Faith

We finished up Tozer’s The Pursuit of God last night in our small group, only after we were tricked into eating barf & rotten egg-flavored jelly beans. {…a quick rabbit trail, if I may… Monday’s are my favorite day of the week because of baking sweets, percolating coffee, meeting in our home with wonderful people, worshiping together, laughing our heads off, and studying God’s word. I can think of no better way to start the week.} Ok, back to Tozer, I hadn’t prepared by actually reading the chapter but after our discussion I was encouraged to read it today and I am so glad I did. The last chapter talks about how our human nature is to categorize our lives into two areas– the sacred and the secular, which results in the sacred-secular antithesis… what he calls a “creature of misunderstanding”. {All of this is very similar to what Brother Lawrence writes in The Practice of the Presence of God}

Basically we categorize our lives into tasks that are for the Kingdom {prayer, Bible reading, hymn singing, church attendance}  and those that aren’t {eating, sleeping, working, baking, decorating, laundry, dishes, etc}.  And Tozer does an excellent job at explaining and encouraging readers to “practice living to the glory of God”.

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our perfect example, and He knew no divided life.

Paul’s exhortation to “do all to the glory of God” is more than pious idealism. It is an integral part of the sacred revelation and is to be accepted as the very Word of Truth. It opens before us the possibility of making every act of our lives contribute to the glory of God. Lest we could be too timid to include everything, Paul mentions specifically eating and drinking. This humble privilege we share with the beasts that perish. If these lowly animal acts can be so performed as to honor God, then it becomes difficult to conceive of one that cannot.

As a group we talked about this and came to the conclusion that it’s easier for us to say our mundane tasks are for His glory but we are more reluctant to say things that bring us great pleasure  are also for His glory, primarily because they bring us great pleasure, it’s hard for us to reason that things that bring us pleasure also bring our Father pleasure and glory. For whatever reason, we bring guilt upon ourselves for delighting in our earthly pleasures, especially those that have little, to no sacred value. I think mothers are even more likely to heap on a scoop of guilt for doing things that they enjoy— reading, running, napping, or even escaping for a night of solitude. Last night we were encouraged by Tozer that the Lord’s love for His children is not limited to sacred acts; He delights in seeing us be delighted. One couple made the illustration of watching their son build something with Legos and what delight it brings them to merely see him be delighted. It was freeing for me to be reminded that the Lord loves to see me do what I love, to delight in something that doesn’t necessarily seem sacred by any stretch of the imagination. It goes without saying that He also loves seeing me give of myself sacrificially, but for some reason, a lightbulb went of last night at the other end of the spectrum, not the sacrificial tasks but the ones that I enjoy {photography, sewing, blogging, etc…} but am reluctant to consider them an act of worship.  

Paul’s sewing of tents was not equal to his writingof an Epistle to the Romans, but both were accepted of God and both were true acts of worship.

This has brought me to think more more about what I do, what I love, and what I love to do…

motherhood
sewing
creating
photography
blogging
baking
decorating
being outside
reading
sleeping
eating
laughing 

… and today, I am encouraged by and have found freedom in the fact that these things {like Paul’s tent making} can all be true acts of worship! Contrary to the things that I love to do, the things that I do but don’t necessarily love: sweeping floors, washing dishes, folding laundry, making beds, and cleaning toilets can all be done to the glory of God as well. But the clincher is: It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

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I was going to post earlier today to inform y’all that my rice bags & boo boo bags were posted on the Craft Hope for Haiti etsy shop… but sure enough they were already gone! But go ahead over and look… there’s still some great stuff left! If I make some more, I’ll be sure to let y’all know!

Well, I always think I’ll be here more often than I am. I have intentions of blogging about every other day but then life takes the wheel and I hop in the backseat, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I have 3 little ones who need me more than the blog needs me. But I’m so glad y’all liked Darby Doll, I thought she was quite a silly little doll myself and I can assure you’ll she’ll be back.

I finished up Batterson’s book, Primal, did I already tell you that? Probably so! Anyway, I can’t wait to share more with you from the second half but first I wanted to go back to the first half and re-write a paragraph that he has written on page 36. It has to do with going to the mall which I do about once every other year so it didn’t hit home for me from that perspective but if I just change a few words up it hits me at my core and is why I have a love/hate relationship with blogging. I’m taking out the word mall and entering blog.

Have you ever noticed that you can be perfectly content with everything you have, but one trip to the mall blogosphere can ruin all of that? All of a sudden, the clothes in your closet aren’t quite as cool, your decor is out of style, and your new gadgets seem old.  I call it the mall blog effect. {I, Darby, could add a lot more… my house is never that clean, I wish I had that lens, those dishes, that attitude, that relationship with Jesus, I wish I could take pictures like that, I never look that cute, I wish I could get away with my husband like that, I wish my kitchen looked like that, I wish I had the energy she has, I wish I could knit, I wish we got snow like that, I wish I had chickens. . .  I wish, I wish, I wish… ugh, I gross myself out.} 

What happens is this: you focus on everything you don’t have, and it produces feelings of want. Of course, the antidote for this is a trip to a third-world country. Seeing what others don’t have will help you appreciate what you do have.

I do this, more often than I care to admit. Lord Jesus, take me to a third-world country. If I flip the coin over, I can’t help but think do I paint a picture of perfection on the blog from our home? Sometimes comments lead me to believe this and if I do, it is a lie. Please rest assured of that. I try to be real and honest but the reality is, I’d much rather remember and record the good on here so it is what I write and share. Be also assured, that I occassionally show the bad but never the ugly. I think every blog needs a statement in the header: warning objects on screen are not always as they appear. I try to remind myself of that when I read/see something that leads me to think, “I wish…” By His grace, I’ve been spared the heartache that some experience but the reality is we each have our own personal dose of “real life”. The reality is life is hard, no one’s life is a walk in the park and I have to remind myself of Philippians 3:8 daily: What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Blogging doesn’t incubate a spirit of humility– which is a whole other can of worms. I so often struggle with what to write and how to say it; to remind myself that I am in this world but not of it. I used to  not think much about what I would write because so few people read. Now I feel like I have to take every thought, every word to the Lord and ask that people not misconstrue what I portray and if they do, that I will let it go and remember that my accountability is to the Lord, my husband, and my family.

Ok…. just a few heavy Friday morning thoughts for you! 🙂 I want to be clear this was not in response to any comment or specific event… it is simply what the Lord has placed on my heart this week. Nor is this a ploy to hear your affirmation in the comments. 🙂

Speaking of this week… it’s been busy, just as every week is. Morgan is begging for some roller skates and before she breaks a leg or a foot we’re going to have to give in, I’ve caught her numerous times this week with her “homemade” skates on…

She cracks me. Her little creative wheels never stop turning… even at lunch time.

She’s been so helpful this week. We are having a few friends over tonight for dinner and as I prepared she was right along side me. She helped me set and decorate the table and I savored every moment we had together. She was so excited about the outcome of our work.  

Our dining room table is really more fitting for 4 to 6 but we thankfully were able to squeeze in 8 place settings. I am not a “formal” entertainer. When we have people over it’s very rare for me to even set the table {my goal is usually to just get the food fixed} but this week we decided to make it special and to think outside of the box as to how we could set the entire table, make it fun and festive and not spend a dime on anything {besides the food of course}… not even on fresh flowers that I wanted oh so bad! I hit a wall on the centerpiece; I wanted it to be special, with candles but still be on the low side so that we are able to see across the table. I resorted to calling Erika for help. She suggested using canning jars because she knows I have a whole slew of them. So, I did, along with a wreath I had in the closet, and a square tray from my sister-in-law that I turned upsidedown.

And I even managed to put a few of my vintage Valentines to good use. The one above with the little girl sewing marks my seat. My husband, or another one of the “hunter” husbands will sit here:

Ok, I must retreat to the kitchen I’ve got a fairly involved menu for tonight, thankfully most of which I’ve already accomplished, just a few loose ends to tie up!

Hello people. I have so much to share. So much so that some times I wish I could just open my brain and dump it all out with “auto fill”. Good thing such “process” doesn’t really exsist, you’d get way more than you bargained for.

Before I start, I want to share a self-portrait.

The first thing Morgan told me this morning was that she has a doll that looks just like me. When I inquired as to which one, she returned with what I now refer to as Darby Doll.

“And Mommy,” she said, “her hair even looks just like yours too!”

She couldn’t figure out what was so funny, she was serious.

As I mentioned the beginning of this month, I am resolved to work on some things this year. I’ve tried to be diligent in accomplishing what I set to do. Unfortunately taming my mane didn’t make my list… I’ll be sure to add it later. Apparently I need some V05 and a flat iron— or maybe just extra conditioner and a hair brush.

Ok, so the resolutions…

One was to be better at keeping the house. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? For me it’s not easy. A few weeks ago I purged my closet and this past Saturday I tackled the kitchen cabinets. It was a great relief to de-clutter and reorganize, but the hard part will be keeping them organized.

I literally pulled every single thing out, purged, organized, and then put most {but not all} of it back in. I, of course, couldn’t have done it without Rover’s help.

Another one of my resolutions was to read at least one book a month. That sounds easy too… but for me it’s not.  I tend to start 4 books at a time, get lost in one, then lost in the other, yet not quite finishing the first, second, third or fourth, so before I know it I am “reading” 4 books that I’m not really “reading”… sounds similar to my “organizing” routine. Do you call this ADD? Or ADHD? Or motherhood?

So, anyway… I’ve been reading…. Primal by Mark Batterson and I’m only 1/2 way through but it’s an easy read and I feel confident that I can wrap it up in the next few days, or if I drink enough Diet Coke, maybe tonight. I know nothing of Batterson, his church, or his theology, which is at first why I had slight hesitation. I thought to myself, maybe I better get online and see what he’s all about, see what the book is all about, see if it lines up with what I believe, etc, etc, etc.— I blame/credit my Presbyterianism for such thought processes. Anyway, long story short I didn’t “investigate” him first, I had read 2 really good reviews {thanks, Jennifer} and decided that from what I heard that I’d give it a shot. Well, it’s been extremely encouraging. It’s elementary, refreshing, and, like it’s title suggests, it’s PRIMAL. Batterson says Christians tend to “complicate” Christianity but Jesus Christ simplified it through the Great Commandment: Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. I will add, and I don’t remember him saying it in the book, that I don’t believe I can do any of those apart from  the righteousness of Christ that has been credited to me through his atoning sacrifice. {there I go again— I promise, I can’t help it}. Anyway, I wanted to share a few excerpts from his book that I thought were very profound, interesting,  honest & encouraging:

… it’s much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one. Anyone can put on an act. But your reactions reveal what is really in your heart.

Most of us let what we cannot do keep us from doing what we can.

And when people think analytically, it can hinder their ability to act compassionately. The head gets in the way of the heart.

{I don’t think Batterson is suggesting that believers leave their brains at the door but I do believe his assessment is true. We hit analysis paralysis when someone comes to us in need or when we see someone in need– I know I do, instead of helping I try to figure out why they’re in the position they’re in or what’s the best way I can help and then I get stuck, resulting in no action.}

Leonardo da Vinci himself once observed that the average person “looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance, and talks without thinking”

Is it possible that we’ve studied the God of logic without truly worshiping the God of wonders?

You never know where or when or how God will invade your life, but He can show up anywhere, anytime and any way. And that ought to fill us with holy anticipation.

Nothing speaks to the soul like Scripture.

But rediscovering the wonders of Scripture requires more than reading. That’s where the quest begins, but that’s not where it ends. Not if you want to get it into your soul. You have to meditate on it. Then you have to live it out. Meditating turns one-dimensional knowledge into two-dimensional understanding. Living it out turns two-dimensional understanding into three-dimensional obedience.

I’m afraid we’ve unintentionally fostered a subtle form of spiritual codependency in our churches. It is easy to let others take responsibility for what should be our responsibility. So we let our pastors study the Bible for us. Here’s a news flash: the Bible was unchained from the pulpit nearly five hundred years ago during an era of history called the Middle Ages.

Reading without meditating is like eating without digesting.

We dissect Scripture instead of letting Scripture dissect us.

{Again, I don’t think Batterson is saying not to not dissect Scripture, I think he’s making a point that dissecting it without letting it dissect us, results in just dissecting Scripture– or Bible knowledge {keep reading}.}

The goal of knowing the Bible isn’t Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God.

God doesn’t just want to speak to you through Scripture; He wants to speak THROUGH YOU. He wants to write His-story through your life. And Scripture is the script. Read it. Meditate on it. Then live it out.

It is absolutely chocked full. The only thing so far that I wish he had done differently was the references & Bible translation… I find myself flipping back and forth nearly every paragraph to check his sources and references– which thankfully he has a lot of. He also uses the Message translation for some of his references, which I’m sure has some great benefits and I’m probably outing my hyper-criticalness when I say that I’ve always referred to it as the kinda sorta version… or the KSV! 🙂 {that’s for my CBS group} Thank goodness, Jesus Christ can call people to himself regardless of translation… I’m a living example of what Batterson is trying to show— I think I need some dissecting!

I hesitate, slightly, to even share before finishing the book but the first half was so full that I imagine I’ll be back again when I’m finished. I also want to say that it would be foolish for me to assume that all of you are believers. Or that you even agree with what I’ve found to be encouraging. I’d love to have any feedback or thoughts on this from believers or nonbelievers, but I do ask that if you are interested in entertaining conversation that you will do so with the utmost respect.

 And the third resolution… that I would be obedient to and not ignore the Spirit of God. Now that’s a major resolution and one that I honestly believe is as much a presence of mind as it is a “thing” to do so I’m not even sure I’ll ever come here with an earth shattering example but as I looked back through Genesis this week {which is what we’re studying in CBS this year} I was encouraged by the many different examples of people living by and trusting the Spirit of God. As inspired and encouraged as I am by the people of Genesis I’m equally or even more encouraged by the faithfulness of God to them… because they were all sinners. Not one was perfect and almost every one planned to take their matters into their own hands. Yet inspite of themselves, God was still faithful to guide each of them.  Just as He is to us today.

And last but not least… this has nothing to do with resolutions. But I often wonder what Justin and I used to do before we had children. I think we were probably more sane and this will likely prove it. So, Sunday night we were he was watching the Vikings/Saints game and of course Brett Favre came up in conversation and how he can still keep it all together at 40 years old. Then we laughed because Justin will be 32 next month but looks every bit of 22 and I told him that he’ll be like Brett Favre when he’s 40 and then we started laughing about how we compared him to Brett Favre and started brainstorming about what mad skills he has and we came up with this one.

You must look closely or you’ll miss him. He’s so incredibly stealth-like. I was certain he was going to kill himself in the process and we’d end up in the ER with a broken ankle, wrist or tail bone… but because he’s like Favre nothing knocks him down.

We laughed really hard, uncontrolably. I thought I was going to have an asthma attack. And then we woke the children {Raiger sleeps in her clothes and even wears them the next day— she’s so easy like that!}. We refrained from getting Rover up, because Rover would think he needed to do this… ignorance is bliss.

Ok, children gather round and watch Brett Favre Daddy jump over the sofa 10 times.

“Ok, girls. Now go get back in bed while Mommy takes pictures of Daddy jumping over the sofa!” They must think we’re either way fun or totally nuts!

Update on other things: My grandfather had his first round of chemo today and didn’t tolerate it well. He wound up being transferred by ambulance to the hospital and only received a little over half of the first dose. He’s scheduled to have his port put in tomorrow… I am so grateful for your continued prayers for him!!

I’m listing my things on Craft Hope {not my etsy shop} I’ll let you know as soon as they have them listed.

My friend,  Christina’s baby boy Austin continues to thrive and surprise the doctors! He was born at 26 weeks weighing 1lb 9oz.