thanking God for the hard things

Taken from Streams in the Desert, compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman

Thankful for the Thorns
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).

The literal translation of this verse gives a startling emphasis to it, and makes it speak for itself with a force that we have probably never realized. Here it is: "Therefore I take pleasure in being without strength, in insults, in being pinched, in being chased about, in being cooped up in a corner for Christ's sake; for when I am without strength, then am I dynamite."

Here is the secret of Divine all-sufficiency, to come to the end of everything in ourselves and in our circumstances. When we reach this place, we will stop asking for sympathy because of our hard situation or bad treatment, for we will recognize these things as the very conditions of our blessing, and we will turn from them to God and find in them a claim upon Him. --A. B. Simpson

George Matheson, the well-known blind preacher of Scotland, who recently went to be with the Lord, said: "My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn. I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross; but I have never thought of my cross as itself a present glory.

"Teach me the glory of my cross;
teach me the value of my thorn.
Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain.
Show me that my tears have made my rainbows."
"Alas for him who never sees
The stars shine through the cypress trees."

a good read

This is a great article by John Piper on teaching unregenerate children to be good.

great website for truly good food!

Last night I attended a cookie exchange for the women in our neighborhood. The hostess served this wonderful dip, taken from the website http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/. This recipe may not appeal to every taste bud (I doubt anyone else in my house would touch it) but there are many other "healthified" recipes to try. The gal who made this left out the olives and only used 1/4 cup of the feta cheese, so you can tweak it to your tastebuds' delight!

Greek Layered Dip

2 whole wheat pita (pocket) breads (6 inch)
Cooking spray
1 container (7 or 8 oz) plain hummus
1 container (6 oz) fat-free Greek plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 medium plum (Roma) tomato, seeded, chopped
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered
1/3 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (2 oz)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (4 medium)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced
1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Split each pita bread horizontally to make 2 rounds. Cut each round into 6 wedges. Arrange on ungreased large cookie sheet, rough surface up. Spray with cooking spray (about 5 seconds).
2 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp; cool.
3 Meanwhile, spread hummus on shallow serving platter or in pie plate. In small bowl, mix yogurt, parsley, lemon juice and pepper; spread evenly over hummus. Top with tomato, olives, chopped cucumber, feta cheese and onions. Drizzle with olive oil.

Nutritional Information: 1/4 cup dip, 2 chips and 4 veggies: Calories 100 (Calories from Fat 40); Total Fat 4 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 270mg; Total Carbohydrate 12g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 3g); Protein 4g % Daily Value Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 20%; Calcium 6%; Iron 4% Exchanges 1/2 Starch, 1/2 Skim Milk, 0 High-Fat Meat, 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices 1

a hymn of longing for the Spirit

"'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within in him.' By this he meant the Spirit..." John 7:38-39

Thy mighty Love, O God constraineth me,
As some strong tide it presseth on its way,
Seeking a channel in my self-bound soul,
Yearning to sweep all barriers away.

Shall I not yield to that constraining power?
Shall I not say, O tide of Love flow in?
My God, Thy gentleness hath conquered me,
Life cannot be as it hath hither been.

Break thru my nature, mighty, heavenly Love,
Clear every avenue of thought and brain,
Flood my affections, purify my will,
Let nothing but Thine own pure life remain.

Thus wholly mastered and possessed by God,
Forth from my life, spontaneous and free,
Shall flow a stream of tenderness and grace
Loving because God loved, eternally.

called to play; called to serve

My heart began to race as I read the email from our church's choir director. He was asking for volunteers to play in an ensemble for our annual Christmas program. The musical score called for strings, flutes, and an oboe. My response was not one of excitement, but fear. I love playing (and hiding) in our orchestra when I can, but this was an ensemble, with fewer instruments and more exposure. That would mean, gulp, that people could hear me.

The oboe is a quirky instrument. The double reed mouthpiece makes playing difficult as the sound is hard to control and breathing tricky. As far as I know, it is the only instrument that requires the player to breathe out extra air before taking a quick breath in, which can result in a lot of light-headedness while playing. An oboe played poorly sounds much like a quacking duck crossed with a dog's squeak toy. Played well, however, it has a warm, haunting sound that is easily heard even over the rest of the orchestra.

Not many people play oboe, so when the instrument is needed, I feel fairly obligated to say yes. On the other hand, it is a difficult instrument to play and I'm far from accomplished. Multiply this high-maintenance instrument with a quiet personality and a love for playing, and you have my oboe complex.

After a couple of weeks of practice and armed with a new reed, I ventured out to the first rehearsal. The first time through the piece, I was alarmed to hear my instrument sound hopelessly out of tune. A check of the score revealed that my part was written for the English Horn, so we quickly transposed the notes and tried again. Much better...and I had a grand total of 36 notes. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

The choir assembled and the real rehearsal began. An acoustic guitar, violin, viola, flute, and choir voices combined to form a rich, full sound that made my heart sing along. There were a few small measures where my oboe chimed in, warmly carrying melody and harmony, picking up where others left off and weaving its part in the song of Mary's Magnificat. The beauty of it all took my breath away.

No matter how quirky our personalities may be, how much we wonder if we have anything to add to the cacophony of the lives sounding around us, when we trustfully put our lives into the hands of the Master Composer, He has a place for each willing life. Whether you sound notes of warmth, order, creativity, or precision, whether quiet or loud, there is no one else who has quite the part you can play in God's symphony of the redemption of man. It will take sacrifice, practice, and a life that is in tune with the will of God. Don't miss it for fear of making mistakes or being exposed for who you truly are. The Composer of the ages knows where to place you in the score. It may take your breath away when you see how He has woven your life together with that of others to produce something beautiful for His sake and glory.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Romans 10:11 "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

This post was written as a response to Creative Stretch #5, "something that makes your heart sing." See Erin's light-hearted post here.

food for thought from Elisabeth Elliot

This is too good not to share...for adults and children alike. "Lord, help us not to be squeezed into the world's mold when we are raising our children."

Title: Teaching Children

Author: Elisabeth Elliot

How many times between the ages of three and ten do children have to answer the only two questions adults can think of to ask them: How old are you? and What are you going to be when you grow up?

The second question may seem innocuous, but is it? In the first place, many children may be distressed at being required to make a choice which is far beyond them. In the second place, it implies that the choice is theirs. This can lead to great confusion later on. The child will grow up physically, but spiritually he will not have begun until he learns that Jesus died not only to save him from sin but in order that he should live not for himself but for Him who died (see 2 Corinthians 5:15 and l John 3:16). If a young person has been taught from childhood that he ought to "be something" without at the same time being shown that nothing is better than being God's servant, he may be preoccupied with ambitions and ideals he has gotten solely from the world. If his conception of "where it's at" has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God, he is in for trouble when it comes time to discern the Will of God. He will be setting limits to his obedience, defining the terms of his service. "For My sake" is a concept children can grasp much earlier than we generally suppose. A little boy wrote to me that he was learning to lay down his life for others. To him this meant that sometimes when he would rather play he lay down beside his little sister to help her go to sleep.

Pray that God will show you how to teach your children that life is meant to be lived for God. "You are not the owner of your own body. You have been bought, and at what a price! Therefore bring glory to God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20, PHILLIPS). Help your child to understand that the Lord is his Shepherd, and he is a little lamb. The Shepherd will gladly show him the right pathway if he is willing to follow.

check this out

While there are plenty of things I'm mulling over, it seems I am hitting a bit of a writer's block lately. I'll let my friend Erin save the day and share something she wrote with you. Click here to be challenged and stretched! Thank you, Erin, for this lesson, one I've referred to often after reading it the first time.