Even though the sun has not yet presented its summertime face to us here in the Great White North, we have been bravely acting as though we hadn’t really noticed, pretending that June is supposed to behave like March. But I have to say we have now been beat. It is snowing as I write this! No fooling. White stuff dumping out of the sky right on to my tomato plants and geraniums! If we could buy spring for any price, everyone in this town would gladly chip in. But in spite of the oobleck falling on my front porch, it is gorgeously green out here, even if it’s still a tad chilly. (See the picture at the end of this post to prove it!)
But, that is not my subject at hand. I was thinking of writing something about what to do with the kiddos now that school is out for the summer months (notice I didn’t actually call it summer….just those months we refer to as the summer months).
I remember the comments I used to get even at the grocery store check out. “Oh aren’t you just dreading summer with the kids home from school?” What a terrible outlook. I was, in fact, looking forward to the lazy summer days.
Some moms (sorry, but I know this is true) make their own children dread summer vacation by piling on the duties, rules, and schedules. What a drag. How much better to make summer a real pleasure rather than drudgery. Still, there have to be some guidelines and goals, right? Well here are a few suggestions in case you were needing Continue reading ‘Summer? What Summer?’
In Psalm 15:1-3 we see who is going to live in God’s house and who is not.
“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in they holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.”
We’ve got parallel lists of behavior here. The wise walks, works, and speaks, and these actions are characterized by uprightness, righteousness, and truth. What he is not doing is important here as well. He is speaking the truth in his heart, not backbiting; he is working out righteousness, not doing evil; and he is walking uprightly, not taking up a reproach or grievance against his neighbor. This is the kind of company God keeps. If we want to dwell in His holy hill, we have to see and keep these do’s and don’ts, particularly as it relates to our tongues.
What is it to backbite? It is to spread slander; to be a tattler and a busybody, spinning the story to make someone look worse, attributing motives. This kind of thing always begins in the heart before it works its way out the mouth. From there it picks up and carries a grievance, and then, if not stopped, it begins crusading, gathering others to carry the grievance as well. It does evil to its neighbor. But it doesn’t just affect the neighbor who is being wronged; it infects and destroys those with the grievance, hurting them far worse than the neighbor they sought to destroy. God hates this stuff. Continue reading ‘Truth Talk’
Many of you readers out there, from what I can gather, are young or youngish, so you may not be able to relate to this little post. But, depending on your outlook, I am pretty youngish myself, even though I am a grandmother of thirteen.
Doug and I stayed at a bed and breakfast in Maryland that some of his family’s long-time friends own and run. These long-time friends are in their eighties, and they maintain their home, guest rooms, and lovely grounds largely by themselves, as well as preparing delightful breakfasts for their guests at some pretty outlandish hours in the morning. We were struck by their kindness, their hard work, and their cheerfulness, the way they take everything in stride with competence and ease of spirit. They have served the Lord for many years together, and they know how to stay in step.
The biblical outlook on age and aging is antithetical to our culture’s infatuation with youthfulness and immaturity. The Bible describes the gray head as a crown of glory, and living to see your descendents’ descendents as a great blessing from God. The older we get, the more we should attain to wisdom, and this is our glory. The world, on the other hand, is seeking the fountain of youth, not interested in a godly wisdom. But it’s not enough to nod our heads at this while we really have more in common with the world’s take on aging. We Christians must truly believe what God says about this. Continue reading ‘Getting Old?’
Recent Comments