The way bedtime on Christmas Eve went, I wasn't so sure we'd have a good day on Christmas. 3 hours of screaming baby is not the ideal way to go to bed. At midnight-thirty, I finally caved, swaddled her (she HATES her swaddle) and let her scream herself to sleep (in my arms, I'm not evil). The bonus, we realized she sleeps SO much better in her swaddle when she does finally stop screaming and fall asleep. She did an 8 hour stretch only waking because I had to feed her (BF'ing Moms will understand). Katie got tons of wonderful gifts but the funny thing was, her favorite was the most simple. Remember Lamb Chops? My younger brother bought her a Lamb Chops hand puppet. It doesn't flash lights and there are no buttons play music but she loves her Lamb Chops Baby. The sad part was the only white part of her first Christmas was her family. At least this isn't the first Christmas she'll remember (it better snow next year).
Addition 2 hours later - It's taken me two hours to finish writing this post, mostly because my daughter woke up and wanted to play and then wanted to eat. In that two hours, I realized her Lamb Chops does, actually, make noise. Silly me, it's stated right there on the still attached tag but I only realized it when I squeezed the mouth pretending to talk as Lamb Chops only to have Lamb Chops happily ask, "Hi! What's your name?"
I received one of the best games ever, Curses. Christmas night, Lucas and I went to a friend's house for dinner and fun. I was so excited to have a reason to bust out my new game! I think we played with too many intelligent people, though, since we couldn't get someone to win the game. We couldn't even get someone to lose first. I think we played for two hours before calling it quits. Katie didn't sleep much while we were out which gave me a full night of uninterrupted sleep when we came home. WOO-HOO!
Our church is not one to shirk services so we were still able to fellowship with our church family Christmas morning. I was a little bummed this year when I realized Christmas would fall on a Sunday because, growing up, we never had church on Christmas Day. I love my church and the family I've gained from it so I didn't look forward to missing two weeks in a row (assuming they wouldn't have service on New Year's Day as well, which we will have service then, too).
One thing that has been discussed the last few weeks in service has been self-examination to know you are truly a Christian. There is a phrase I hear/read a lot that I have mixed feelings about. It goes something like, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than being in a garage makes you a car." My mixed feelings come from the fact that people use it as their excuse not to attend church. I agree 100% that going to church does not mean you are a Christian, the Bible even warns of people who believe they are Christians, yet aren't, which is evident by their lifestyle (works). However, it is so extremely important that we, as Christians, attend church and, I believe, it is commanded that we attend church. I won't write all of these verses out but I will give enough to give an idea as to where I have developed this belief.
Matthew 4:23, Matthew 5-7, Mark 1:21, Mark 2:1-2, Luke 4:16:
Matthew 4:23 "Jesus wen throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people."
Mark 1:21 "They went to Capernaum, and, when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach."
Luke 4:16 "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day, he went into the synagogue as was His custom."
As Christians, we are called to be "Christ-like." Jesus, in His time on earth, made a habit of attending service on the Sabbath. We are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) and, therefore, should imitate Jesus, being the incarnate of the Trinity. Using a middle school throw-back, WWJD? Jesus would attend service. Or he'd teach it.
Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
God specifically commands us to meet together. That combined with the other verses convinces and convicts me to attend church. Not only meet together in friendly fellowship but also to meet together to learn, encourage, strengthen and grow each other.
How, exactly do we do that?
1 Timothy 4:16 "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."
We learn in church services. Yes, we learn through our own personal devotions (equally important) but God gives us those who are wiser and spiritually older to teach and guide us. God, through the Holy Spirit, gives each Christian a spiritual gift:
1 Corinthians 12:27-28 "Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those that have the gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration and those speaking in different kinds of tongues."
When we remove ourselves from church, we remove the ability of those withing a church to minister to us using their gifts and we remove the ability from ourselves to minister to a church family using our own gifts. The use of our gifts aids in spiritual growth. While some can use their gifts outside of a church setting, it would be horrible to find the gift of teaching or prophecy after having removed yourself from the setting that would allow and nurture the growth to use it to your best ability. And now backtracking a bit...
1 Corinthians 12:12 "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."
Ephesians 4:25 "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor for we are members of one body."
Between these two verses, we find that not only are we called one body but we are called to teach, confront or correct, as applicable, the other members of the body. Again, I know it is possible to teach, correct and confront other Christians outside of church as it is possible to spend time together outside of church but, in all honesty, how many times do you gather with other Christians each month, let alone each week, for the sole purpose to teaching and learning? God has set aside one day a week that we should give back to Him. One day out of seven. It's really not much.
That being said, I do understand that there will be circumstances that prevent a Christian from attending church and that does not make him/her any less of a Christian. One of my very closest friends has a hard time committing to much because her husband has a wacky work schedule that changes about as often as a germophobe washes his hands. She and her husband are often working on Sundays and are given a "weekend" at another point of the week. This couple is one of those strongest Christian couples our age that I have ever met and are daily in their Bibles. There are careers that demand priority, such as military, and I do fully support Christians serving their country (as I myself served 5 years in the AF and my husband is currently serving his second enlistment).
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Food For Thought
Two years ago today was supposed to be the due date of my little Jesse, not my first child and not my last. In that light:
A woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer has a 46% 5-year survival rate. Approximately 40% of all pregnancies (including those not yet detectable by an HPT) will end in loss. The worst argument for elective abortion (in my opinion) is the argument for the rights of the mom. Are my rights more important than those of a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer just because I have a higher chance of surviving the next 5 years? My 6 week old daughter is just as dependent on someone for survival as she was 8 weeks ago. Should she be abandoned in the street, she wouldn't last without someone taking her home. That throws the argument that a fetus requires it's mother to survive out the window. My child might not require me, specifically, but that's only because she isn't in my belly anymore. She still requires someone to change her, feed her, clothe her and keep her warm. Plain and simple, on her own, life is not possible.
That brings me to my next topic. The Duggar family. They experienced the loss of a living child. You don't believe me? Go watch The Silent Scream (please heed the warning on the webpage. Do not let your child watch this movie. It is the exact opposite of appropriate for children. I'm in tears remembering the video):
http://www.silentscream.org/
How dare anyone ever suggest that God is "telling them" to stop. If God is telling them to stop, He was definitely telling me to stop after 3 consecutive miscarriages. I hope you didn't miss the part in the first paragraph where I mentioned my 6 week old daughter.
I am by no means an expert but I cannot bring myself to believe unpleasant things like miscarriage happen because God is telling someone to stop having children when Scripture indicates otherwise. That would mean God intended for His children (us) to suffer.
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come." Romans 5:12-14
Adam and Eve were our spokespeople in the Garden of Eden. When Eve sinned and convinced Adam to sin, they brought physical death and spiritual death, in the separation between man and God.
"The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return."" Genesis 3:14-19
Verse 16 speaks of the curse upon the woman, increased pain in childbirth. I will tell you labor pain was horrible and that still was nothing compared to the pain of a miscarriage because that combines the physical with the emotional and mental. Contractions that result in death, crushed dreams and a short pregnancy being so completely over take such a toll on every part of your being. That was not how the world began and it was not the intention of our Creator, it was the punishment. Why shouldn't the crime receive a punishment? We all sin. To question the punishment not only places your own views above those of perfect God but also asks that He not care. A loving parent punishes his/her child, wouldn't a loving God do the same?
And now, I am off. K is starting to scream (to date, best sound in the world. That is subject to change when her giggles become audible) so I need to provide her food.
A woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer has a 46% 5-year survival rate. Approximately 40% of all pregnancies (including those not yet detectable by an HPT) will end in loss. The worst argument for elective abortion (in my opinion) is the argument for the rights of the mom. Are my rights more important than those of a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer just because I have a higher chance of surviving the next 5 years? My 6 week old daughter is just as dependent on someone for survival as she was 8 weeks ago. Should she be abandoned in the street, she wouldn't last without someone taking her home. That throws the argument that a fetus requires it's mother to survive out the window. My child might not require me, specifically, but that's only because she isn't in my belly anymore. She still requires someone to change her, feed her, clothe her and keep her warm. Plain and simple, on her own, life is not possible.
That brings me to my next topic. The Duggar family. They experienced the loss of a living child. You don't believe me? Go watch The Silent Scream (please heed the warning on the webpage. Do not let your child watch this movie. It is the exact opposite of appropriate for children. I'm in tears remembering the video):
http://www.silentscream.org/
How dare anyone ever suggest that God is "telling them" to stop. If God is telling them to stop, He was definitely telling me to stop after 3 consecutive miscarriages. I hope you didn't miss the part in the first paragraph where I mentioned my 6 week old daughter.
I am by no means an expert but I cannot bring myself to believe unpleasant things like miscarriage happen because God is telling someone to stop having children when Scripture indicates otherwise. That would mean God intended for His children (us) to suffer.
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come." Romans 5:12-14
Adam and Eve were our spokespeople in the Garden of Eden. When Eve sinned and convinced Adam to sin, they brought physical death and spiritual death, in the separation between man and God.
"The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return."" Genesis 3:14-19
Verse 16 speaks of the curse upon the woman, increased pain in childbirth. I will tell you labor pain was horrible and that still was nothing compared to the pain of a miscarriage because that combines the physical with the emotional and mental. Contractions that result in death, crushed dreams and a short pregnancy being so completely over take such a toll on every part of your being. That was not how the world began and it was not the intention of our Creator, it was the punishment. Why shouldn't the crime receive a punishment? We all sin. To question the punishment not only places your own views above those of perfect God but also asks that He not care. A loving parent punishes his/her child, wouldn't a loving God do the same?
And now, I am off. K is starting to scream (to date, best sound in the world. That is subject to change when her giggles become audible) so I need to provide her food.
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