Monthly Archive for May, 2011

So You’re Moving

Published by Nancy Ann on May 30, 2011 in Practical Christian Living. 20 Comments

A friend of mine (who’s moving across the country this summer) asked me to write a little something about moving. I grew up in a military family, and we moved quite a bit the first eighteen years of my life. I learned a few things as a kid, but I’ve learned even more as we have had families move in and out of our community the past thirty years.

The first thing I will say about moving is a little golden nugget I learned from my mom and she learned from hers. When you move to a new place, get to know everyone. Then, choose your friends carefully. Don’t just fall into friendships with the first people you meet. Take your time.

When I was a kid, moving was an adventure. Even if it was a new place, I knew my family would be there, so that kept me from being too scared about it. My parents were my anchor, and they were rock solid, so I didn’t feel at sea. That’s a very big deal for a little kid. So if you are moving your family, pay attention to the little ones. Let them know you Continue reading ‘So You’re Moving’

Preparing for Sunday

Published by Nancy Ann on May 29, 2011 in Practical Christian Living. 3 Comments

It’s no doubt rather late in the evening for most of you readers to think about preparing for Sunday worship. You’re most likely doing some serious preparation right now by getting some sleep (and that is what my wise and weary husband is doing).  But here are some thoughts anyway, and maybe you can apply them next week.

Prayer is always a good way to prepare for Sunday.  So here are some suggestions.

Pray for your pastor. In fact, you can start praying for your pastor earlier in the week. My husband prepares his sermon on Wednesday, so you might find out when your pastor is working on his sermon, and make a point of praying for him that day.

Pray for those who are directly involved in the worship service: the music minister, the choir, the musicians, and for those who lead the congregation in prayer.

Pray for those behind the scenes: those who are preparing and serving the Lord’s Supper, the ones who are doing the set-up or clean-up, and for those who help with the sound system or who print the bulletins each week.

Pray for the congregation. Pray for the parents who are busy getting their children ready to worship the Lord. Pray for the moms and dads who will spend a good portion of the service in the cry room. They need our prayers! Pray that all the congregation will be spiritually as well as physically prepared to worship God robustly.

We are made to worship God. We are at our best when we are worshiping Him. What better thing can a creature do than worship the Creator? And that worship tunes us, re-sets us, straightens us out, and makes us fit to go back out into the world for another week. We had better also pray that our worship, however feeble and distracted, will glorify and bless our Creator God, and make us better creatures, more fit to worship Him next week.

Avoiding Anxiety

Published by Nancy Ann on May 26, 2011 in Contentment. 10 Comments

Another jewel of an excerpt from Spurgeon this morning:

The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into His place to do for Him that which He has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy He will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if He were unable or unwilling to take it for us. Now this is disobedience to His plain precept, this unbelief in His Word, this presumption in intruding upon His province, is all sinful…Anxiety makes us doubt God’s lovingkindess, and thus our love to Him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of selfseeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from Him; but if through simple faith in His promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon Him, and are “careful for nothing” because He undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to Him, and strengthen us against much temptation. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.”

A Godly Unsubmissiveness

Published by Nancy Ann on May 24, 2011 in Marriage. 12 Comments

Married women the world over can fail to understand their standing and authority in Christ two ways. The first way is when they over-shoot and miss the mark by assuming headship over their husbands. Some husbands like it that way, and they go along quietly because, if they keep their heads down, life goes along peacefully enough. But “wearing the pants” is not all it’s cracked up to be.

The second way women fail to grasp their position in Christ is to cower and “submit” to a man who has forfeited his authority over her. In the first instance, I suppose the man should send up a flare for help. But no one really feels sorry for the husband who gets walked all over. After all, he’s the guy and should know how to stand up for himself. But when a woman gets walked all over, she should also stand up for herself. She is a free woman in Christ. Sometimes a Christian woman should be what some might call “unsubmissive.”

Now before you gasp and think I’ve gone over to the dark side, let me just clarify. Authority is a good thing. Moms Continue reading ‘A Godly Unsubmissiveness’

Conference Details

Published by Nancy Ann on May 19, 2011 in From Me. 3 Comments

Just wanted to let you all know that a whole slew of things will be going on here in Moscow the weekend of September 16-17. Credenda/Agenda is having its Fall Conference, The Grace Agenda, featuring Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill in Seattle. Also speaking will be my husband Douglas, as well as Ben Merkle and N.D. Wilson. You can see more details about their talks here.

Two pre-conference seminars have been arranged,  one being our first Femina conference Dangerous Women, and the second is The Puritan Five, a seminar for ministers. Both of these events will be during the day on Friday, and then the Grace Agenda Conference will begin Friday evening and continue on Saturday.

And, just to give the conference attendees some more to do, NSA will host their Celebratio that weekend as well. This is the perfect time to get a close look at NSA, visit classes, meet instuctors, and get a taste the culture and community.

All in all, this would be a great time to plan a trip to Moscow with a number of events for the whole family. Hope to see you here in September!

Ahoy out there

Published by rebekah on May 19, 2011 in Amoretti. 4 Comments

I would just like to take a brief moment to say Yahoo! My fabrics and sewing patterns are now officially out in the great wide world! I have shoved them right out of the nest, and now we’ll see if they remember to flap their wings. There’s a whole new section of the website now as well – Amoretti by ME which has the fabric and the patterns.

I’m offering a pattern and fabric giveaway over at the Fortnightly Purse – so pop on over there to enter! I’ll be doing more giveaways over the next week, so remember to check back in. Coupon codes are being scattered recklessly about as well . . . you can get 20% off the patterns with the code debut party. So cruise on over there and get your pre-order in!