Rebekah's Insights

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As part of our Worship time this morning, the children went through magazines to find photos of things for which they are thankful. With scissors, they cut out the items, then placed them in a cornucopia. What began as a ten-minute activity, grew into over an hour of Liam and Aine scouring every old magazine they could find and cutting "Thankful Pictures." :)

Aside from how amusing the items sometimes were to their Daddy and I, (i.e., Nutella and Pop Tarts--LOL) it was so interesting and touching to see how many little things for which our little loves are grateful. Equally interesting, was the fact that once they began to think about being thankful, they couldn't seem to stop thinking of things for which they are grateful.

Some time ago, I had intended to record my "Thankful Pictures" (in words) here on the blog, as a record to remember. As the "To Do" list became unwieldy and the hours of sleep became few, that intention slipped from my mind. It was good to be reminded of it again, as I often find that in my life, it can be so encouraging to recount the Lord's blessings--even in times of sadness or discouragement. So, I'll give it another try. :)

I am reminded also of an old hymn from my childhood...

Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1897

"When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

* Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high."

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1. Grandparents and the richness they bring to our lives, when they give of themselves and share in our lives. Particularly, thirty-five wonderful years of knowing my Gram and having the privilege of spending so much time with her.
2. The hope found in knowing I will see her again one day in heaven, through Jesus' sacrifice--though we are sinners, Christ died for us.
3. God's Word, from which all meaning and purpose and comfort come.
4. Family members and friends whose love is demonstrated in action, not merely in word.
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Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall fail,
and the fields shall yield no meat;
the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength,
and He will make my feet like hinds' feet,
and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.

From The Word of God
The Book of Habakkuk
Third Chapter
Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Verses

Those who...

* are poor in spirit...theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
* mourn...they shall be comforted.
* are meek...they shall inherit the earth.
* hunger and thirst for righteousness...they shall be filled.
* are merciful...they shall obtain mercy.
* are pure in heart...they shall see God.
* are peacemakers...they shall be called the Children of God.
* are persecuted for righteousness' sake...theirs is the Kingdom of God.

Reflecting and meditating on this passage from the fifth chapter of the book of Matthew, wherein Jesus teaches His disciples.

He taught them then--He teaches now

...if we have ears to hear.

This Sunday marked the first Sunday of Advent. Coming. His coming!

We are making a concerted effort amidst gift wrapping, package mailing, cookie baking, decorating, and all the other sources of bonding and busyness typically associated with this season, to dedicate time to celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ. We endeavor to purposefully pause to consider, marvel, explore, and appreciate anew, the wonder of His glorious first coming as a baby in Bethlehem and the promise of his glorious second coming, to which we look forward, though we know not the day nor the hour of His return.

On this first Sunday, we lit the HOPE candle.

As the room was dark until the lit candle lent a bright glow, we explained to our little ones that HOPE is as a candle lit in darkness, and that Jesus alone IS that Light, He IS the only HOPE for a world lost in the darkness of sin.

These can seem to be complicated concepts, and as adults, we know that we have grown in our understanding over many years. We have not yet come to understand everything, for that growth will occupy the hours, days, months, and years ahead. However, in simple terms, physical examples, songs, and diligent teaching of amazing words (which may four years from now make much more sense to small ears and hearts than they do now)--we pray that seeds are planted, watered and warmed--despite our inconsistencies, failings, and sins--and that one day, in His Sovereignty we will know the joy of faithful fellowship with these believers--sister and brother in Christ, while also, our daughter and son.

This is the cry of our hearts: O LORD, may You draw us to Yourself and cause us to know You, trust You, believe You, obey You.
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"…and further Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, he who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Romans 15:12 & 13

A Psalm for the thank offering. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

...and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him."

Lamentations 3:21-24

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Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not.
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hands hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

written by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm

***I couldn't express it any better than this!***

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.

Galations 5:22 & 23

What is Love?...

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16)

He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Love is a word I so often use in such a common way. May I think before I use it to describe how I feel about my favorite food, book, movie, game, or in any other respect ill-deserving of its meaning...a meaning defined and demonstrated so thoroughly and extravagantly by God Himself.

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(Today during Sabbath Family Worship)

Catechism Question #16: Who were our first parents?

Liam Answers: "Adam and Alleve!"

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

In light of the fact that we are having, what we are told is an uncommonly cold Spring and Summer, I must admit that I have trouble believing it is indeed Summer! Our temperatures refuse to go above the 50's and today, the winds are so intense that it feels like February all over again!

We are enjoying the daylight from 3:30 AM until 11:00 PM--well, we are now that room-darkening curtains are installed on the windows! ;) However, our attempts at cook-outs/picnics have been a bit too chilly to be highly enjoyable. (However, the sheep have not returned for any impromptu picnics at the expense of our flowers, so a lack of picnics is not necessarily bad!) The thick stone walls of our barn dwelling keep enough heat in for us to dispense with heating the house the past many weeks, but there are others here who are too cold without the heat running inside. Just another interesting chapter in a life in a new-to-us land.

Happy Summer, anyway!

Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children’s games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer

---from Every Season by Nichole Nordeman

How mysterious are Your ways O LORD...

You use sorrow to wring me out,
To squeeze from me each drop of myself...
Creating room to fill me with Yourself,
As a sponge wrung dry is thirsty for water.
You are Living Water.

Blessed be the name of the LORD!

My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to Thy Word! Psalm 119:28

"He who made the Plei'ades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name"

Amos 5:8

Last evening a friend and I attended Evensong at nearby Ripon Cathedral, wherein worship services have been held for over 1,350 years! For those who aren't familiar, Evensong is the Evening Prayer liturgy used in the late afternoon or evening in churches of Anglican tradition, i.e., Anglican, Episcopal. Usually, and certainly in the case of last evening, Evensong features the components of worship following the Book of Common Prayer offered chorally, that is, nearly entirely sung by the choir and clergy.

The choir was incredibly beautiful and I have never herd a sound system come even near to rivaling the volume or sound quality of the cathedral's acoustics! Upon my word--the glorious music which soared high to the gorgeous vaulted ceiling--it was an astounding experience! Better yet was hearing God's Holy Word sung, read, and eloquently expounded upon in the lyrics of the hymns! It was awesome! While I definitely do not believe worship must be done exclusively in a cathedral-type setting nor with traditional formality, it was simply breathtaking to see and feel the awesome greatness of architecture and magnificence of music being employed to give reverence to the Almighty God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. It is, indeed, still so insignificant compared to His Greatness, His Magnificence, His Holiness--but it was quite an experience. I am humbled to reflect on how I am able to come to Him only through the Savior's Blood shed for me.

Laudamus te (We praise Thee)

Benedicimus te (We Bless Thee)

Adoramus te (We adore Thee)

Glorificamus te (We glorify Thee)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone be all glory!)

For some time I have been reflecting on the Fourth Commandment...

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:8-11, RSV)

As Liam began to learn the Ten Commandments this year in school, I began to wonder how he would understand what I was teaching. Aside from the morning being largely devoted to Worship, there is little difference in our activities on Sunday compared to our activities the rest of the week. I kept telling myself how impossible it would be to do no (or at least very little) work on Sundays, i.e., the washer size here makes going a day without doing any laundry a problem for subsequent days, we have to cook if we're going to eat, etc.

Yesterday, however, it just so happened that I had very easy, basically heat and serve meals. As planned, after Worship and lunch we spent the afternoon out and about the farm on which we reside. Consequently, I did not get to any laundry (much to my chagrin today as I attempt to catch-up on yesterday's loads as well as today's) nor any other household tasks. After dinner, baths, and tucking the children into their beds, Will and I enjoyed an evening playing one of our favorite games, The Castle.

It truly WAS a day of rest! I awoke this morning with so much more energy--mental AND physical, that I think I may be hooked--on the possibility and value of a true DAY of Rest. I should not be surprised that the Lord knew what He was doing when He set aside the Sabbath, eh?

And he [Jesus] said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath." (Mark 2:27 & 28)

I think I will endeavor to facilitate this Day of Rest for this coming weekend. I can plan my menu with make-ahead or "heat-and-serve" meals, do an extra load of laundry a few days this week to eliminate the need to do it on Sunday, and try to accomplish any cleaning, etc. on the days prior to Sunday. I look forward to spending a day in worship of the Almighty God who made such a day for me and in enjoying the other wonderful treasures He has bestowed on my life.

And, perhaps Liam will be better able to understand the Fourth Commandment now as we attempt to walk through it, rather than only talk through it. I realize that not everyone has the same schedule we have with Will working Monday through Friday, so a Day of Rest may not be possible for everyone on a Sunday. I am also aware that others observe such a day on Saturday, believing it to be more true to observing on the seventh day of the week. But whenever it is observed, I am seeing the importance and blessing of truly setting the day aside--for remembering the sabbath and keeping it holy.

As we prepare our hearts for and devote our time to remembering Jesus' sacrificial death and glorious resurrection:

But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:21-23)

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

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Broken and poured out for the love of His creation
God paid a debt that He didn't owe
Bearing my pain for not one was His equal
And wearing my shame so that I could know Him

He gave us all He had to give
So that we could truly live
So let's give all we have to Him
So that we can be completely free

As they placed the thorns on His brow
As they drove the nails into His hands and feet
He looked past the moment to where we are now
And gave us the victory from what seemed His defeat

He said here's My body
It's broken in two
Here is My blood let it cover you
All that I have is now yours to receive
Payment in full so that you could be free

Oh without a doubt completely
So that we can be completely free

Completely Free by Mike Weaver, 2003
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