My Burden to Teach

I take my position as a Bible teacher very seriously. It is something I love and am very passionate about. I want the children I am privileged to teach to be armed with love for the Bible, a desire to learn it better, and knowledge to help them through life.
Growing up I attended all sorts of children's ministries- sunday school, AWANA (briefly), wednesday night classes, youth group, camps, vacation bible school, and so on. In all those years no one ever bothered to tell me about what people's names meant, that numbers mean something, and that the wise men were mocking Herod when they asked about he who was born king of the Jews.
I love things like that- bits of knowledge that enhance your bible reading and cause you to hunger for more knowledge.
When I was a child I thought that the Bible was God's word and it was just full of stories about people whose names I could not pronounce and lists of things I could not do.
Having spent my whole life in church I could answer all the questions about all the major people in the bible, and I could give you some doctrine too.
It was not until I read the bible for myself that I realized a lot had been left out of my education.
I certainly can't blame anyone for my lack of biblical knowledge- it is always up to the person in question to study for themselves- but I was rather astonished that no one had ever told me that God hardened Pharaoh's heart as Pharaoh refused to obey Him.
That's a very necessary part of the event, people, I wonder how on earth I learned anything meaningful from those Sunday School lessons except for the event details (minus a few things).
I keenly remember my ignorance and I do not want to do that to the children God has entrusted me with.

For instance:
Since I've taken over the Bible class I've taught the children a song called 'Did You Ever Talk to God Above'. It's a very sweet and simple song about prayer and our ability to pray to God whenever and where ever.
We sing it every Sunday so they can learn it and a few Sundays ago I elaborated on the song a bit. I told them that God 'neither slumbers nor sleeps' (Psalm 103) and that He will always listen.
We continued through the class and our lesson for that day was 1 Samuel 8.
Reading along, we came to verse 18:

And ye shall cry out in that day because

of our king which ye shall have chosen

you; and the Lord will not hear you in that

day.

One of my very astute students pointed out: didn't you say that the Lord will always hear us?

I explained to them about how God has given them a full warning, they know exactly what they are getting into and they are choosing to do wickedly. They are purposefully bringing God's judgement upon them.

I explained that God is love and God is a consuming fire. (I think we, as part of God's beloved Son's body, forget that God is a consuming fire. We don't experience that side of Him very often.) I also explained that God is perfect in His anger and jealousy- things we equate with sin.

To me this is a vital part of a child's biblical education: to know who God really is.

Frankly, I thought He was like Santa Claus- a kindly old man with a long white beard that cried when we sinned.

Yeah... no. God is not like that. I'm not sure where I got that idea but it was not done away with by any of the teaching I got from anyone. 

I was more interested in studying the Bible when I learned who God really was: A holy God who will take vengeance on His enemies and bring every soul to his or her knees in worship.

One of my favourite verses is:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a

white horse; and he that sat upon him was

called Faithful and True, and in

righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Revelation 19:11

That one verse alone should tell you everything you need to know about who God really is. 

Last thing:

A false balance is abomination to the

Lord: but a just weight is his delight.

Proverbs 11:1

Any teaching about the Bible must be balanced. You can't only preach out of the four gospels and expect to have balanced preaching, you can't only preach on the 'good things' and have balanced preaching, you can't preach against sin all the time and have balanced preaching. 

Balance comes from preaching 'all the counsel of God' (Acts 20:27). If you leave anything out, your preaching and teaching is not balanced and what's worse: not honest.

Do not shy away from difficult topics when you teach. Teach the Word and let the Lord take care of it.

(Obviously have discretion when it comes to things like Judah's situation with Tamar, David and Bathsheba and so on- don't go into deep details on that, you don't want to teach them how to sin or put any ideas into their heads.) 

When it comes to teaching I do three things: pray, study, and let the Lord lead.
Prayer
I've written it here a few times: I do not know what my students home lives are like. Right now they are all from Christian homes, I know their parents and have met some of their grandparents- all saved people. There may come a day when I'll have unsaved students with unsaved parents. I don't know. I do know that God knows what each one of them need to hear.
In prayer I ask that God will give me the wisdom, discernment, and knowledge to teach them. I ask Him to guide me in my thoughts, studies, and teaching. The class is His, I have no right to usurp His authority by doing what *I* think is best.
Here are some of the things I pray for:
-Each one of my students by name
-All their families
-Class time
-that each child will learn something
-for peace during class
-for me to be filled with the Holy Spirit
-for ways to teach them, activities to help learn, and songs to sing
-for utterance
Those are just a very few things but it puts God in control and gives me peace concerning my classes.

Study
At the moment I am working through a lesson book my pastor has given me. I'm following it through until it is finished.
I find it is incredibly important to study ahead of my current lesson so I have an idea of where I'm going. I also make sure to have my lesson plan done by Monday or Tuesday. The sooner I have it done, the more I can pray over it and prepare for it.
I only use scripture when I teach. I will certainly use examples from my personal life and things that I know, but I let the Bible tell its record itself. For example: this week we're studying David and Goliath. I'll go to the passage and select verses to for myself and my students to read out loud. As we go verse by verse I explain things to them, answer questions, and point out details and lessons we can learn. I'll always have a main thought to point out to students but I want God's Word to speak for itself and no important details left out.
On Sunday mornings instead of my usual devotions I will read a chapter of Proverbs and re-read the passage I will be teaching in my bible class.

Let the Lord Lead
Something I keep myself from doing is thinking about what I am going to say during my lesson.
I plan the verses we will read and I'll think about how to relate it to the children personally but I will not rehearse exactly what I will say.
Here's why:
I was once a warehouse manager for a Vancouver jewellery store company. There was a girl named Jordan who started giving me trouble- she was leaving early, not locking the jewels away when she was done, not completing her tasks properly, and so on.
Finally I had to do something about it but I was seething mad. I wrote out a list of the things I needed to speak to her about and while I waited for her to get back from her lunch break I rehearsed what I was going to say to her.
I did pray to God about it but I kept repeating my own angry words in my mind.
She came back from her break and I spoke to her. I said everything that I had rehearsed in my mind.
She stormed out angrily and never came back.
After the dust had settled and I thought about what I had said that made her storm out, I came to this conclusion:
My prayer for God to guide my words did not take because I did not let Him.
I planned out everything I wanted to say and said them in anger.
God did not help me at all because I did not let Him.
For this reason, I do not rehearse anything I am going to say. I let God guide me the whole time and He does. Many times the lesson does not turn out at all how I think it will simply because God leads in a different direction from what I had planned.
Like I said, I do not know what the children need to hear but God does. I just need to trust and obey Him.

I hope this was in some way a blessing to you!

Favourite Fall Pies

Yesterday was the first day of fall, which happens to be my favourite season, and I intended to post my three favourite fall pie recipes.
Well, I did not have time so I'm posting them this morning.
I never really cared for pies growing up because my mom never made them. She made cakes and Philippino desserts.
My husband LOVES pies. Love is actually an understatement but it will do. So here is the first pie I ever made in my life:

First pie I ever made- March 17, 2012

This pie is Michael Smith's Old Fashioned Apple pie.
It is absolutely perfect and simple. The crust is buttery and flakey and the filling is delightful especially with tart Granny Smith or Honey Crisp apples.
Fresh and from scratch is always the way to go.
Find the recipe right here: Michael Smith- Old Fashioned Apple Pie

The second pie I ever made is a pumpkin pie. I do not have a picture of any of the ones that I've made.
This recipe is from a man called Chef John and his website foodwishes.com is one I frequent. He has lots of great and easy recipes on there.
My favourite thing about this pie in particular is how easy it is made. While he calls for canned pumkin puree I roast a pumpkin and puree it myself. If you skip that step, however, the crust is made in a food processor and the filling is mixed together in a few minutes.
Give it a try this thanksgiving: Chef John- Best Pumpkin Pie Ever

The third pie I love is my established favourite- Joy the Baker's Dad's Sweet Potato Pie.
In Canada we call it a 'yam'.
I love yams- we always had them at turkey dinners growing up and so now they are a necessity for me when I made roast chicken dinners and turkey dinners.
This pie, though it contains a lot of sugar, has the best spices and the yams give it a certain something that elevate it from a pumpkin pie.
This one does take a few more steps then the two above but it is well worth the effort.
Here it is: Joy the Baker- Dad's Sweet Potato Pie

If you're apprehensive about making crusts, the one linked to in Chef John's pumpkin pie recipe is the easiest one I've seen and made.
One good thing to note is not to over work your pie dough. Once you have incorporated all the flour, let it be- it keeps make your crust flakey.

I hope this was a blessing to you and that your Fall brings cooler weather.

How I Decide What to Post

When I first started this blog I thought it would be a stay-at-home-mom blog where I'd post mom/wife/home type things with smatterings of my interests like the bible, knitting, gardening, and things like that.
Obviously I post about those things occasionally but it clearly isn't the point of this blog.

The purpose of this blog is to glorify God in any way He wants to be glorified. If He wants a family blog, He'll get a family blog. However, He doesn't seem to. He seems to want me to write about biblical issues I am presented with whether in my devotions, church, or daily observations.
Whether I have one reader, a hundred readers or no readers, the point of this blog is to be a blessing to anyone that comes across it and to strengthen my faith and walk with God.
If I am the only one who benefits from this blog, then so be it.
I've always enjoyed writing. If I had pursued it the way I should have I would certainly be better at it. Other than linking to this blog on my pinterest, instagram, and twitter accounts, I don't really promote it. I want this to be a work of God, not a work of grace (me).

That being said, how do I decide what to write about?
It starts, as everything should, with prayer.
I pray about this blog, I ask what to write about, I pray while I write, I make sure that it is a work of faith.
I don't know if anyone is reading this blog on a regular basis, if anyone is, I have no idea what they need. God knows who this blog reaches and what they need. If I want this blog to be a blessing to anyone, including myself, I can't rely on my knowledge. I have to rely on His.
I will say that I do fail at this sometimes. I have deleted published posts that were not written with the right heart.

Secondly I write about whatever keeps coming up. It can be something I keep observing, something that really effects me, or something God lays on my heart.
I am very passionate about the bible. I am very passionate about true doctrine. I'm not willing to just make a statement about the bible without proving it from the bible. I want to be as biblically sound as possible. For that reason my posts are longer and take more time to write. It isn't a bad thing but I do realize that I should write more posts that are shorter and simpler, like this one.

Lastly I try to post about things that are a blessing to me. This blog is, in a way, about being a stay-at-home-mom who is trying to serve the Lord with her life. I don't have a clue about what it takes to be a man but I do know a little bit about being a wife and mother. I hope my experiences and things that make a blessed difference in my life can help others in similar situations. There are things that people have given and shown me that are daily a blessing. I hope I can give that to others.

Things I try to stay away from:
Using this blog to complain. It just gives way to my flesh and does not help anybody.

Stirring up strife. While I know that the gospel is an offense and preaching is foolishness to the world, I do not believe in writing about things just to make people angry and offended. If God leads me to write a post that will offend people, I certainly will, but to go out of my way to deliberately anger people is not the purpose of this blog. For example: a person I know once said something contrary to the bible in front of my husband and myself. We then corrected him and it lead to a long discussion. After that, this person posted on facebook that my husband and I had attacked him. This person knew full well what our stance on the bible is and he deliberately said something we would not let him get away with. I do not want to be that person. People who live for God will be attacked in one way or another no matter what they do. I will not invite it for the sake of inviting it.

Being negative about people in my life. While I draw from personal experience I do not want to slander anyone. There are many times I've done or said something out of character simply because I was tired, grumpy, or just not thinking. I want to give people the benefit of the the doubt, be gracious, and understanding towards them. Just because I have a place to speak doesn't mean I should use it against people.

Being negative in general. Let's face it- there are a lot of negatives in life and we tend to focus on those more than the positives. If a negative post must be written then so be it but I want those posts to be the exception, not the rule.

Leading others astray. There are issues I'd like to write about but it would mean talking about things and people that may lead others astray. I will not give someone the tools to fall into false doctrine. For example: there is a blogger I read occasionally who says a lot of things about current issues I agree with. However, though he claims to be a Christian I have not found one page on his site promoting salvation or presenting his beliefs. On top of that he does not use the King James when he quotes 'scripture'. Because of all that and a few other things, I will not promote his blog on this blog. I would love to be a resource for good Godly materials. As it is, most blogs and websites out there have doctrinal problems that could harm a new Christian. I will not be responsible for that.

Writing things I would not people who know me to read. In a sermon I was listening to a little while ago the preacher asked if we would be okay if Jesus looked through our phones. I thought about it and was very happy to realize that I keep my phone clean. Anyone can look through my phone and I would not be ashamed. I want my blog to be like that. I want to present myself as myself. I don't want to paint one picture on here and another in my daily life. Anything I admit on here I should be able to admit at church, to my family, and to others. I don't want to be worried that someone I know will find this blog, and read something I'd rather they did not read. I want my conscience to be clear about what I write.

There you have it! The ways I govern this blog.
I hope this was in some way a blessing to you!

Grateful

Gratitude is becoming an endangered species. It is one of the things consumerism has done to the world. We have and are not grateful because we can buy it of our own hand and get more if needed.
There are two big things I want. One of things thing money can buy, the other one can only be given.
The thing money can buy is a house. A nice house, not too big, with a good size yard- for a garden and for my son, in a nice area so I can go for runs every morning or evening. This desire has been on my mind lately because we almost had the opportunity to move but it was taken away from us.
Today in my bible reading I came across this story:

1 Samuel 8

Starting in verse 4- Then all the elders of Israel gathered

themselves together, and came to Samuel

unto Ramah,

And said unto him, Behold, thou art old,

and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now

make us a king to judge us like all the

nations.

But the thing displeased Samuel, when

they said, Give us a king to judge us. And

Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

And the LORD said unto Samuel, hearken

unto the voice of the people in all that they

 say unto thee: for they have not rejected

thee, but they have rejected me, that I

should not reign over them.

skipping to verse 9- Now therefore hearken unto

their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them,

and shew them the manner of the king that

shall reign over them.

And Samuel told all the words of the

LORD unto the people that asked of him a

king.

And he said, This will be the manner of

the king that shall reign over you: He will

take your sons, and appoint them for

himself, for his chariots, and to be his

horsemen; and some shall run before

his chariots.

ANd he will appoint him captains over

thousands, and captains over fifties; and

will set them to ear his ground, and to reap

his harvest, and to make his instruments of

war, and instruments of his chariots.

And he will take your daughters to be

confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be

bakers,

and he will take your fields, and your

vineyards, and your oliveyards, even

the best of them, and give them to his

servants.

And he will take the tenth of your seed,

and of your vineyards, and give to his

officers, and to his servants.

And he will take your menservants, and

your maidservants, and your goodliest

young men, and your asses, and put them 

to his work.

He will take the tenth of your sheep; and

ye shall be his servants.

And ye shall cry out in that day because

of your king which ye shall have chosen

you; and the LORD will not hear you in that

day.

This account struck me as I read it.

I wonder if this is like my husband and myself. We have a nice apartment- the ceilings are high, two bathrooms, a nice big kitchen, a big balcony that gets lots of sun, all for $1000 a month. The only thing is we live in a not so nice neighborhood and other tenants are really loud at night. Even so, we have a decent situation right now, by stretching our hands out to get a house by any (reasonable) means, are we rejecting God's will?

After everything Samuel tells the Israelites about the King that would be appointed, what do they say-

Nevertheless the people refused to obey

the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay;

but we will have a king over us;

That we also may be like all the nations;

and that our king may judge us, and go out

before us, and fight our battles.

And Samuel heard all the words of the

people, and he rehearsed them in the ears

of the LORD.

And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken

unto their voice, and make them a king.

And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go

ye everyman unto his city.

1 Samuel 19-22

To the children of Israel, having a king was worth everything he'd take from them.

I wonder if that is like us sometimes. We want something so terribly we'd do anything to get it, no matter how much trouble it causes us.

I look at our life in our little apartment: I have many comforts others don't and I still want more. The troubles I have with apartment living would be magnified in a house but I still feel I'd gladly take the troubles and the house if we could manage it.
I'm not willing to speculate 'what if' the children of Israel had continued on under God's style of governance. I do know, that the trouble they ran into under Saul would not have happened.
So for now I must be patient and grateful.
Grateful for my big kitchen, two washrooms, and my sweet little balcony garden. Grateful I don't have an entire house to clean, I don't have to worry about my son falling down the stairs, and I don't have to worry about making sure three different doors and all the windows are closed when we go out. I am grateful we only pay rent, not repairs, maintenance, and pest control. I am grateful it's easy for my son to make friends in the playground because there are lots of children in the complex we see often.
I'm not a 'think positively' kind of person but thinking practically has helped me with this.

The other thing I want is another baby. I'd love a little girl but I'll take what I can get.
It's something I've sought the Lord over, wept uncontrollably about, fasted and prayed about, done a whole bunch of things that 'help' with these matters but I have not carried a baby to term.
I can think about it calmly now because through all my prayers and studies God has reassured me concerning this matter.
I was out with my son and husband the other day and as I watched them I realized something: how blessed we are to have each other. Right now I can focus on my precious son. Michael and I can love on him like nothing else. We can enjoy him thoroughly because our attention is not divided from him.
This is a time to be grateful for. This is a time of (relative) calmness that we can enjoy.
When, and if, the Lord grants us another baby, our lives will change even more and the steadiness we know now will vanish in a second.
When, and if, the Lord grants us another baby, it will be in His own time when He knows it is right.

There is no wisdom nor understanding

nor counsel against the Lord.

Proverbs 21:30

We have no idea of the troubles God is keeping us from by not giving us the things we think we want/need. By allowing Him to take the reins and be in control, you are saving yourself from a lot of unnecessary problems. It is not always easy to let these things go but but God is so good. While He guides us and teaches us He gives us the tools to grow, and patience to learn.  While I can easily write about things now, it was a process to get me to the place where I could face them with equanimity. God will help you if you surrender to His will. You will be blessed all the more for it.

All the way my saviour leads me,

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate'er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate'er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

All the Way My Saviour Leads Me- Frances Crosby

Community Carnival at Park City Baptist Church

I've been taking an official break this week from writing.
My mother-in-law has been visiting and my church is putting on a free community carnival.

If you happen to be in the area, please stop by! I will be at the cotton candy tent, covered in pink sugar, and glad to be apart of an outreach event. Come say hi if you are around.
If you are not in the area, we'd love prayer from you for our community.
We take the great commission seriously and we want to be a blessing to everyone that lives around us.
We're praying that this carnival tells our community that we're here, we love them, we want them to know Christ and his blessed assurance of salvation.
Please pray that we will be loving to all those that come, good examples of Christ's passion for souls, and that we all conduct ourselves wisely. Also please pray for the planning, set up, games, and those overseeing it.

The address, time, and all the details you need are below:

He Giveth More Grace

My husband and I have been through the ringer this past summer.

He's been working non stop so I've been going and going without any breaks at all.

Yes, I am a stay-at-home-mom but we need breaks too.

As much as we love our children and enjoy being home with them, it's nice to sit down, eat a meal uninterrupted, not have to clean, not have to chase little ones around, not have to constantly correct a child, and not have to worry.

I have not had that at all for a while. I did get a nice lunch with my pastor's wife last week- we sat and talked for about four hours. That's been my only reprieve.

My husband has had it way worse, working and working, on his feet all day and all night, dealing with more than his share at the restaurant.

It's been grueling so far and August is showing signs of being even more busy than June and July.

I will not complain- I'd rather we be too busy to rest than one of us losing our health or something tragic.

In any case, it's times like these that, while it's difficult, you don't really consider it to be a trial.

When my pastor asks for prayer requests at church we hear all kinds of needs:

People desperately needing jobs

difficult pregnancies

crippling injuries

family issues

and so on, and you look at your prayer request: working too much, no time to rest, and you don't say anything because it's not bad compared to the needs of others.

It's been hard, these days, to catch me in a really good mood. My fatigue has made it harder for me to control my flesh and I've been very selfish, cranky, and contentious. A lot of these things happen inside and I am able to filter them before they come out, but still, the things that come up in my mind show me the depth of my depravity and selfishness.

It actually makes me really sad but it's an opportunity to learn.

Every second Saturday of the month our church goes to the Care Home and ministers to the old folks there. We sing hymns, read psalms, and socialize. Last time my pastor took favourites and a song was requested I had not heard since childhood: He Giveth More Grace.

It is a beautiful song, lyrically and musically, I choked up just singing it. I posted a picture with the words of two verses and the chorus on Instagram a few weeks ago:

So you see, it's absolutely biblical and incredibly comforting.

It occurred to me yesterday morning that, though I sing these songs and know the verses, I don't exactly 'cast all my care upon him'.
I mean, last year when my husband was out of a job for six months I was actively casting my care, establishing my faith, and singing these songs.
Right now, we are not dealing with a tragedy, we're not roughing it through poverty, we have good health but our labours have increased and we've reached the end of our 'hoarded resources'. Now is just a good time, as any, to cast our cares on him.
Jesus has been through these times- the people were always following him, he had no time to eat, his burden for the people was too great, he was tired and weary, constantly traveling- He knows what it is like.
These times, while they are not great trials that plague us, we are still pressed and tried. It is a small flame but it can still burn you.
What I'm learning is that these seemingly small hardships prove how deeply we rely on God. It is SO easy to rely on Him during big trials. Those are times we know we have to live by faith because there are often things we cannot see and do not understand. Right now, weeks become months of constant, unending labour and what was tiring at first has become exhausting and unbearable.
I did not realize it until Tuesday what a difficulty this has become and what a monster it had created in me. I've been complaining, in my mind, about all the things I've needed to do and all the extra things thrust on me since my husband is too busy to do them. I wonder what all the things rising up in me are coming from and I've realized I haven't relied on the Lord.
I've been reading, studying, praying, attending church, and worshiping God, but I haven't asked him for the strength to get us through this time.
Without voicing it inside or outside, I've relied on my strength to get me through the summer. I have not once asked God to take over and give me the grace, not only physically, but to mentally and Spiritually be able to deal with the exhaustion and the things that come with it.
Most of the things happening right now are out of our control. What we can control is how we handle them.

What I need to do is this:
Ask for forgiveness for complaining and being selfish
Acknowledge that I am not strong enough to carry these things on my own
Tell God what I find difficult
Give the difficulties I have over to God
When complaints rise up in me, give them to God

We have verses and songs, that are available to us but they aren't helpful unless we claim them. Until we realize that we need God in every kind day- good, okay, not great, terrible.
Well I've exhausted my store of endurance, my strength has failed, I've reached the end of my hoarded resources but my father's full giving has only begun.

Humble yourselves therefore under the

mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you

in due time:

Casting all your care upon him; for he

careth for you.

 Be sober, be vigilant; because your

adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,

walketh about, seeking whom he may

devour:

whom resist stedfast in the faith,

knowing that the same afflictions are

accomplished in your brethren that are in

the world.

But the God of all grace, who hath called

us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,

after that e have suffered a while, make

you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

1 Peter 5:7-10

God uses the word 'all' there for a reason. Every single care we have, we can cast on Him. In the same vein, He mentions the devil, seeking whom he may destroy. If we hold on to our cares- small and great- our flesh will take over and the devil will destroy us. Whatever you have that is burdening you, give it to God, ask Him for the strength to endure it, and grace to handle it- He will grant you those things and more if you just 'humble yourself under the mighty hand of God'.

I hope this was a blessing and a help to you. I really hope it makes sense, I wrote this to get it off my chest and organize my thoughts.