Hymns

I am pretty sure there isn't much more in this life more beautiful than a hymn. When I listen to a hymn, it makes me feel close to God, and fills my soul in a satisfying way. I personally think the old traditional hymns are best, although I know there are some gems in our modern repertoire as well. But in my opinion, the old hymn writers were inspired by God in a way that I think our modern writers are missing out on. I'm not exactly sure why this is, but there you have it.

But really, how can you not be fed by the words of the following hymns?

He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!

Whate’er I do, where’er I be

Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine;
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

1. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
   Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
   Change and decay in all around I see—
   O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I stand amazed in the presence

Of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me,

A sinner, condemned, unclean.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,

Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love

Redeemed me for His own.

1. All the way my Saviour leads me,
   Cheers each winding path I tread,
   Gives me grace for every trial,
   Feeds me with the living Bread.
   Though my weary steps may falter
   And my soul athirst may be,
   Gushing from the Rock before me,
   Lo! A spring of joy I see;
   Gushing from the Rock before me,
   Lo! A spring of joy I see.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

I am hard pressed to decide which of these hymns are my favourites. I love them all! 

Which hymns do you love? What is your favourite? Or do you prefer modern worship songs?

Friday links

It's Friday Link time! 

This week I only have three articles and one video to share. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Two links from Lysa TerKeurst this week: One about fighting for your marriage when your husband has given up and another about when Mother's Day is hard. Although I am not in a hard marriage and not struggling with infertility, I thought she offered great encouragement to those who are. For that reason, I thought I'd share. Also, in the one about Mother's Day, I think the principle of waiting on God for His best can apply to any area of life.

Jess offers some great thoughts on why gender differences are so important. If you have the time, scroll down to the comments section and see her response to a question someone had about male/female traits. Her comment is almost a blog post in itself and she always has a such a great, well-thought out view on things!

I thought this video was a powerful reminder of God's love for even terrorists. It isn't easy, humanly speaking, to forgive a group who makes it their mission to kill Christians. But that is exactly what God calls us to do.

Books I love

I have read a lot of books in my lifetime. Learning to read came easily to me and since I learned how at age six, I've been hooked. I distinctly remember in grade two, my teacher was reading us Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and for some reason I picked the book up myself and realized, hey, I can read this for myself! And that was it. I've been reading ever since. There have been lulls. I haven't always had the time to read as much I like to. Especially when I had my first two babies I lost myself a bit in sea of diapers and feedings and didn't really much in that fog of time. I will not typically just read anything; I'm rather picky actually. If I start a book I am not loving, I stop reading it. Life's too short to read something that isn't grabbing my attention. As for genres, I enjoy mystery, memoir, thriller (some, depends on how graphic), Christian (some, depends on how banal), self-help (some, depends on who's written it), biography/autobiography, some bestsellers/bestselling popular authors.

But where am I going with all of this? Well, I've been thinking about the written word and how essential and important it is, for me at least, to learn from what others have written. Whether fiction or non-fiction, there is usually something to learned or gained from 'hearing' an author's voice. The other day I was thinking about my top favourite books and how important they have been in shaping my thought process as I learn and grow as a mom and wife, as well as my Christian walk. Today I'm going to share five books that have resonated with me so deeply that I haven't forgotten the messages I've learned from them to this day. These are all non-fiction works; maybe someday I will compile a list of my top five favourite fiction books.

1. A Woman's High Calling by Elizabeth George 
This first one I read while in the midst of baby fog almost ten years ago. It's been so long that I actually don't remember much about the book, but I do know that it was pivotal in my decision to stay home with my kids. I'd always vaguely assumed I'd stay home with them since that's what my mom did. But then it was easy to talk myself out of it when my job was so great and the extra cash was nice. So when my first born was a year old, I went back to work. Reading this book however, opened my eyes to just how important it is for kids to have their moms home. (Please don't take this as a judgement if you work outside the home; I understand that a lot of moms have to work, or simply enjoy working, but this is about my journey and my choices.) And yes, I know that the Bible talks about women being 'keepers at home' but sometimes it helps to have someone spell out the 'why' of certain Biblical suggestions. Anyway, I found this book extremely thought-provoking for me at the time.

2. Creative Counterpart by Linda Dillow 
I read this one probably about eight years ago. It was one of the few books I managed to read at that time, but it was for my women's book study so I 'had' to read it and I am so glad I did! It's probably the best book on marriage that I've ever read. Whether your husband is a grump or the gentlest man alive, there is help for any wife. In my case, my husband is very gentle and unassuming. I, on the other hand, am very opinionated and bossy. So, I tended to walk all over him. This book totally put me in my place. Again, the Bible tells wives to be respectful to their husbands, but I kind of needed to be told, in today's terms, that my behaviour was not okay. Our marriage has never been awful, but I can definitely say that working on myself to become a better wife has done absolute wonders for our relationship.

3. Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
I read this book a couple of years ago and it was such a healing balm for my soul. I carried a lot of guilt for the way I handled my kids in the first few years of parenting. I was just so hard on them and expected so much from them (especially my first born) and it's been really hard to let that heavy feeling of guilt go. But when I read this book, and actually it's a little study with room to write answers, it felt so refreshing. Lysa reminded me of God's great love for me and my kids and how His love covers and erases everything. There is no reason for me to carry guilt around like a deadweight. It still hasn't been easy to let go of it, but there has been huge healing happening in my heart.

4. Hope for the Weary Mom by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin
This book. I have always been quite vocal about my dislike of parenting books. I despise people making parenting into a formula to follow: if you do x, y, z, your kids will turn out into perfect little minions. It drives me nuts and for years I felt like the worst parent ever because those formulas did not work for me. My kids and I are far too sinful for any old formula. Anyway, this book was so healing for my soul. I cried buckets over this book as my heart cried 'yes' over and over. Because honestly? I found being a mom exhausting. There were many times I actually hated it. But this book made me realize that all moms feel that way from time to time (even if they don't admit it). It validated my feelings while also offering hope and practicality for how to manage the stress I was feeling.

5. Kisses From Katie by Katie J. Davis
This book was a departure from the usual parenting/being a wife/help for the Christian kind of book that I normally read. It was about missions and Katie's calling to Africa to be a missionary, which is so far from my comfort zone. I cried buckets over this book too, simply because it brought to light the very deep need in this world, and how the western civilizations are so spoiled and caught up in their own lives. It opened my eyes to a side of the world that I had not really ever thought too much about before. But not only that, it awakened me to the realization that being a missionary doesn't always mean being called to the mission field, but being a good steward of what God has entrusted me with at this moment.

There are so many honourable mentions and it was so hard to narrow this list down. But these five books are the ones that I felt the most deeply and were most life-changing for me.

Friday links

It's hard to believe that another week has gone by! I know in our house we are itching to be done with the school year and I think I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel! Our winter cabin fever melted away this week along with the snow... spring is finally here and we've been enjoying it to the fullest!

Here are the links I came across this week. Hope you enjoy or find inspiration like I did!

If you public school, this is probably not the article for you, but if you are thinking of homeschooling then you may find it helpful.

I thought this poem was beautiful, and a sweet, raw interpretation of exactly how marriage is.

This article cut me to the core. He totally hit the nail on the head in my opinion. I think I might need to write a post on this topic: how my parents' faith made me want to follow God.

Jess gives good advice on how to 'talk to yourself'. You can change the voice in your head from lies and negativity to truth.

This was an encouraging blog post to remind us we're not alone and we're going to be okay.

Happy weekend!

A look back

A few years ago, I wrote this list, probably on a day when I needed to remember why I do love my life.

Here is what I wrote:

Ten Reasons I Love Being a Mommy:

1. Sloppy wet kisses from rowdy little boys

2. Little arms wrapping around my waist went I crouch down to pick something up

3. A little baby voice saying, "Mama"

4. Watching a baby girl grow into a toddler girl

5. Conversations about God before bed

6. Sweet little chipmunk voices, chattering incessantly

7. Laughter while playing a game together

8. Watching two little boys gain little bits of maturity

9. Chubby baby hands

10. And, dare I say it? All the mess, all the diapers, all the exasperation, and even the countless pieces of Lego I've stepped on. I am slowly starting to realize these days are not going to last forever and am trying to cherish the moments.

So, it's a few years later, and I decided to come up with a list of the reasons I love being a mom now. My kids are a bit older and some things have changed, for example: chipmunk voices are slowly disappearing. Wah!!!

Here is what I've come up with now:

1. Hearing the sounds of hockey being played in the basement by two brothers who are also best friends
2. Playing endless games of Memory, Uno and Candy Land with a sweet girl
3. Conversations that have more depth and questions that require more thought to answer
4. Seeing who my kids are becoming ... seeing how much more work we need to do and realizing at this point there is still lots of time
5. Watching their humour develop, listening to their jokes and funny stories
6. The hearty, delicious laugh of a five year old girl
7. Seeing each of their uniqueness: their likes, dislikes, and how different they are from each other
8. The independence they are all starting to show (which means mama has more free time)
9. Homeschooling and being able to stay home with them
10. Knowing that a lot of the hard work is behind me, and being able to enjoy the fruits of that

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I think it highlights what being a mom means to me. I'm really loving this stage my kids are in. (And kind of hoping that it's not the calm before the storm of teenage years!) 

Friday links

Happy Friday!! 

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter, remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus! Because He lives we can face tomorrow... and honestly, I would not be able to get out of bed in the morning if I didn't have this hope living inside of me! So thankful for Him. 

Here are some links that I hope you'll enjoy or find inspiring!

Although I don't necessarily want my children roaming the neighbourhood, I thought this article was spot-on! I love how she calls out today's parenting.

I love what this lady has to say about how our emotions get so tied up with our parenting - and how that's a huge hindrance.

I thought this post gave some great tips on the prevention of sexual abuse. It's sad this conversation needs to be had, but there it is.

Let's "Mom-Up"!! Great encouragement from Kelly.

Helpful tips for choosing next year's curriculum. I agreed 100% with her list.

Made this quick and easy meal for my family this week and it was a major hit! Will definitely keep it in my arsenal of tried and true recipes.

Love this idea! It's a great way to support other moms in need. I especially love their Earring of the Month Club... I might have to put my birthday money towards this.

Happiest of weekends!

Are we better than Jesus?

This post is directed at my fellow Christians. 

As a Canadian, I am slightly ashamed to admit: I do not know the ins and outs of politics, specifically American politics. It's never been my thing and I will not pretend to act like I know what I'm talking about. But it seems to me that every time I turn around, there is something in the news about Christians calling for their 'rights'. Or some governor passing, or trying to pass, a law that protects 'religious freedom'. And it rankles me. I've thought about it endlessly and I'll try to spell out what exactly it is that bothers me.

First of all, we live in a broken world. Agreed? It is broken, fallen, and it doesn't take much past the CNN homepage to recognize that fact. We, as a society (I'm looking at you, all of the western civilization AKA first world), are living more blessed and privileged than any society before us. Really, any right that we have is a direct blessing from God. We are blessed. In a society like ours, rights are normal. We expect to have enough to eat, or somewhere to go if we don't have enough money for rent. We expect to be warm at night and have clothes on our back. Even the poorest of us don't know what it's like to live in the extreme poverty of a third world country. So in one sense, we've been rather protected by our blessings; we just don't know what it's like to truly suffer. I also have a pet theory, which may or may not be true: The further a society gets from God, the more 'rights' will be taken away from His people. It's just that simple. If they hate Him, they'll surely hate us. So here's the thing: Blessings are a privilege, not a right. And they could be taken away at any time.

A Christian fighting for his 'religious rights' is so opposite of what Christ set out to teach us. Why on earth would we ever expect to be treated better than He was? Than His disciples were? Who do we really think we are? In John 13:38, Jesus asked Peter, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?" And then in 1 John 3:16 we read, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us." If He had the strength and fortitude to stay quiet before His tormentors, can He not also hold us up through any persecution we may face down here? Matthew 10:19-22 - "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. ...And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. ...A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master." I am wondering if Christians are fighting too much for their 'right to religious freedom' and I fail to see how that lines up with all of Jesus' talk about laying down His life and us taking up our cross and following Him. Matthew 10:34 - "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ...And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

Another thing is that true persecution is not brought on oneself. For example, the backlash to proposed laws that support 'religious freedom' is not persecution. You've brought that on yourself. True persecution is standing quietly in the face of opposition. When you say, "I can't do such and such because it goes against the word of God" and get hatred and scorn, that is persecution. Not, "Oh us poor little Christians are so mocked because we simply want religious freedom and the 'right' to honour a God this society hates." No. That is not persecution. That is more like someone self-flagellating to gain some kind of righteousness.

I don't see the apostle Peter fighting for the rights of his fellow persecuted Christians. I don't see him trying to politicize Christianity. Rather, he exhorts them to submit to those in authority (1 Peter 2:13-17). Likewise, the apostle Paul in Romans 13:1-7. And remember, the person ruling in Paul's day was Nero, who eventually executed the him. I hardly think the Christians who faced the literal lions were crying out for their rights. Rather I think they might have considered it an honour to die for Christ.

But see, this is the problem: We think we do have rights. Everyone else has them, or is trying to get them. What about us? Don't we deserve some kind of protection and tolerance?

We are told over and over again to lay our lives down, to take up our cross, to submit to the authorities over us. I don't know that Christians are meant to fight with the world. The world is going to do what the world does best: Revile God. We are told to love God and our neighbour and that's honestly about it. Everything we do or not do should reflect that and flow out of that.

We are the people following the One who said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life", the people who have tasted deeply of God's grace. We are those who have felt the depths of Jesus' love as He 'opened not His mouth' (Acts 8:32). We of all people, who have been called to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8), should know better.

Note that I do not for a minute think we are not supposed to reach out to our neighbour in a tangible way. I absolutely think we are supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus (and I fail at this) but what I don't think is that we're supposed to fight with our God-given (yes, God-given) governments. I really don't think it's the place of a Christian to 'change the world'. Why don't we just love the people around us, like we've been commanded to do, and leave the 'changing the world' to The Expert?

One more thought: This world is not our home. Any Christian worth his/her salt knows that our hope is in heaven. John 14:1-4 - "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." If we are pilgrims, we are going to face suffering and persecution. The problem is, I think we've forgotten that we're pilgrims on a journey, with a destination in heaven.

Are we called to make social reform in this dark world, or are we called to follow Him, even if that means death?