Dying Well

By Nancy Ann | Filed under Friends

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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.

Lily Trotter

By Nancy Ann | Filed under Book Plugs

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If you’ve never heard of Lilias Trotter, here is a lovely little introduction which you can share with your kids. Lily, the Girl Who Could See  is beautifully illustrated by Tim Ladwig and sweetly told by Sally Oxley & Tim Ladwig. It is the story of the Victorian English woman, student of the great artist John Ruskin,  who chose to give her life ministering in Algeria and North Africa rather than follow Ruskin’s encouragement to become a famous artist. And of course, if you have heard of Lilias Trotter, you will definitely want to get this book, even if you don’t have children.

Then go ahead and find out more about this impressive lady, and order A Blossom in the Desert by Miriam Huffman. This book includes some of Trotter’s lovely sketches and paintings, as well as samples of her writing from her diaries and journals. From there you may as well go whole hog and order her biography,  A Passion for the Impossible, by Miriam Huffman Rockness, because Lilias Trotter is a woman worth knowing.

Come Down!

By lizziejank | Filed under Christian Living, Mothering

FullSizeRenderLet me tell you a little something about myself as a way of breaking the rather prolonged silence on my part. Life has been so wildly busy! We are getting deeper and deeper into what feels like the splits of parenting.  A nursing baby but also junior high track meets. Moses is a darling, wonderful, lively and cheerful 6 month old. So far, his spiritual gifts have not included napping. He dabbles in them at best. I am not complaining, because really he is so happy and thriving – but he certainly makes sure that even though he is number 7, he gets his full share of our attention. He has initiative, that one.

The other day, it took me about 3 hours to do 15 minutes’worth of dishes. Because every two or three minutes I had to go nurse, or go change the venue of play, or put the baby in the ergo on my back, or take a shower, or whatever. Read More

Coming Soon!

By Nancy Ann | Filed under Grace Agenda

Dangerous Women Pre-Conference Seminar                                 Friday 9:00 am -3:00 pm at the Church of the Nazarene
In every age Christian women need faith and courage to follow Christ, but this is all the more pressing today with our culture’s attack on marriage and motherhood. A woman who is not threatened by the current tides of opinion, but who finds her identity and satisfaction in following Christ will always be a dangerous woman.

                                                 Rachel Jankovic: Identity, Calling, and Joy  
                                                 Bekah Merkle: A Biblical Femininity
                                                 Nancy Wilson: Faithful Not Fearful
                                                 Heather Wilson: Your Life Now

A lunch hosted at the Ladies’ Seminar is available for $7. Please save your spot on the registration page.
Childcare (9 months and up) will be available during the Ladies’ Seminar on Friday. There will be no childcare during the main Grace Agenda conference (Friday evening and Saturday). However, a room with audio will be available for parents to use. If you plan to use childcare during the Ladies’ Seminar on Friday, please sign up here.

Happy Super Tuesday!

By heatherlinn | Filed under In the News | Tags: ,

Happy Super Tuesday! That’s how I woke up my kids this morning. That and Psalm 2. Nations and kings will do what they do but God is in the heavens and holds it all in His hands. God is good to His people and we will rejoice. Cue our favorite Psalms CD, and sing along.

(Do you feel the Bern? We don’t but I like his button)

Our kids, from six to thirteen, have been playing close attention this election cycle. They have opinions. Lots of opinions. The comedy and tragedy of the current candidates and our fine system hasn’t been lost on their wee brains and their observations bless me. They listen to the debates, to the press conferences, and report. At times entertained, at times appalled, but learning. Learning about our American political process. Thinking about what it means to be a citizen.  And what a season this is to come of age. The farcical quality of US politics is at an all-time high. The eldest, in all seriousness (but with a wry grin), asked yesterday what I am going to do when it’s Hillary vs. Trump. We laugh but it does pain my soul. Read More

A God-Fearing Home

By Nancy Ann | Filed under Christian Living, Mothering

A close cousin to worry is fear. But fear is not always bad, depending on the object of the fear. For example, we are to fear God and not man, like those courageous midwives in Egypt. They had to overcome their fear of the king, which they did by fearing God.

“But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.” (Exodus 1:17)

Fearing God results in obedience and blessing. It is the prerequisite for good moral choices. In Leviticus, the people are told to fear God as opposed to doing evil.  They were not simply told to “be nice” to people. They must fear God which will affect how they treat people. Consider this sampling of verses.

“You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:32)

“You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 25:17)
“Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 25:36)
 
“Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.” (Leviticus 25:43)
When we fear God, we will have pity on the weak, we will honor the elderly, we will not misuse our authority over our children, and we will not make money by charging interest on loans to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. Fearing God keeps us humble. We remember who we are.
But if we do not fear God, we do not restrain ourselves when it comes to unkindness, rudeness, bossiness, and asserting our power over those weaker than we are.
A God-fearing home is a home where God is honored in the big things (ten commandment level) and in the seemingly smaller things (that really aren’t smaller) like your son taking his hat off at church or during prayer before the basketball game, or everyone rising up when your elderly mother enters the room. A God-fearing home is a courteous and a courageous home whose members know when to disobey the king’s edict,  and when to bear with the slow, gray-haired driver in the car ahead.
Fearing God results in “do not” and “do.” Do look out for those weaker, smaller, poorer, or older. Do disobey when the king tells you to kill the infant. Do not make fun of the unfortunate. God hates this.
Mothers, teach your children to fear God:  We do not talk that way to the sales clerk. We fear the Lord. You may not talk back to your grandma like that. Fear God, young man, and take off your hat.