If you’d like a free copy of Eve in Exile for someone on your Christmas list, leave a comment, and we’ll have a drawing on November 21 to see who wins!
Author: Nancy Ann
Revving Up for Christmas
To register visit Canon Press!
webinar schedule:
November 29 and December 1, 10:00 – 11:00 AM Pacific Time (1:00 PM Eastern)
Session recordings will be available through December 20th.
In these sessions, Rachel will give practical encouragement for mothers preparing to celebrate. A realistic look at a glorious holiday – we will discuss traditions, joy, stress, laughter, giving, receiving, and worshiping.
Mothering Flashback
Now that I am a Nana of seventeen wonderful grandkids, I have the leisure to look back at the “glory days” from a different perspective than I had when I was home in the trenches. If I could speak to that self of mine home with the littles, here are a few things I would say.
1. Repetition is a glorious thing! Enjoy the repeat performance every day.
2. Steward the events (the planned and especially the unplanned) of each day with contentment.
3. Pray more! Worry less. Much less.
4. Express thanks and praise every chance.
5. At the end of the day, never say, “I didn’t get anything done.”
And just to be fair, here are a few things I look back on with gratitude. Gratitude that God inspired us to do these things. They were far more potent than we realized at the time.
1. After-dinner reading that sometimes stretched on for hours.
2. Hot towels from the dryer after baths.
3. Jammy rides for ice cream and a visit to grandparents.
4. Open tap on the milk in the fridge.
5. Bedtime songs and stories.
Where is Wisdom?
Wisdom is intensely practical once you find it, and finding it is what we are to be doing. We are to “seek her as for silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures” (Proverbs 2:4).
But, ah, where do we find wisdom? This is Job’s question: “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12). If we are supposed to seek and search, where do we start digging?
Before the question is answered, Job points out two things: You can’t find wisdom anywhere on earth; and even if you could, there is not enough wealth on earth to buy it. Think of trying to put a price tag on the Pacific Ocean. And if the value could be ascertained, no one could afford it. That is like wisdom.
Job asks the question again in verse 20: “From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?”
Answer: It is hidden from both the living and the dead (verses 21-22).
However, “God understands its way, and He knows its place” (vs. 23).
And then God provides us with the full answer: “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding'” (vs. 28).
So we have a two-fold answer to the question. We find wisdom by (1) fearing God, and we find understanding by (2) departing from evil.
We see this pairing of wisdom and understanding together elsewhere in Scripture, and we find the pairing of fearing God and departing from evil together as well.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments” (Psalm 111:10).
The more distance we put between ourselves and sin, the more we grow in wisdom. The more we obey God, the wiser we become. “There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord” (Prov. 21:30). If you are getting advice or ideas that are contrary to the Lord and His Word, whatever it is, it is not wisdom. There is absolutely no wisdom that is against the Lord. Period.
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly” (Prov. 2:6-7).
Wisdom is for the upright. God has plenty stored up for those who want to do what He says. But for those who disobey God, those who interpret His commands loosely or disregard them all together, they are shut out from wisdom. They are wise in their own eyes, and that is the extent of their wisdom.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil” (Prov. 3:7). There it is again. Fear God. Obey His commands. Rather, be wise in God’s estimation, not your own. Fear God and do what He says.
Dumpster Diving
One of the central ways we overcome the temptations to fear, worry, anxiety, or bitterness is to obey the Scriptures that tell us to set our minds on things above. Consider these commands to set, seek, and meditate:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:5-6).
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
We all know how our minds drift all the day long, and we tend to be easily carried along to where ever they might take us. But thoughts left to themselves often go dumpster diving, digging through fleshly things, carnal things, earthly things, untrue, ignoble, unjust, impure, unlovely, and unkind things. The dumpster is always full of this stuff: your own past sins and failures, the sins of others, bitterness, worries, and lusts. And then we wonder why we are worried, envious, lustful, bitter, anxious, or fearful. But we’ve been feeding on this stuff from the dumpster all day!
In the same way that we need to discipline our thoughts to avoid being consumed by negative and unhealthy patterns, we can also seek external assistance to manage our physical waste effectively. Just as a mental discipline is crucial for redirecting our thoughts, proper waste management requires discipline and conscious effort to keep our surroundings clean and organized. Dumpster services can play a vital role in this process by providing a designated container for the efficient disposal of waste, preventing it from accumulating and causing unnecessary clutter. By utilizing dumpster services, we can take proactive steps to maintain a clean and organized environment, allowing us to focus on more important aspects of life. To explore the benefits of dumpster services and find a reliable provider in your area, you can visit website for more information.
Dying Well
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Eileen Lawyer’s death was precious to us as well. She taught us how to live, and she has taught us how to die.
What did she teach us about living? Eileen taught us to give ourselves away. She was a devoted wife, and signed all her emails with “Eileen Lawyer, treasured wife of Mike Lawyer.” Her identity was first in Christ, and then joyfully wrapped up in her husband and daughter. What Mike was doing, Eileen was doing alongside. How Rachel was doing was always a chief concern.
During her life, Eileen was always a picture of health: energetic and cheerful. None of us was expecting her to be taken away so suddenly by cancer. But we learned from her during her wise stewardship of this hardship. She continued to be devoted to others, always considerate and grateful. Doug conducted a small worship service around her bed a few days before her passing. Even there, she was thanking everyone for coming, and I will never forget how determined she was to take the Lord’s Supper, embracing the difficulty of eating the bread and drinking the wine. She wanted all of Christ.
The cross stitch above is a gift Eileen made for us many years ago. And how appropriate is this verse now as ever. God has shown Eileen the path of life, and now she has entered into His presence in fulness of joy. We will miss her. No one can fill her shoes. But that is how it should be. In the missing, we will continue to thank God for her, a dear sister and friend.
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