I tried out wordpress for a while, but now I’ve decided I once again lik Blogspot better. So I’ve migrated there now and started a new blog. (If you couldn’t guess, I enjoy a bit of change now and again).
So, hop along this link path to my new blog, still titled “Heartlight”. www.laughterlight.blogspot.com.
It’s pretty, it’s pink, and it’s got butterflies! what could be better, I ask? Ok, ok, maybe a lot of things. 😉
Bye, bye,
Hannah
Tis the season for colds and flus, but you don’t have to spend it incessantly sniffing into a tissue. I’d like to share a really helpful health recipe that’s very simple, yet proven effective. My family received it from an MD as a treatment for the respiratory infections that used to plague as and we use it all the time, usually with great success. Most years, we only get sick once, and not very severely even then.
What you’ll need:
Wedge open the bottle cap with a sharp knife and verify that the bottle is free of all yuckies. Mix the salt and soda thoroughly into the water and decant into the bottles, replace the cap and squirt through your sinuses twice daily at least. Hope it helps to ward off the winter sicknesses. 🙂
Love,
Hannah
Love is patient
Love is kind
Does not envy
Does not boast
Is not arrogant
Does not behave itself unseemly
Seeketh not her own
Rejoiceth in the truth
Bears all things
Hopes all things
Believes all things
Endures all things
Love—the greatest of all
May we all have such a love…
(I started to write a blog post this morning, but upon returning to reread it somewhat later, I was rather…ahem…dumbfounded by my unedited garble. When sick in bed, tapping away at my laptop between sneezes and hot spilt tea, my brain excursions are rather like a wild, Madagascarian safari, only understandable to readers similarly delirious.
All you need to know is that my article began by discussing a book I am currently enjoying. It shortly digressed to odd metaphors in which I likened myself to a koala and the book to the eucalyptus leaves said koala was snacking upon. Hey! You said you wouldn’t laugh; scout’s honor.)
Anyway, back to serious, grownup matters. I’ve been reading a really good book called Grace for Grace by Watchman Nee. He’s a Chinese Christian who speaks with simplicity and undiluted truth. This book reminds me that in my inherent evil, I cannot choose good, and am unable to will myself to become like Christ. It’s easy to think that I can strive to eliminate sin and promote the good things in my life, but the fact is, even the behaviors I consider good are themselves ‘like filthy rags’—Isaiah 64:6. The only way to salvation and regeneration, Mr. Nee gently reminds, is by admitting my incapability and taking on Christ as a completely new garment.
“No man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh it from the garment, and a worse rent is made.” (Matt 9:16)
Here our Lord shows us the parable of using a piece of undressed cloth to mend an old garment. Such a thing is commonly done, yet the Lord points out its incompatibility,. If a piece of undressed cloth is put on an old garment, this new cloth will make a worse rent in the garment,. In the Bible, the word garment stands for our righteousness stands for our righteousness before God. When the garment is torn, the shame of the flesh is exposed. We may think we are well dressed, but there is One who sees us however we are, whether in the dark or in the light. God declares that our garment is torn; that there is no way to cover up our sins and shame. Our past history is so full of uncleanness and sins that we cannot share these things with others. We may keep such matters hidden in our heart, but we cannot hide them from God. And thus the immediate problem is not in proving whether or not this garment is torn, rather it is in proposing what to do to this old and torn garment. Naturally, our own way would be to mend it.
Undressed cloth does not refer to new as opposed to old cloth. It has reference to unshrunken cloth, for the process of manufacturing has not yet been finished. To patch an old garment with such cloth will tear the old garment even more. Spiritually speaking, let it be understood that what many people receive is not the finished work of Christ. They accept the outward work of Christ on the cross. If they are asked who Jesus Christ is, they will say He is a great moralist, a great religious leader, or a perfect model for us to imitate. Such words are spoken by people who do not believe in the precious blood of our Lord. This is exactly what undressed cloth signifies.
Some people say that Jesus was not born of the virgin Mary, that He is not the Son of God, that His shedding of blood is not for the atoning of sin, that He has not risen from the dead, that His words and deeds before His death serve only as examples to us, and that His death has not too much relationship to us. They consider the works of the Lord Jesus during His thirty-three years of living on earth as enough for them; they have not seen the necessity for the Son of man to be lifted up in death. (see John 3:14) They take the death of the Lord Jesus as simply the murder of an ordinary person. They do not see His death as God having died for us. They have never perceived that if the Lord had not died, we must all die. In short, they accept the teaching of the Lord Jesus as ‘undressed’ cloth. By cutting a piece out of it, they use it to patch their old and torn garment of unrighteousness.
Oh Lord, may I be seen for who I am. No more, no less. May my heart turn in your hand like an unfolding pearl, calm and brave, like Hadassah of old…
All day, amid the smells of Thanksgiving turkey and pecan pie, I’ve been thinking of how much I have for which to be grateful.
Last year, we were living in our RV in the dead of a frigid Grand Junction winter. Not far from homeless ourselves, we decided to go serve at the local Salvation Army. (Now, I want you to know that we are not do-gooders who visit a homeless shelter on holidays and never think about the lonely people again. We often visit shelters to sing, serve food, or just to chat the whole year round.)
Before long, hundreds on hundreds of people began to pour in. They were typically dressed in old army issue coats if they were fortunate or tattered sweaters if they were not. They smelled bad and there were plenty of folks that you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. Funny how that just doesn’t matter.
Looking into their eyes, I saw people just like me, seeking a reason, just one little warm place for them in the wide world. There were angry eyes, sad eyes, diverted glances, and defiant stares, but, oh! How wonderful when I came across hope filled eyes that glowed like shining jewels. And behind those eyes were the kindest spirits. There was the good man, a king in tattered clothing, who jumped up to carry my armload of plates. There was the lady who looked so tired, but who laid her chapped hand on mine and said, ‘dear, you must be worn out!”
There were two last pairs of eyes; bright but wary, sharp with hunger. And they belonged to two tiny white-faced babies, five and seven years old. The mother’s face had the regal dignity of a princess, though her clothes were dirty and ill-fitting. The father looked like a lumberjack, his eyes creased with sadness. They lived under an overpass in the city.
When at last the crowd had thinned and my family and I sat down with our own plates, I was almost too tired to eat, and when I tasted the food, my appetite fled altogether. Never have I tasted worse food. All I could think about was how shameful it was that all these people would be fed food that I wouldn’t even hand to my dog.
That night, after serving several thousand people, we returned to the cold RV, our hearts and minds full of what we had seen that day.
That was our Thanksgiving last year. This year, we live in a trailer, on our own land and cooked up a tasty and wholesome dinner. You know what, though? The trappings didn’t make it more Thanksgiving than when none of those pleasant things come to us. I wouldn’t trade days like last year’s for the world. To me, every day that passes has something to live for, something even to die for. When you can get as low as some of those people I saw at the homeless shelter and still carry a smile in your heart, Thanksgiving no longer comes once a year. It’s an active element of each day.
Silence. Have you ever sat beside someone wordless, the quietness drifting like a warm blanket over you both? I crave people who are comfortable with quiet, unafraid of their thoughts or yours. With them, silence is a sort of worshipful music. Hmmm. A silvery, starry faraway kind of melody, I think… Perhaps this post seems very random, but my kindred spirits will understand.
This is a film produced by ‘The Way of the Master’. Some of you have already seen it. My family and I viewed it this morning. The content provokes a lot of thought. Not so much about abortion or the Holocaust, but how easy it is to grow lackadaisical about spreading God’s truth.
How quickly I become interested in achieving man’s approval rather than the Holy One’s. There’s nothing that separates me from the caustic wickedness of the unbelievers on this film. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
I must ask children or young adults to have their parent’s present (Best to have them view it first) Some of the content, though necessary, is graphic and disturbing. Yet, it’s imperative that we Christians equip ourselves from a young age to fight evil.
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one life the aching
Or cool one pain
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again
I shall not live in vain
The webinar started off with a period of time to answer the questions that come in each week from the listeners. The questions were many and I didn’t record them all but here are some of the key ideas gained from those questions. Mr Botkin spoke of the importance of NOT just marrying a “nice girl” (or boy) and said a successful marriage isn't guided by “we don’t argue or divorce”. It should be a strong, selfless picture of love. They really stressed not settling for anything less. A person needs to understand that the main goal is to know God and make Him known and if that includes marriage that is great! Discipleship should already be in place, not something that happens “once I get married” type of thing. Marriage is definitely normative, yet shouldn’t be all one thinks about before it happens. Marriage is not the end-all in life. Productivity and fruitfulness can be accomplished while preparing for marriage. In speaking to Ben and Audri about their courtship process, Audri mentions that she wasn’t looking for “an out” of her family. She honored the authority structure in her family and knew she was needed at home. When Ben did enter the picture everyone knew he had to be something evn higher in priority than her own family in order to take her away. She had her priorities in place and wasn’t out looking to escape her responsibilites in other words. Once Ben began thinking that Audri might be that one, he went straight to Audri’s father and told him that he saw many admirable traits in Audri, yet that he didn’t know for sure if “she was the one”. He then asked Audri’s father what his thoughts regarding this were. Ben asked her dad if he thought it was alright to get to know her better. This was spoken of as a good pattern and guideline to follow. The Botkin’s said that young men should regard all other young ladies as someone else’s wife as long as they are not married, so as to NOT violate the young lady’s feelings prematurely and so forth. Each must be so careful in this area! Something else that was discussed was the importance of the young man walking with older and wiser men to learn all he can about marriage. Honest communication must be in place. Audri's father basically descipled Ben during this whole process of getting to know Audri and the family. Another critical point made was that the young man, or young lady, should never make themselves out to look better than they actually are. As said earlier, honesty really is the best policy! Wrong impressions will later be found out and give a deceptive view of the one who is trying to look good. Be really honest about weaknesses and failures. Ask others such as family and friends about the character of the one being discussed. You don’t want to set up false expectations. It will only hurt them both in the end, if they don‘t practice this truth factor. (perfection is NOT expected, just honesty and openess) When talking about how much to tell each other, the Botkin’s said you obviously don’t need to give every detail and gory story about each others failings and such, but only those character traits or weaknesses that might potentially hurt the marriage and needs working on, so each can decide whether they can help each other with this particular problem, or whether this has been, and is, dealt with. Either way, each goes into marriage fully knowing what to expect. Full disclosure is far better than looking good to impress and finding out later!! Being blunt, honest and real with each other is necessary in order to make a sound decision in good conscience before God.. Again it was discussed that defining terms for marriage and courtship are really important before beginning the process. Some of the topics given to discuss were: Family traditions Relationship to God Favorite books, movies etc Favorite scripture passages Goals Passions Vision What is each looking for in a spouse? What does each need in a spouse? Parenting How to handle various situations Doctrine Church government and leadership Women in he church Mistakes made and how they were handled Politics and current events This should all be sober and not a giddy time! The woman really needs to know whether or not she can submit and follow this man and the man needs to know whether he can lead this young woman and such. There were many, many more that I didn’t get down in writing, but the ideas stated were just to get the thought processes rolling, so-to-speak. The Botkin’s really didn’t want to give lists as if their way was the only way. Prayer was discussed as a way to begin each talking time and to end each as well. Commit all to God to give them wisdom and truth and a productive time together. They feel that “talk-time” is serious business! Ben and Audri actually got to know each other long distance and spent very little time together because the Botkin’s had moved right before they started courting. This was radically different from David and his courtship. Each one will be different so the families need to be flexible .Each person is different and each situation is different which is why reliance upon God and His wisdom is entirely necessary! Again, the need to “interview” each family was a way to learn a lot about each other and both Ben, Audri, David, and Nadia found this so helpful. Another point made was that emotions had to remain in control throughout the process so as to not base decision on them alone. It was mentioned that decisions shouldn’t be made on things less important than those that are spiritual. The difference between sensual love and love for others was explained. They went into a long explanation of the need to keep this aspect under control while in a courtship stage. Phillipians 1:8 was an example given of how Paul loved the church and yet it was a proper love. Love is good when it is applied as selfless love and concern for the other over self. In all relationships this is a good practice anyways. Closeness and touch was discussed and the general conclusion made was that hands off is best, while courting, but again depending on each individual situation and people involved, ( some believe to hold hands is alright during courtship) but usually the bestway to avoid wrong emotions and premature feelings is to wait for marriage before holding hands and so forth. They spoke oferring on the side of caution always! Lookout for what is good andright in God’s eyes. We are to guard against giving opportunity to theflesh. Caring for the soul of the other was mentioned as very important.The Botkin’s clearly spoke of the aspect of not “looking forward to”being alone. The young man should NEVER consider the young lady “his girl” at all, until they are married and vise versa! This could fall into covetousness as well. (desiring something that is not lawfully yours) The parents hopefully have been guiding and instructing both parties while young, up to present, in order to make good and wise decisions regarding marriage. The other important issue was the idea of parents NOT telling their young adults what to do or what decision to make, but instead helping them to think and guiding them through the process. The ultimate decision still belongs to the two involved, in the end. Nearing the end of these two sessions the idea of not leaning upon our own understanding and trusting in God as ever so important in making a right decision. Read the word of God together and discuss the meaning of what was read. Pray together. You can find out so much about a person and their relationship with God by the way they pray. Worry not! Fear not! The young man must be willing to lay down his life for the woman. (Is he?) Can the young lady help the young man in consideration with his weaknesses and walk along beside him and support his vision and purpose? They each must ask the crucial question: Am I the best person for him/her?? God will give right desires when each desires his will not their own. It isn’t about “what I want” but rather, what is bestfor the other! Wow! What a concept in our day and age! So often, sadly, it is more about self in our day and age! As for a time frame, the idea was mentioned that he courtship should take as long as needed, while being as short as possible! I thought that was great and wise advice! If there is no legitimate reason for doubt, the Holy Spirit will make it evident and clear. Here are some more and repeated guidelines to help in making a decision: Look for the fruit of the Spirit Does each love the word of God? Is there love for each other more than self love? Is there evidence of each growing in discipline and maturity? Another question to ask is, "who are your disciples?" What a great question to ask! Does each have a desire to serve God, is it taking place now in their lives? Looking at the family legacy of each family can also be very helpful in determining the potentials of a suitor. Look for a depth in their relationship with God, not just a shallow walk with God. I could go on and on because there truly was so much covered. I think I have given a fairly good idea of the most important topics discussed, and I know I have even been somewhat redundant. I hope this has been very helpful to anyone who reads this. God Bless you! In His Grip, Lydia Hoppman
Heartlight 