Walking into a crowded sanctuary that Friday night, I gazed around the room looking for a seat at our yearly women’s conference. At home, my sweet husband, although tired from a long work week, stayed to watch my two teething, irritable girls. After visiting with a few ladies, I sank into my seat and pushed thoughts of bedtime to the back of my head.

God is so good! He knew exactly what encouragement I needed to get through that weekend. You see, not only was I physically tired from caring for crabby kids, I had begun to neglect the source of true energy and encouragement.

This may be a big assumption, but I doubt I’m the only one who has periods of time where I start to rely on myself for energy, answers, and strength. Why does this happen? Why do we–do I–neglect the Savior of the universe and somehow think that I have the ability to do things by myself?

Remember the first miracle Jesus preformed? He attending a week long wedding celebration that developed a sudden problem. The wine–consumed. The pots–empty. The source for more–nowhere to be found. John 2:5 “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you’.” Jesus knew the wine was gone and He knew how to fill those empty pots. And He did! How? By His miraculous power and the obedience of the servants to do what He said.

This weekend, I was empty. My energy was consumed. I wasn’t even looking to be filled! But, God knew what I needed. He reminded me that I must “Do what He tells me”. And what does He want from me? For my gaze to be on Him! He will bless me when I forsake sin and make my delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-3). This is the means he desires to bless me through!

This means I MUST take time to focus on Christ daily to refill my empty pot–and fill it to the brim. When I obey Christ and spend time in His word, my pot will be filled with joy from Him. Then that joy will overflow to others–my husband, my kids, other people I interact with. It becomes a continuous flow–my filling of God, giving that joy to others, then turning for more of God, then back to give, and the constant cycle continues.

“If you poor yourself out for the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong. And you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Is. 58:10-11)

Who do you pour into daily? Your children? Husband? Neighbors? Co workers? Those you disciple? Are you drawing from your own wisdom and strength to do this? Or are you running to the only source that can fill you up?

Feast on His word daily! Give Him your fears, worries, and anxieties. Bask in His love and goodness. Yearn for more of Him. When you feel yourself growing weary and tired, reach for more of the One who always has more to give. This simple, basic concept remains key to our sanity, ladies!

Remember though, spending time with Jesus doesn’t make God love you more. When God looks at you, if you are His child, He’s sees the perfection of Christ. His love for you is NOT based on how much time you spend with Him. When you fail to have a quiet time, God is NOT disappointed in you. He is, however, disappointed for us. He knows what we’re missing by choosing to rely on ourselves. He knows what we could have and how much more joy and efficiency we can show because of Him.

Have you ever chopped vegetables for dinner with a butter knife? Carrots, broccoli, and onions for stir fry don’t dice easily with such a dull blade. Sure, it can be done, but it’s difficult! When you grab a nice chef blade with a sharp edge, it glides through those veggies in no time. So it is when we spend time with Christ. When we neglect him, our blade is dull. Yes, we can get through our daily interactions and to do list, but when we spend time with our Redeemer and Lord, our focus is on Him. We are then able to glide through our day smoother because He is our strength!

Since that weekend I have had a renewed desire to spend time each morning filling up my pot and sharpening my knife so that I can glide through my day overflowing with love and joy to my kids and others. Does this mean each day has been perfect? NO! But I’m grateful for a God who fills me up so I can serve Him by comforting those cranky, teething young ones.

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

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My first official Mother’s Day was a painful one. A few months before we had lost our first baby in an early miscarriage and now I was pregnant with our oldest son Elliot. Only about a month into his pregnancy I was full of mixed emotions, both joyful and fearful, both hopeful and timid. I was still mourning the child I had lost and afraid of losing the one now growing in my womb. Mother’s Day wasn’t a celebration for me, it was a reminder of the blessing that could be taken from my grasp at any moment–a reminder of the dream I could at any moment awaken from.

Before losing our first baby I was only vaguely aware of the many women around me who either struggled with infertility or with lost pregnancies.  The pain and sorrow so many of my sisters-in-Christ were experiencing was a far off notion, something I assumed was happening, but could never truly understand. The depth of pain experienced and the breadth of women affected by such grief was beyond my knowledge. I was blissfully unaware of the realities of infertility and pregnancy loss.

Now, in the middle of the most common years for childbearing, I am surrounded by sisters who have known the pain of losing a baby in the womb or who wrestle with the unfulfilled longing of motherhood. The percentage of women who experience such sorrows is higher than I would have ever imagined and the need for compassion and understanding toward such sisters is a genuine need within the church.

Are you aware of the women around you who have recently lost a child? Do you know which couples are struggling with infertility? As in all circumstances we are called to look outside ourselves and care for those around us. While we may be celebrating the joys and privileges of raising children for the glory of God, others are wading through the mirky waters of grief, trying desperately to honor the Lord in their unfulfilled longing for children. Are you willing to be sensitive to the needs of these dear sisters?

Recently the issue of infertility on Mother’s Day was highlighted by Dr. Russell Moore as he encouraged churches to remember those who will find this day to be a difficult one:

What if, at the end of a service, the pastor called any person or couple who wanted prayer for children to come forward and then asked others in the congregation to gather around them and pray? Not every person grappling with infertility will do this publicly, and that’s all right. But many will. And even those too embarrassed to come forward will be encouraged by a church willing to pray for those hurting this way. The pastor could pray for God’s gift of children for these couples, either through biological procreation or through adoption, whichever the Lord should desire in each case.

 

Regardless of how you do it, remember the infertile as the world around us celebrates motherhood. The Proverbs 31 woman needs our attention, but the 1 Samuel 1 woman does too.

In a comment related to this post a man who has first hand felt the painful unintended isolation shared his thoughts on Mother’s/Father’s Day celebrations in the church:

First, please avoid making a distinction between mothers and non-mothers in a physical way (e.g. having all the moms stand up or giving flowers to all the moms). I well remember sitting in a Father’s Day service where all the dads were asked to stand. I felt like there was a huge neon sign over me that kept flashing “not able to have kids, not able to have kids.” My wife felt it keenly as well: she began to weep. The most pastorally sensitive leaders I know avoid this like the plague. Instead, they acknowledge the day and proceed to pray earnestly for the full range of emotions that are being experienced on that day (since it is often quite painful, not just for those unable to have kids, but for those estranged from their moms, those moms who are estranged from their kids, those who have recently lost a mother, etc.).

 

This leads to the second thing. As Moore indicates, it is important to recognize that there are many conflicting emotions going on during a Mother’s Day service. It is crucially important to pastor all the people through that time.

Today my sweet friend Melissa shared a similar plea to pastors which I feel can be helpful for all church members to remember:

If you know a woman in your congregation is struggling with infertility, chances are she’s fighting to filter her pain through God’s Word.  And no matter her degree of biblical literacy, she probably feels like something is missing in her life.  It is all too easy to believe the lie – like the earth’s very mother who fell prey to the seduction of the seemingly lovely and profitable forbidden fruit – that a good gift is being withheld from her unfairly (Gen. 3:1-5). So, the recognition of individuals to whom much has been given can be a bitter pill to swallow.

 

Similarly, motherhood is often celebrated in our churches solely for what we possess. Timely (and appropriate) verses like Ps. 127:3-5 adorn our prayers and power points on this day:

 

“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”

 

Yet as true as Psalm 127:3-5 is, when we speak those words without the balance ofbiblical perspective we mistakenly make motherhood solely about the have’s and infertility about the have not’s. And before we know it, we’ve missed a crucial part of the biblical story – how God works in and through his people for his eternal purposes. How HE is the ultimate reward for those who trust in Him to build their home (Ps. 127:1-2).

I would like to remind us women of the church, as this “holiday” approaches, to be purposeful about caring for the needs and emotions our sisters may be going through. Whether you are yet in a position to have children of your own or you have been blessed by the Lord with the gift of children, remember that Sunday will be a pointed reminder of loss and grief for many around you.

Would you pray for these precious women and their husbands?

Would you write them a note of encouragement acknowledging their lost children or their unfulfilled desires?

Would you bring them to the Father of Mercy and Grace who withholds no good gift from his children without purpose?

Would you make it a point to not forget their struggle as the days continue on and their longing is not satisfied?

Would you be their friend, their prayer warrior, their shoulder to cry on?

We are all members of one body. As the church of Christ, our sister’s pain is our own pain. We must deliberately seek to encourage those who are in the midst of struggling to find joy and contentment with the providence of our loving God. We must acknowledge the very real pain they are feeling and direct them to the overwhelming joy and hope found in our Savior Jesus Christ.

If you are currently struggling with miscarriage or infertility, what are some ways you have been blessed by other sisters-in-Christ? How can those who have never experienced such loss or pain most encourage you? Please share your thoughts in the comments…

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1.) Order your book. :)

2.) Pre-read your book. Take some time to read through the Preface and Introduction to get a feel for why this book was written and how it may impact your personal biblical knowledge and spiritual life. Treat this book like a textbook and skim through the different sections and chapters to get a feel for how the material is presented.

3.) Print out your free bookmark! To keep us all on schedule I have created a fun bookmark that you can easily print out and use. I suggest printing it out on card stock or having it laminated as we will be using it over a long period of time. The little circle at the top is designed for you punch out with a whole punch and string a ribbon through.

The Book Club’s Summer Reading Book Mark (2012)

4.) Get excited! We are going to have such a great time being students of God’s Word together. in less than a month our journey begins!

If this is your first time to visit Desiring Virtue you may want to join our growing community of passionate homemakers by "liking" DV on Facebook, following DV on Twitter, or subscribing to DV's email delivery via Feedburner.

Just 18 more days before we begin the first reading selection for The Book Club at Desiring Virtue! As that exciting day draws nearer and you begin to get your books, you may be wondering just what exactly this book club will look like? How will you participate? How much of a time commitment is this going to take? You may not have even decided if you are going to participate at all yet! Today, I am going to share the various ways we will be interacting, learning, and growing together through The Book Club.

You will quickly realize that your involvement can be as big or as little as you desire. Because this book club is completely online, you have the flexibility of participating in the ways that fit your life, your time constraints, and your preferences.

How to Be a Part of The Book Club:

1.) Read the Book

Obviously the most basic way you can be a part of the club is by reading the selections each season. This summer we will be reading According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy.

The reading schedule for each book will be created with busy women in mind. Many of us have little ones to care for or jobs that take up much of our time. Schedules are made with these limitations in mind, knowing that extra-Biblical reading time is hard to come by. Also, reading assignments are kept short in order to encourage study, application, and discussion. By only reading a couple chapters a week, we will be able to better discuss what we are learning and address any questions that arise.

Desiring Virtue will be following this reading schedule on the blog and at the FB page, but you should not feel limited by the assignments. By all means, read at your own pace. If you would prefer to move quickly through the book, then do so! You can always freshen up on specific chapters we will be discussing when the time comes.

To help us all stay on the same page I will be creating bookmarks for each selection with the schedule listed on them. Click here for According to Plan’s bookmark.

2.) Read and Comment here at Desiring Virtue

Each week a summary of the assigned chapters as well as related resources and questions will be posted here. You can share your thoughts on the chapters through commenting on these posts throughout the week they are posted.

3.) Stay updated through Facebook

The Book Club has its own Facebook page! By “liking” the page you will receive blog updates as well as helpful information and resources to go along with our book study in your FB news feed. You can comment and interact with other members through this wonderful medium.

4.) Participate in Book Club “Meetings”

Once a week we will have a live meeting through The Book Club’s Facebook page. I will post several questions to begin our discussion and for the next hour the floor will be open for you to share your thoughts and encouragement. You do not have to stay the entire time (feel free to come and go as you wish) but I will be there the entire hour to interact with anyone who pops in! I am really looking forward to getting to chat with you and hear your thoughts on our reading assignments.

How Will You Participate?

As you can see, there are several different ways for you to participate in The Book Club at Desiring Virtue. Those who desire to simply read along with DV’s seasonal reading selections can do so and those who desire to be part of a forum community will be able to do so by interacting in the comments of posts here and on Facebook. I can’t wait to begin!

If you haven’t purchased your book yet, be sure to do so soon so that you are ready to begin with us on the 21st!

If this is your first time to visit Desiring Virtue you may want to join our growing community of passionate homemakers by "liking" DV on Facebook, following DV on Twitter, or subscribing to DV's email delivery via Feedburner.

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5 ESV)

There are plenty of ways to save money on your grocery budget. Searching Google for “how to save on groceries” returns 20,900,000 results! The tip I am going to share with you today is nothing new, but it may be one of the hardest to implement because it takes discipline and time. My first suggestion to anyone who asks me how to save money on groceries (or anything) would simply be, “plan.” If you only implement one of the tips I share with you in the months ahead, it should be this one!

There are a few different ways to plan and save money on your food bill: creating a food budget, menu-planning, and pantry inventory.

First: Create a Budget

Budget can be such an ugly word. When a people hear the word “budget” they normally think of restrictions. I would challenge you not to think of it this way. Instead think of it as freedom and control! You set the budget, you tell your money where to go. Instead of being a slave to your paychecks you are now the master. This is a much better relationship to have with your money! The number one thing you can do to save money on groceries is to decide how much you should spend each month on food … and stick with it! If you are entirely new to budgeting, then you should give yourself at least three months to land on a good amount for your family. A simple way to develop a realistic budget  is to record all of your grocery expenses over the course of a few months to see what you typically spend. Once you know what you naturally spend every month you can work out a realistic grocery budget. Doing this will keep you from setting a budget that is too high or too low.

There really aren’t a lot of rules to budgeting aside from setting a goal and sticking to it. Just because you are a family of five doesn’t mean your budget will look like every other family of five’s. We are all different, like different foods, have different dietary restrictions, live in different areas, etc. Don’t get caught up in comparing your budget with others! Comparison is a great way to make yourself feel defeated or to needlessly puff yourself up with pride.

Second: Menu-Plan

Menu-planning is wildly popular these days. Blogs on the topic abound, recipes are easy to find, and plenty of menu-planning systems for purchase even exist. Deciding what you are going to eat each week certainly saves money as well as sanity! Having a menu-plan eliminates that right-before-dinner-panic of not having a clue what to fix. Knowing what is coming up for dinner also prevents you from ordering out on the fly because “there’s nothing to eat here.” (Just as a note: ordering out is not bad! But, it’s less stressful in the long run if you plan it).

There are tons of different ways to menu-plan. You can have certain meals on a rotation and pick from those for your dinners each week. You can plan menus weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Some women menu-plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks while others just plan dinner. If you are new to menu-planning try different methods until you find what fits for your family. Desiring Virtue has a free printable you can use or you can try out this helpful menu planning note pad from MomAgenda. 

Third: Pantry Inventory

Knowing what food you have on hand will be extremely helpful when menu-planning. Using the food in your pantry first will certainly save money. Chances are the first time you take a pantry inventory you will be surprised by just how much food you have! The first time you set out to take an inventory make sure you block out a good chunk of time to do so. (This is also a great time to throw out expired  items and clean your cabinets). If you have kids, make sure to enlist their help. My oldest daughter (9) loves to make our pantry list and keep it up to date.  We use this printable and cross out items as we use them up.

Implementing these three grocery tips can help you cut down on waste and save your family money!

From a young age Hollie’s mother impressed on her the mindset of a frugal woman. Her mother taught her an important phrase, “Never pay full price — everything goes on sale eventually!” Becoming a Christian in 2009 made Hollie more aware of the importance of being a good steward of what God had blessed her with and not spending it frivolously. Now as a newlywed, she has the chance to really put all the money-saving tips she’s learned over the years to work. 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 at her blog Reformed Redhead.

It is something that slowly makes its way into your speech, creeps into your facial expressions, and alters your submission. Submission? Really? Yes. When you begin to treat your husband like a child and take the role of his mother, you place yourself in an authoritative position within your relationship.

This is something I never would have imagined struggling with, I mean I loved my position as my husband’s helper! I was not looking to usurp his authority, in fact I welcomed it–or so I thought! How is it that my sinful flesh had found this chink in my armor and created friction within my marriage? There are many possibilities, some of them arising from good intentions and some from prideful ones; all of them springing from a desire to see my will accomplished according to my timing. What I know for sure is that hearing your husband say, “you are treating me like a child,” and then hearing the voice of your old pastor in the back of my head saying, “he married you for a wife, not a mother,” is not a good feeling.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22-24 ESV)

Together my husband and I dissected this growing problem and found there were several ways a wife (particularly this wife) could mother her husband rather than respectfully and lovingly submitting to him as her head. Here’s what we came up with:

1. You mother your husband when you expect him to do things your way and become frustrated when he chooses not to. My husband has a different way of thinking about things, planning things, and executing things. When I look down upon his methods and expect him to fall in line with mine (even though they may not be better), I am treating him like a child and telling him to submit to me.

Trusting/submitting to your husband means believing that he is competent and that his methods have merit and value. Obviously communication is the key here. The first step to understanding another person is to talk to them and find out what they are thinking. We get into trouble when we assume we know what our husbands are thinking rather than asking them. Ultimately I have come to realize that there is a certain level of trust that must be applied to a situation where we disagree. I should not assume that he is doing something the wrong way, but simply a different way. As my God-given head, I must be willing to trust that following him in this different path will bear good fruit as I walk in obedience.

2. You mother your husband when you tell him what to do. Originally I thought there were good intentions behind this, but was quickly convinced that even my good intentions were causing me to sin (by usurping my husbands authority). Often I found myself in the habit of telling Richard to do something instead of asking him to do it because I didn’t want to give him the option of saying no (especially in areas I knew he was going to disagree with me!). Ultimately I did this because I wanted to control the situation; meaning I didn’t want for him to control it. Realizing the heart of this problem was really a shock to me. Could it be that I was really this sinful? Yes, it really could.

Trusting/submitting to your husband means gently asking him to do something rather than telling him to do something and then being content with the results. Again, communication is key as you try to engage your husband with your motives and point of view. Most of the time knowing the reasoning behind your desires gives your husband the opportunity to agree or be persuaded, while telling him what to do conveys that you do not trust him and believe he needs leading. By asking, you are able to make your desires known, and then given the opportunity to follow his lead as he makes a well informed decision.

3. You mother your husband when you use a condescending tone while talking to him. This can happen when you think he is doing something he shouldn’t be (mothering), when you are not happy with something he has done (mothering), or when you try to manipulate his actions (mothering). Somehow this tone is something we as women are either born with or hear so much growing up that we instinctively use it when trying to control the people in our lives (namely our husbands and children). It conveys an attitude of superiority and says, “you are so stupid.” Of course this is something I would have never thought, much less said out loud, and yet it is exactly what my heart was saying through my tone of voice to the most precious person in my life.

Trusting/submitting to your husband means always speaking in a tone of respect and admiration. This can be particularly hard when you disagree, but is a particularly good tool in putting to death the flesh that seeks to destroy. We must seek to bring all things under the authority of Christ, including our tongues. We are called to honor and respect our husbands–even in our tone of voice.

Do you ever find yourself mothering your husband? It has been over two years since my husband and I talked through this issue and I still find myself giving into these tendencies from time to time. The temptation to take charge and give orders is something I am constantly on guard against, and yet the moment I let that guard down I find myself quickly falling into old patterns of sin.

If you struggle with mothering your husband like I do, remember that your relationship with Christ (your Heavenly Bridegroom) has made a way for you to say “no” to your flesh and “yes” to godly submission. His precious blood was poured out so that you could be free to deny your old, sinful ways and walk in newness of life–to honor and respect our husband as the leader of your marriage.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV)

Take some time to survey your relationship with your husband. Do you see any of these tendencies in the way you speak to him? What are some other ways that we as wives tend to mother our husbands? Praise God that we do not have to rely on our own abilities to overcome the sin in our lives. He has given us the grace to overcome! Let’s seek together to press on toward greater obedience to the Lord by honoring our husbands and speaking to them with respect.

If this is your first time to visit Desiring Virtue you may want to join our growing community of passionate homemakers by "liking" DV on Facebook, following DV on Twitter, or subscribing to DV's email delivery via Feedburner.

“Did God actually say…?”

With these four words, Satan’s malicious scheme to fracture the relationship between God and man began to take form. As Eve listened intently he spun a tale of a God who was holding out on her, who didn’t want her to be fully happy, a God who didn’t truly love her. As the lies sunk into her soul, she chose to believe them and turned her back on the God who had created her and loved her… she took a bite of what had been forbidden.

At the heart of our struggle to be content is the same struggle to trust our loving God as Eve faced, only now the temptation doesn’t just come from outside us (that is through Satan), but from within as we are now all born with a propensity sin. Our very flesh is naturally inclined to distrust the Lord’s goodness and to seek our happiness in the things and circumstances that seem good in our own eyes.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV)

“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.” (Mark 7:21-22 ESV)

We all find ourselves longing for things or circumstances that have been denied to us at some point or another. For you it may be something as simple as nicer clothes or a bigger house or it could be something as painful as the desire to conceive a child or to be married. None of these desires are sinful in and of themselves, but they become sinful when our joy and contentment hinge on their fulfillment. It is then that they become idols of the heart.

So how do we guard against discontentment? How do we actively seek to be women who trust our God to give us exactly what we need and exactly what will bring him the most glory? I would like to quickly share some encouragement with you today in the form of three challenges:

I am privileged to be guest posting today at Our Simple Country Life; click here to read more from this post…

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Today I am thrilled to announce The Book Club’s first Summer Reading Selection! Together, we will be going through Graeme Goldsworthy’s book According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible.

According To Plan focuses on two main things: the overarching storyline of the Bible and the Gospel. When I first threw out the idea on Facebook of beginning a book study I asked whether you would be more interested in a study on how all of Scripture fits together or in seeing Christ in the Old Testament. Most of those who answered said they would like to learn more about how we see Christ in the Old Testament. As I went about making the decision of which book to start out with, I couldn’t get around the fact that our difficulty seeing Christ in the OT often arises from our misunderstanding of the Bible’s complete unity. We often have difficulty understanding the OT because we don’t see it as primarily about Christ and the unfolding of the redemptive story. According to Plan is one of the best resources available for helping us to do just that.  Here is the publisher’s description:

• How do the Old and New Testaments fit together?
• What is the point of biblical theology?
• What is the overall story of the Bible?
• What difference does it make?

Goldsworthy answers these questions with an integrated theology of both Old and New Testaments that avoids unnecessary technicalities. Concise, pithy chapters featuring dozens of charts, highlighted summaries and study questions make According to Plan an enormously useful book for understanding how the Bible fits together as the unfolding story of God’s plan for salvation.”

I chose this particular book because it will be challenging to each of us and yet accessible to those who haven’t yet dipped their toes in the deep waters of biblical theology.

“This guide is written for those who have not had any formal theological education. Provided you have a desire to know the Scriptures, even if you have only achieved a very basic knowledge so far, this book is designed for you. Of course, if you have been to Bible college or theological college this book could still be for you. I believe that many preachers, ministers, Scripture teachers, youth leaders and the like will benefit from studying the basics of biblical theology. So, this is a beginner’s guide in the sense that I have tried to introduce the subject without assuming much prior knowledge. I do assume, however, that you are a believer in Jesus Christ and that you have some basic understanding of what the Bible is all about.” -Graeme Goldsworthy

According to Plan is sure to challenge us as we learn what biblical theology is and encourage us as we develop a tighter grasp on how the Gospel relates to and illuminates all of Scripture. 

“It is my deep conviction that every part of the Bible is given its fullest meaning by the saving work of Christ who restores a sinful, fallen creation and makes all things new.” (According to Plan)

You can read an entire chapter of Goldsworthy’s book here.

I hope you will join me on May 21st as we begin to work through this book together!

Stay tuned for more information about our first book study as well as your own printable bookmark!

Are you connected to The Book Club’s Facebook Page? If not, click here and “like” it to stay updated on all Book Club news!

If this is your first time to visit Desiring Virtue you may want to join our growing community of passionate homemakers by "liking" DV on Facebook, following DV on Twitter, or subscribing to DV's email delivery via Feedburner.

Unfortunately no matter how hard I scrub, some of these stains will never come out. They may get lighter, but their mark will remain forever. Others will pretend to be gone and then reappear in a matter of days (sneaky, sneaky stains). Only some of them will actually “disappear” like the label on my carpet cleaner claims.

Aren’t you glad that Jesus’ atoning work on the cross isn’t as hit and miss as carpet cleaner is?

We all have stains on our lives called sin. Some of our sins are darker than others, some are bigger than others, but they are all dirty, impure things that separate us from the holiness of God. Yet, the beautiful truth we live in as Christians is that our Savior has wiped us completely clean with his powerful, atoning blood. In one single moment in history, Christ laid his life down for his sheep, and forever made them clean and holy.

“…we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.“ (Hebrews 10:10-14 ESV)

Do you have terrible sins in your past? They are wiped away. Do you struggle continually with little pet sins you can’t seem to overcome? They have all been paid for. Did you sin just a few minutes ago? Look to Christ and see him pointing back to the horrid, bloody cross saying, “I paid for that. You are clean.” 

Every single sin you have ever committed or will ever commit is nailed with Christ to the cross.

How gracious is our Lord to remove our sins from us completely–to scrub away the filth of our lives and make us pure again, as though we had never sinned at all! How beautiful is this Savior who muddies himself with the sins of his people, who takes upon himself the punishment our sins deserve, who willingly exchanges our mess for his cleanliness.

He is love.

This God we worship loved us in our filthiness and died so that we could be clean. Worship him today for his marvelous, atoning blood. This blood, has removed every hint of guilt you have before the Father! Live your life in light of his profound love for you and offer it freely to those who are still in bondage–to those who are still in need of his incredible grace.

Let his love for you and the weight of the payment made for your sins (past, present, and future) propel you toward greater holiness, toward greater sanctification. He is not done with you sisters, he is daily cleansing you as you sin and daily supplying you with the grace necessary to deny your old self–to keep from muddying yourself with the filth of this world.

Take hold of this powerful grace and strive toward holiness–for one day you will stand before our Lord completely pure, completely holy, completely free from the stains of sin. They will all be wiped away and you will never wrestle with them again. Praise the Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world!

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 ESV)

Click here to read more Marvelous Meditations for Homemakers.

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If this is your first time to visit Desiring Virtue you may want to join our growing community of passionate homemakers by "liking" DV on Facebook, following DV on Twitter, or subscribing to DV's email delivery via Feedburner.

On May 21st, Desiring Virtue will be kicking off its first ever book club! Together, we will be diving into books that explore the depths of God’s character, his plan for salvific history, the implications of the gospel on our lives, and much more.

The Book Club at Desiring Virtue will encourage your soul by challenging it to dig deep into the revealed Word of God which is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (in other words, for your good!).

I want to invite you to join me in this new community for Desiring Virtue’s readers. We will be interacting here on the blog as well as through Facebook and Twitter. So, why should you consider joining the Book Club? Here are four reasons:

1. This is Not Oprah’s Book Club.

The Book Club at Desiring Virtue will be driven by a passion to know God better and to bring glory to him through our lives. The books we will be reading will be rich, challenging, thought provoking works that focus on expounding the Word of God. As we discuss these books, we will be looking at how they faithfully present the Scriptures and then how they impact our daily lives as children of God. Just as Desiring Virtue strives to bring the deep truths of Scripture to bear on our lives as homemakers, the Book Club will also seek to make the connection between truth and practice.

2. For a Renewed Vision.

Do you ever get overwhelmed by the daily grind? Whether you are working outside the home, or are a full-time homemaker, the constant stream of tasks to be done can tend to overwhelm your vision of the Kingdom of God. We need to be immersing ourselves in the Scriptures–these breathed out words from God–to remind ourselves that all of these small tasks have purpose in the grand scheme of things. The spiritual kingdom is real and is soon to be replaced by a physical kingdom where our Savior will reign for all of eternity. The things we do now matter and have eternal significance. Taking a few moments a week to dive deep into the Word of God, to go beyond reading, to really study it, will give you a better understanding of the truths found in your Bible. You will be blessed by a renewed vision of the Scriptures and how they apply to you, no matter what circumstance you find yourself in.

3. It Will Challenge You.

Have you ever found yourself saying, “Well, I am no theologian…”? You might even be saying those words right now as you consider whether or not to join the Book Club. You may enjoy reading the posts at Desiring Virtue and be thankful for the way they connect the Gospel of Jesus Christ to your daily life, but shudder at the thought of reading an entire book devoted to doctrine and theology. Well, guess what? The best way for you to grow in your ability to live with an eternal, God-centered perspective is to immerse yourself in his Word. The more you read and the deeper you go, the easier it will be to make those connections for yourself. It can be daunting to step our of your comfort zone, but I promise you, the time you devote to understanding the Word of God will yield beautiful, luscious fruit in your life.

4. The Joy of Fellowship.

As we unpack these books together, we will inevitably grow closer to the Lord and closer to each other. We are all busy women with crazy lives, but we also all desire to know our God. As we take up the challenge to read books that focus on him, we will be able to encourage one another in our pursuit of him. My desire is for this group to be a place were we can be realistic, authentic, practical, and honest. How does what we are reading impact us? How does it challenge us? Is there an area we are struggling with that it applies to? These are the kinds of questions we will be asking and seeking to answer together.

If you are busy mom of little ones or you work outside the home, it can be difficult to find the time to get together with a physical group of women on a regular basis. While this Book Club should not in any way replace physical fellowship with the people of God in your life, it very well may be a helpful supplement for the times when regular meetings just aren’t a possibility. “Meetings” will be virtual (either here or on Facebook or on Twitter) and you will be able to flow in and out of them as needed. You will be able to fit our interactions into your already busy lifestyle because you can basically interact while checking your email, or Facebook feed.

Will You Consider Joining Me?

If you are interested in being a part of Desiring Virtue’s first ever Book Club, then be sure to “Like” The Book Club’s Facebook Page and/or Follow The Book Club on Twitter to stay up to date on all of the latest Book Club news as the starting date draws nearer. Also, stay tuned here, at Desiring Virtue, for more details and the unveiling of our first book!

Note: By “Liking” the Facebook page or Following on Twitter, you are not committing to the Book Club, you are simply saying that you are interested and considering joining in–Don’t be afraid!

If this is your first time to visit Desiring Virtue you may want to join our growing community of passionate homemakers by "liking" DV on Facebook, following DV on Twitter, or subscribing to DV's email delivery via Feedburner.