Works Based Faith

"Works based faith" - instantly you tell yourself that you are not in this category.  But is that really true...
Do people around you have to EARN things? Does everything have to be equal or fair?


- You only tips a waiter if they do a really good job.

- Conversation between parents, "I already changed a dirty diaper today so it's your turn." 

- Conversation between spouses, "I did the dishes so you have to finish laundry." 

- You justify gossiping about your boss or co-workers because they really are awful!

I'm no saint - I've done all these. But about a year ago my husband extravagantly tipped a waitress with terrible service. I was a little mad. He said it didn't matter that she didn't earn it; maybe she was having a terrible night. I couldn't argue with him. Then a few months later, he surprised me again. We were at a restaurant and he asked the waiter for the check.......and the check of two gentlemen across from us. I was stunned but nodded to the waiter that what my husband said was correct. The manager was very confused and asked if we knew the guys. No, we didn't. Couldn't even judge their character from listening to their conversation. They didn't speak English. 

These stories aren't to glorify my husband (he's probably mad I'm telling this story) but to tell you where my contemplation of true grace started. I really do believe that a business and their service should be held to high standards. Unfortunately this clouded my vision to see hurting people/ opportunities to bless the undeserving. 

My marriage is another place I expect EQUALITY/FAIRNESS!!!!! You Mister, better earn your kiss goodnight...

Let's say I'm still learning this lesson...

We devote time and money to many well-deserving people and organizations as a form of stewardship. In the process, the undeserving miss experiencing the deep levels of God's grace. And unfortunately we give the least grace to those closest to us- family. 

These cats would not have made the cut if it was a "works-based" system for entry to heaven- Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, Moses, and YOU.

Be EXTRAVAGENT with grace! It helps to ask God to give you revelation of His extravagant grace over you. 

Wall Size Ruler

Here is a project that really didn't take too long-

You'll need:

80in by 9in piece of wood (height varies depending on the size of your walls)

Spray paint or regular paint 

Painters Tape

Painter Pen

Stencils

Pencil

Measuring Tape

Time

I'm sure there is a specific type of wood and finish that would be best but I don't know what it is. My dad gave me all the boards which equals free. (My kind of crafting.) As you will see in the pictures, some of the wood is more finished then others which makes them look more professional. 

1. Cut your board to size if needed. You could also sand if necessary. 

2. Paint boards to desired color. 

3. With a pencil, mark the inches and foot lines. I lined up my board to a measuring tape to do this. IMPORTANT- You need to start your lines at the height the board  will sit on your wall. For example my board starts at 10 inches off the floor. This will all depend on the height of the walls in your home.

4. Tape a straight line down the side of the board with the length you want to draw the inch lines. 

5. With a painter's pen, draw over the pencil lines to create inch marks. 

6. Follow steps 4 & 5 for the half foot marks and the foot marks.  Each getting a little longer then the previous measurement. (The Ruler on the far right above displays only foot marks.) 

7. After completing the measurement marks and peeling off all the tape, use a stencil to create the numbers with a painter's marker. 

8. OPTIONAL- Spray with  clear sealer. It can add a glossy look. 

Complete:

Proverbs 32 Husband

 Proverbs 32 Husband

Written by Solomon's Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Niece

A husband of integrity who can find,

He is more valuable than many shoes.

His wife respects him and

never fears unfaithfulness.

He brings her flowers not stress

all the birthdays of her life.

He limits his sports games so

that he spends time with his family. 

He is like a businessman,

bringing home the bacon everyday.

He get up when it is still dark

to help feed the babies.

He considers a house and buys it,

fixing it up to double the profits.

He works diligently,

gaining favor at every job.

He manages his money 

so that his family is fed and looking fine. 

In his hands he pushes the lawn mower,

and aims the weed whacker.

He opens his arms to his family,

and pays for the strangers' meal. 

When finances are tight,

He has no fear because the Lord always provides.

He makes steak for dinner

which is clothed in too many spices.

His wife is endeared for her witty humor 

when she takes her seat among guests.

He makes laughter and shares it,

so that no one is down-hearten. 

He is clothed with strength and wisdom.

He chuckles at the days to come.

He speaks with conviction,

and the Spirit permeates all he says.

He watches over his family

and does not have a lazy bone in his body.

His children rise and call him dada,

his wife, she adores him.

Many men do great things,

but you exceed them all.

Six packs are deceptive and tan skin is fleeting,

but a man who fears God is to be honored.

Honor him for all he does 

and let his character be his testimony.

 

 

(Disclaimer- This is written in good humor so don't send me messages about blasphemy or 

Revelation 22:18-19. Also, everything I said it true about my husband and is in NO WAY a sermon to men. This is a tribute to Dave.)

Marrying off River

Lately there have been a lot of post out there about mother-in-laws writing notes to their future daughter-in-laws. The thought of my son marrying or just bringing home a girl really scares me! On the other hand, I will not let him live in this house forever and I want grand kids = I'll need a daughter-in-law. When I think about my son's future wife, the weight of parenting takes on a whole new prospective. Single ladies across America are saying things like this (and married) -

He doesn't hold down a job.

He plays video games all day.

He doesn't spend time with his family. 

He never listens. 

He doesn't take care of his money.

He never helps with the house-work.

Although I realize there is an attack on men and unrealistic expectations for them, I don't want my son to fall into any of these categories. If I let him play video games all day, why would that change when he is 30? If I never make him help with the house work, I'm going to be standing in front of a daughter-in-law who is worn out, depressed, and full of anger. This kind of tension in a marriage will effect my grandchildren.

River recently has had his cousins come over twice a week. There is a huge learning curve in the game of "sharing". As he gets older he going to learn that life is not always fair. No, I'm not going to seek out unfair situations to teach him this lesson but there is no doubt he is going to get in trouble someday just by association. (i.e - His cousin knocked over the lamp but because I didn't see it, they're all in timeout). Basically, the story of my childhood. The consequence of not learning this lesson is constant arguing between spouses- trying to prove that they were the victim of the situation. Honestly, I struggle with this. I play the victim too often and struggle to internalize my husband's hurt. I pray that this area of my life will be made whole so my children don't learn this as a norm for marriage.

All in all, my child and my parenting is covered in grace. I won't do everything perfect especially with the first child. And if River is lost on how to be a husband, he has to look no further than his handsome father. I hope my daughter-in-law will view my son as one of the greatest gift she ever received.

My Mind

               This song I have listened to at least ten times in the last 3 days. I love how it places me right in lap of the Father.  Come to Me By Bethel Music. I've always had trouble sleeping. When I was younger, My dad would come pray over me in the middle of the night to try to get me to calm down and rest. This even happened into high school. Restlessness would overwhelm me. I've lately felt a spiritual attack on my mind. Thoughts of tragedy keep coming up.

               I've always thought to myself, "I've really had no big trauma or trials in my life so how can I have a testimony - Trials or loss must be right around the corner then." Never lost a parent or close relative. Never had any major health problems. Never struggled financially. So then my mind worries for when the ball is going to drop. The problem is that this view characterizes God as a mean Father who likes to punish or use hurt to teach us everything. This is simply not true. I have a really great earthly father and he didn't beat me to try to teach me how to ride my bike or do my homework. I don't think he EVER liked to see me in pain even when he disciplined me.

            Many people have different view of pain and suffering. My personal belief is that there are different types of pain and suffering and they don't all come from God. Satan mission is to kill, steal and destroy so you have to sort through every situation. I believe God works everything for our good so whatever the source of pain, the outcome with God will always be victorious. This whole topic is so complex and I've only touched on a small portion of it. So back to these crazy thoughts.

         The lies I hear about loss, tragedy, or trial fill me with fear. This leads me to believe they are not from God. Heaven's message if something hard were coming would be filled with peace or hope. Satan can use such manipulation like " xyz will happen but you'll be able to use it as a testimony". The christian buzzword = testimony. While I believe all things CAN be a testimony, I don't think God needs more death or pain to prove a point to his children who are right with him. He is more wise and powerful then that.

         My plan to fight off this manipulation is through filling my mind with truth about God character through songs or scripture. That why I love that song. It reminds me of the Love of God. I also quote Psalm 23 a lot.

 

Come to Me- Bethel
I am the Lord your God, I go before you now
I stand beside you, I’m all around you
Though you feel I’m far away, I’m closer than your breath
I am with you, more than you know

I am the Lord your peace, no evil will conquer you
Steady now your heart and mind, come into My rest
Oh, let your faith arise, lift up your weary head
I am with you wherever you go

Come to Me, I’m all you need.
Come to Me, I’m everything
Come to Me, I’m all you need.
Come to Me, I’m your everything

I am your anchor, in the wind and the waves
I am your steadfast, so don’t be afraid
Though your heart and flesh may fail you, I’m your faithful strength
I am with you wherever you go

Come to Me, I’m all you need.
Come to Me, I’m your everything
Come to Me, I’m all you need.
Come to Me, I’m your everything

Here are some questions I go through when testing thoughts:

1. Is it consistent with scripture?
2. Is it consistent with God's character?
3. Does it create fear or faith?

Also I'm extremely susceptible to things I see on TV which I believe most people don't acknowledge as a possible enemy to your thoughts.

Philippians 4:8
 ^"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
  
 I don't pretend to know all about trials, loss or tragedy but I know that I want my mind full of hope and faith. Faith ushers in great victories- David, Deborah, Moses, Esther, etc. We are more than conquerors!

Stay at Home Mom Hobbies

Wall Signs- spray painted them hodge podged paper letters on. 

Wreaths - wrapped with fabric them hot glued on bows.

Diaper Bouquet - Used little ponies to secure diaper, put on a skewer and shoved it in foam hidden in vase. Tinsil makes it look more pretty! 

Diaper Cake - Used a circle pan and placed rolled diaper inside. Then put a large rubber band around each level. Covered rubber and with bows. Used skewers to hold the levels together. YouTube also helped. 

I've also been sewing but that's not as pretty as these things. Anyway my son has taken out all the pans in the kitchen while I've been crafting so now I need to go clean :) 

Last Day...

At 3:00 this morning I was wide awake worrying about my students. As a teacher, it is easy to foresee some future struggles of your students. (i.e. insecurities, complacency, attention seeking, even promiscuity) There is a part of me that wants to protect them and set them back on track when they fall off the road. Obviously I can't do that for them. So I pray for them which I have frequently done over the last few months as I've prepared to leave. (If you didn't know, I've resigned from teaching to stay at home with Junior)

Yesterday was that last day for students. I gave them all a little gift and had an ice cream party. They made me promise to email my co-teacher with any life updates and to come back and visit if I had another baby. My co-workers did well at making me cry through cards and flowers. One of my teaching friends made a beautiful tree canvas painting and each of the ESL students put their thumb print on it to look like an apple tree. There was a quote by Maya Angelou on it says,

"At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”

         My heart feels conflicted with leaving teaching because I really do love my students. At the same time, I desired to stay at home with River. We struggled initially to secure childcare, which was very tolling on me. While we did find an AWESOME woman to watch River, it was a conflict when he was sick and both parents had mandatory meetings. Between the 30 min drive, cost of childcare, and an emotional mama, we decided it was best for me to stay home. Even so, my heart still mourns the closing of this chapter. To all the student who made my heart full- I will miss you so much more than you know. And to all the amazing staff who became close friends- I will facebook stalk you :)

        If you feel led to pray for my "stay at home mom" adventures, I'd appreciate it! I'm anticipating some road bumps in learning how to stay sane, joyful, adequately socialized, and productive. I realize this will look different, then how my mind currently perceives these things.