this Savior who loves his redeemed so deeply and serves them so faithfully, if you could see his blood stained brow, his nail pierced hands, his bleeding side, and you could hear him say he did it all for you, you too would give him everything, you would give him anything.

It is in these moments when I feel I can taste the devotion, wrought by the Spirit of God, tested by trials and upheld by his faithfullness, that Christian maturity longs for. It is at times like this that I can faintly taste the faith of our father Abraham, a man willing to do the unthinkable, because he trusted in the goodness of our God.

These most vulnerable of times, these most humble of moments seem to lift us to the highest of heights. We seem to almost feel God’s overwhelming presence. When our lives are stripped bare and we are left with Job’s bewildering poverty there is nothing to be seen but the fortitude of our faith, nothing but the grace of God bracing our frail spirits.

It seems that love is proven not in the heights of ecstasy, but in the pits of despair, when there seems to be no visible reason to give God our affections at all. Here in the pit of loss and longing our love is tested and tried. Here we are proven to be his beloved children, those who have been transformed by the inner working of the Holy Spirit, slowly being fashioned into the image of his Son.

And how brightly the Son shines in the darkness of despair. How lovely does he appear to his bride when she needs him the most, when she is shivering with grief. He, who cares so deeply for our every hurt, our every pain, carries us through such difficult times-times when our legs give way and we fear we will never again walk back into the light.

No, when he asked for my little girl, for my Anastasia, I couldn’t deny him. I could only thank him for the honor and blessing of carrying her for 17 weeks and then give back what was never truly mine to begin with.

When he asked me if I loved him, I could only respond with “How could I not?”

Related Posts: One Picture, The Lord Gives and The Lord Takes Away, The Joys and Sorrows of Miscarriage

Linking this post up at: Time Warp Wife and Raising Homemakers

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Menu Planning Mayhem (October 23-29)

Oct 23, 2011 by desiringvirtue

I am trying out some new recipes this week and getting into the fall spirit! I will let you know which recipes are super delicious after I try them out.

What is your family eating this week? Link up your week’s menu plan or a special recipe you will be preparing!

Our Dinner Menu

(October 23-29, 2011)

• Boilermaker Tailgater Chili (This recipe has excellent reviews so I am excited to try it out, though I seem to always end up tweaking my chili recipes to suit my tastes, doesn’t everybody?)
• Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue
• BLTs
• Chicken Pot Pie IX (I’ve actually never made a chicken pot pie before so I am really excited to try my hand at it!)
• Family Pizza Night!

What’s your family eating this week? Link up your menu plan below!

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Join us in the Menu Planning Mayhem by linking up your menu below or sharing it in the comments! If you are joining the mayhem, be sure to snag a cute button to link back to the menu planning fun!

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It’s All Just Too Much

Oct 21, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Do you ever get overwhelmed by all of the awesomeness on the internet?

It used to be you would flip through a Good Housekeeping or Parenting magazine once a month, dog ear the projects you wanted to tackle, and then maybe get around to one of them before the next issue came out. Now we daily browse our beloved bookmarked blogs for the latest crafts, decorating advice, educational materials, spiritual encouragement, and parental vision (to name a few… oh yeah, and marital advice!).

Everyone has something to share, whether it is their latest whole food kick or their super awesome advice for “re-igniting” that flame between you and your husband. If you spend much time on the internet (and specifically around the women blogs, DV included) it can be easy to become overwhelmed by all the things you need to do to be a better you.

On a side note: Have you ever noticed that the man blogs out there are drastically different? You don’t see Albert Mohler talking about the Best Lawn Cutting Technique He Just Figured Out and Why You Should Try It Too, or Tim Challies blogging about his All Natural Hair Gel and Its Positive Effects on the Environment…

Sometimes I think we need to step back and decide what we are going to focus on. Are we going to be women who focus on all the “projects” we want to accomplish in a day or are we going to focus on the Risen Lord and serving his Kingdom for his glory? The two are not always mutually exclusive, but sometimes that list of bookmarked blogs can get in the way of hearing that still small voice of the Holy Spirit meant to refresh and inspire our inner being. We can miss what the Lord himself is calling us to do while browsing through what Simple Mom or Passionate Homemaking (two blogs I LOVE) are encouraging us to do (in five easy steps!).

Blog feeds.

Twitter feeds.

Facebook updates.

Delicious accounts.

Pins…. (Oh the many beautiful pins!)

Sometimes it is all too much.

Sometimes, many times, most times, we need less of the internet and more of the Lord himself influencing our day. Something tells me that if we spent as much time in prayer as we do pinning things and tweeting things, we would be much better homemakers, parents, wives, neighbors, evangelists, and church members. Have you ever compared the amount of time you spend on the internet being inspired with the amount of time you spend on your knees begging the Lord to shape and mold your day? He is the one with the real power to change you, to accomplish his glorious will in your life, to create the servant’s heart you desire, and yet he is the one we most often neglect. We are more often directed by what our favorite blogs put before us than what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do.

God doesn’t have a pretty home page decorated with delicate flowers and victorian beauties, but unlike another “How To” article he offers soul-satisfying, peace-inducing, life-altering communion that will leave you feeling complete rather than burdened.

The internet is a gift filled with good things. Let us be careful to not choose the good things above the best thing.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

(Matthew 6:25-32; Matthew 6:33 ESV)

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

(Matthew 22:34-36; Matthew 22:37-39 ESV)

Surely the best homemakers (those with the most lasting spiritual impact on those around them) are those who spend the most time on their knees seeking the Lord’s direction for their homes and not scouring the internet for Five More Steps to a More Peaceful Family Life.

Let’s be those homemakers, women who love the Lord above all else and desire his Spirit to guide and direct our days.

“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” (John Piper)

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The Ends of the Earth

Oct 19, 2011 by desiringvirtue

First published September 10, 2009

“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22)

A couple nights ago Richard and I were reading Spurgeon’s sermon Sovereignty and Salvation. This was the third time I had read it and I plan on reading it again (many more times). Yes, it is that good, but really which Spurgeon sermon isn’t? The text he was teaching from was the verse from Isaiah quoted above. He first explains how the Lord brings glory to himself by proving time and time again that there is no other God besides himself. Idols have fallen and monarchies fail, but the One true God still stands. He then goes on to explain how simple the act of turning to the Lord is. God has made salvation as simple as looking to him and yet it is the hardest thing for a man to do. To do so means that you must acknowledge that the Lord is your only hope of salvation and that your eternity rests in his hands and not your own.

Toward the end of his sermon he addresses the who of this verse. Who does the Lord offer this salvation to; who can simply turn to the Lord, the only Lord, and find salvation to quench his thirsty soul? God says, “all the ends of the earth.” Spurgeon acknowledges that this certainly applies to the farthest, and most remote person on the face of our planet. We can surely go to them and tell them to simply turn to the Lord and be saved and they can be! Praise God that the Gospel is universal and meets the deepest needs of every nation, tribe, and tongue. But Spurgeon didn’t just stop there. He goes on to explain:

…I think “the ends of the earth” imply those who have gone the farthest away from Christ. I say, drunkard, that means you. You have been staggering back, till you have got right to the ends of the earth… you cannot be much worse. There is not a man breathing who is much worse than you. Is there? Ah! but God, in order to humble your pride, says to you, “Look unto me, and be ye saved.” There is another who has lived a lie e of infamy and sin, until she has ruined herself, and even Satan seems to sweep her out at the back door; but God says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Methinks I see one trembling here and saying, “Ah, I have not been one of these, sir, but I have been something worse; for I have attended the house of God, and I have stifled convictions, and put off all thoughts of Jesus, and now I think he will never have mercy on me.” You are one of them. “Ends of the earth!” So long as I find any who feel like that I can tell them that they are “the ends of the earth.”

His point of course is that God loves to take the vilest, most repulsive sinners, the ones farthest from himself and give them salvation. He loves to take them from their addictions, lusts, pain, or hypocrisy and bring them into a right relationship with him. He loves to change them and make them into something beautiful, something lovely, something full of joy and purpose. If we know this about our God, it should change the way we preach the gospel. There is no end to the Lord’s mercy; there is no height to his love for sinners. Who are we to say who is beyond the Lord’s salvation? The Lord has made it very clear that even “the ends of the earth” can be saved when they simply turn to him. Therefore we must offer him to every person no matter how far they are from the Lord. We must plead to every soul as Spurgeon concludes:

O, taste and see that the Lord is good! Now believe on him; now cast thy guilty soul upon his righteousness; now plunge thy black soul into the bath of his blood; now put thy naked soul at the door of the wardrobe of his righteousness; now seat thy famished soul at the feast of plenty.

No brother, sister, friend, uncle, aunt, cousin, mom, dad, grandparent, stranger, or co-worker is too far from the Lord to receive his mercy. You are not too far away. Look to him and be saved.

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Reading Little Stories

Oct 13, 2011 by desiringvirtue

Before I was even married I used to walked blissfully through the children’s section of Barnes and Noble dreaming of the day I would buy my own children such marvelously illustrated and poetically worded books. I couldn’t wait to have a “reason” to fill up my shopping cart with these delicious little works of art. Now that I have little ones in my home it is a joy to be able to fill up my Amazon shopping cart and anxiously wait for our package of fun to arrive in the mail!

Both of our little boys love to be read to and it is such a privilege to be their mommy, the voice of all their favorite characters. What a joy it is to watch their minds grow and their passion for stories come alive!

A love for reading is one characteristic I hope to impart to my children. Though their library is limited as of now to Dr. Suess, Eric Carle, Baby Einstein and such I know that the minutes, hours, and days we spend with our noses in books will one day open the door to Spurgeon, Piper, J.C. Ryle, and the like.

These little books, read over and over, smudged, bent, and torn will be remembered with fondness and hopefully spur on a love for the written word.

So what are our little readers absorbed in these days? What are the hits that keep being pulled out over and over again? Here are the Hutto boy’s top 10:

1. Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis

2. Hop on Pop by Dr. Suess

3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle

4. Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

5. Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, by Al Perkins

6. Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton

7. There’s a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Suess

8. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom  (Lap Edition!) by Jr. Bill Martin

9. Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

10. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

What books are your little ones obsessed with? Do they favor the “classics” or the newer books available?

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Out of the Land of Hurry (A Tale for Moms)

Oct 11, 2011 by Becky

Time runs incessantly by like a waterfall, violently. Clock and Watch seem to have the power over the days of men, they are such cruel rulers. The Sun and the Moon are no longer the Masters of the biological clock of the people in the Land of Hurry. Tic Toc; Tic Toc is the sound that can be heard all over the land, no time for listening to the birds’ song or watching squirrels, or kissing longer, or hugging tighter. Moms run from here and there, tirelessly, dragging feet and children. Dads go and go and go….

- But wait!

- Wait? Who dares to say THAT word in this Land of Hurry?

- It is me,  Quiet-Slow-Mom

- Are you talking to me? Sorry… I don’t have time to stay, I have to go. So many things in my list. I just can’t wait!

- Wait, please. Please, listen to me…

For some strange reason Rushing-Busy-Mom always in a hurry stopped. For the first time in months she stopped and even felt her heart pumping blood through her body, and without even thinking stared for a moment at a few small beautiful flowers beside the road, and felt her little daughter’s hand holding hers.

Quiet-Slow-Mom said,

-I used to walk like you, enslaved by the cruel Clock and like you, I loved to be running all day. It made me feel… so… productive. Yes, I felt more important if I could handle more things than I wanted to do. I murmured a tiny prayer whenever I had time and sometimes  I read a Bible verse that had been on my fridge for years. Yes, I had the same endless excuses, the little ones, the laundry, the money, the husband, the Bible study, the bills, the gym, the so longed for “Time-For-Me”, who, by the way, is the most shrewd deceiver around Moms.  But one day I stopped… well actually , He made stop…

-He? I barely remember any of His Words… It has been so long…I hadn’t have time.

- Yes, He made me stop; the Owner of My Days; the One who fixed the Sun and Moon in place to give us a day to work and a night to rest. He spoke clearly to me, I remember well. It was one day when he opened my ears to hear my voice, my dialog. I was scared. The two words that my children were listening from me  all day long were terrifying: Hurry Up!

Rushing-Busy-Mom had a lump in her throat and a tear made of minuscule particles of wasted time, rolled down from her cheek.

Quiet-Slow-Mom kept on saying,

- When I realized how many times I had spoken those words I broke into pieces. I knew in that moment that those words I kept saying all day, all days were exactly the opposite of what my heart longed for… I did not want to rush the hours, I did not want to make the time pass by so quickly, I did not want to hurry the moments… O Beautiful Moments that were disappearing without no one noticing them, and I just let them go by while Clock and Watch observed, and they laughed at me.

Rushing-Busy-Mom sat on the grass, and held her baby girl in her arms who was now sleeping. She took her tiny hands and took a moment to see how much her hands had grown and how beautiful her hair was.  The rays of the Sun were particularly beautiful that day… or so they seemed. She looked at Quiet-Slow-Mom and whispered to her…

- Do you think it is possible, really possible, to stop living under the cruel, rude, and powerful dominion of Clock and Watch? Is there a way out of the Land of Hurry?

- Yes, there is a way out of the Land of Hurry. It is that tiny door over there; it is just like the Door to Paradise which is narrow; it is a door through which you must enter on your knees, face down, with a contrite spirit… slowly, very slowly. You must leave behind all that doesn’t matter and walk through it humbly. When you hear the Owner of Time, the One who holds the days of mankind in the palm of His hand calling you, do not hesitate and walk through it. He will teach  you to number your days; He will teach you to live wisely in the Land. He will help you to kiss longer and hug tighter, and slow down to play and read a book. He will renew your strength every day with the power of His Word; when You come to meet Him early in the mornings you will find out how to live in this frame of time, serving Him and not Clock or Watch. You will find rest under His shadow and peace under His wings. You will  soon find yourself loving more, smiling more, baking more, making love more… It is when we stop and deliberately seek Him that Time stops ruling our days and we start living, fully living under His sun and by His grace…

Becky is a Mexican living in one of the most crowded cities in the world, Mexico City. She has been happily married to an incredible man for almost 20 years. They have four children and  have homeschooled them following the Classical Christian Education model. Their oldest son is a sophmore in College and their youngest is a 7 years old girl. Becky grew in a typical Evangelical church, but after much prayer from her Dad and reading A.W Pink’s book entitled God’s Sovereignity she came to love the Reformed faith. Becky enjoys the big books and the small books, she loves to study God’s word and read mostly, from dead authors, like the Puritans. She says that her real education began when she started homeschooling her children. She currently teaches Spanish at Veritas Press Scholars; loves to take out her watercolors on a sunny Saturday and paint, and you will always see her with her camera ready to capture the simple everyday moments that make up her days. She loves to bake muffins for her family on Saturdays while they are still asleep, so they wake up to the sweet smell of home. You can find Becky on her main blog Daily On My Way to Heaven; on her photography blog, My Daily Journey-through my lens- and on her Spanish blog, Delicias A Tu Diestra Para Siempre.

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Christmas Printables are Here!

Oct 7, 2011 by desiringvirtue

*Note: If you are reading this post on your phone, the printables will not appear correctly. Make sure to stop on by on your computer to see them with the correct formatting.

I am so excited to share some new printables with you today. I realize that it is only just October, but you can never start planning early enough-especially if you want to keep your Christmas season stress free! My mother-in-law has 17 people in our immediate family to buy for so she has already started her Christmas shopping! I hope these Christmas Organization Printables will be a blessing to you as you prepare for that wonderful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! Each printable has a color and black and white version.

Stay tuned… there may be more to come!

Feel free to download as many printables as you find helpful. And… if you feel so inclined, you can leave a small donation (99 cents?) by simply clicking on this Paypal button:

Christmas Gift Planner Breakdown Printable
Christmas Baking PlannerChristmas Budget

Christmas Check List

Merry Christmas Planning!

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Throw a Fabulous Tea Party on a Budget!

Oct 4, 2011 by Julie

I had so much fun Saturday hosting some lovely ladies in my home for a Bridesmaid’s Tea!

While I wouldn’t consider myself a baker, I was determined to make sugar cookies and scones all from scratch for this special occasion. Can I just tell you that I didn’t burn anything?! Small personal victory! Here’s how I put it together…

Since there were only seven of us, I wanted to keep everything simple.

After all, if we’re going to fit in those bridesmaids dresses, loading up on (too many) sugary treats isn’t the best thing to do

It was also important for me to keep this on a reasonable budget.

The Decor

Tea pots, cake stand, and serving pieces were all things I had on hand. It was just a matter of playing around with the layout to make it work. I picked up the plates, napkins and table cloth at Dollar Tree, along with the ribbon that added a little flair and tied in my “table-scape”.

For the food and drinks, I also tried to base the menu on what I had on hand in the pantry and pair that with a few fresh items. This is what I planned to serve:

The Menu

Pioneer Woman Maple Pecan Scones
(Gigantic) Pioneer Woman Angel Sugar Cookies
Fruit Kabobs (red grapes, bananas, strawberry & pineapple)
Parmesan Chex Mix

Served Buffet Style with Choice of Tea:
Passion Tea Lemonade, Regular Iced Tea or Hot Green/ Red Apple Tea

The scones were a big hit, they taste like “delicious pancakes” according to the girls. I think the kabob-style fruit was fun and also made for easy serving. Even after loading up our plates, there were plenty of scones and cookies for my guests to take home in clear cellophane goodie bags. Perfect party favors!

I was really pleased with how everything turned out I’m so glad I focused on trying to do a few things well rather than try to serve an abundance.

For baking, the only item I had to make a special purchase for was the package of powdered sugar- approx. $2. I checked the sale papers for the best prices on fruit, the strawberries were $2, pineapple was $1, grapes $.77/ lb., bananas $.39/lb. So the total money out of pocket for fruit was about five dollars. Other than the baked goods and fruit the only other purchase I made was some lemonade (on sale with a coupon for $2).

Making the most of what I already had on-hand, I was able to host a super-fun afternoon tea for less than $25.

As we approach the holiday season, let me encourage you that you can do this too! It may look different, maybe this isn’t your cup of tea (pardon the pun) but perhaps you’d like to host family or friends in your home in a unique way. Hospitality is not about putting on a show, it’s about extending your home- regardless of size to others. So, get creative, try something new this season. Have joy in making the most of what you have!

A self-proclaimed foodie, Julie’s love of cooking and her travel experiences have sent her on a quest for creativity in the kitchen! Julie and her husband James live just outside of Dallas, Texas where they share a passion for serving others through their local church. As the Turner’s are newlyweds, Julie chronicles their journey together on their family blog www.theturnyeahs.tumblr.com

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