Teaching the Younger Women with a Playroom

"Older women...are to teach what is good, 

and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,

to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, 

and submissive to their own husbands,

that the word of God may not be reviled."  

Titus 2:3a-5

A messy storage room

to

a fun playroom

Enjoying a rest on the front porch

The dolly that one of the girls made likes the porch, too!

Sorry.  I can't seem to turn it upright!

The "bedroom"

Work area.  A trip to Ikea in Dallas in a couple of weeks should help finish it out.

A chalkboard for working and a place to eat!

Perhaps we should call it a "training room."  We have them for our bodies; why not develop a "training" room of a different sort for young women?  The Scripture says little about training women to be single.  That's not to say that God does not call some to be just that.  He does, and I know some single women who are making a great impact in this world.  My friends Mary the physical therapist, Lesley the missionary to Ivory Coast, Angie my precious disabled blogger friend, and others are "blooming" where God has planted them, and very beautifully, I must say. 

But all in all, I believe that our responsibility as moms and grandmoms is to train the younger women as in Titus 2.  I spent many years teaching younger women in Bible study.  My calling now seems to be with much younger women--my granddaughters, of whom I have a regular class-sized group!  

The playroom is an old storage room which is connected to the house--a safe haven for the little girls.  We aren't quite finished, but it is taking shape.  Hopefully it will be just another means of training them to be the women God has designed them to be--loving, kind, keepers at home, not reviling the Word of God.

You are in my prayers, little ones,

Gloria

Today I'm joining Linda at Prairie Flower Farm's

Building our Homes Together

http://prairieflowerfarm.blogspot.com/2011/09/14th-building-our-homes-together-with.html

Provocation

 Father and daughter --best friends!

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Ephesians 6:1-2

Over the past few weeks I have had some interaction with some dear friends who are struggling with adult child/parent relationship.  I know we all struggle to be good parents and obedient children, but this has become a very difficult dilemna for both child and parent.  Unfortunately, I see both sides and can understand the problems that accompany the situation.  I know, and they all know, that this relationship stems from both past and present actions and perceptions.  In Ephesians 6:1-2 two commands are given:  Children honor and obey; fathers, provoke not and nurture in the Lord.  Not too difficult, huh?

Unfortunately, the "do not provoke" part historically is so often abused.  In one way or another, we tend to overexert our authority or display our wrath in such a way that our children become angry (or exasperated, as the NIV puts it.)  That anger may be expressed in fear, or in avoidance, or in retaliation in wrath, but it will be there nonetheless.  And many times it progresses into adulthood.  It is not easy for a parent to change his methods or for a child as he becomes an adult to lose the feelings of anger--or fear--or avoidance--or all of them.

Parents, grandparents, please seek the Lord's wisdom in your lives as you deal with your children.  Seek to nurture them according to the Scriptures.  Go to the passages that refer to teaching your children.  Go to the Proverbs; emulate the teachings of the writers to their sons and daughters.  Do not deal with them in such a way that it will leave permanent scars on their lives.  And when and if you do, repent and ask that child for forgiveness immediately.  Children are quick to forgive.

Children, obey and honor your parents! 

With a heavy heart for broken relationships,

Gloria

Are You Ready?

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
2 Corninthians 4:10

Dwight Lyman (D.L.) Moody
1837-1899
American evangelist

Biography

Why God used D.L. Moody - by R. A. Torrey

"Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal- a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.

I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever."

Yesterday much of our church, which began as a family church, lost their beloved mother.  Gracia Persson had 8 children, 6 of whom were sons.  One became a missionary, four are pastors, and one ran a Christian camp.  As they spoke of their beloved mother, it was obvious what their inheritance was:  they inherited a love for the Lord Jesus Christ and a desire to make a difference in the world.  She left them nothing of earthly goods.  At 90 years of age, she lived in her daughter's house and had very little--except the rich, rich bounty of a family who loves the Lord Jesus with all of their hearts.

What more could a mother desire?  I'm sure that right now she is in full agreement with D.L. Moody as she is rejoicing in seeing her Savior in His fullness.  The tears shed on earth could never bring her back, even if that was possible.  She is in GLORY, as her husband shouts it. 

I wonder:  Are you ready?  Does heaven draw you?  I often become so enamored with this world that I forget that this is not my home, only my place of preparation for my true home in GLORY.  Let's not be so pulled by the lures of the world system that we are not well prepared for the day when God calls us home.

If you have a few moments, listen to this wonderful message, "Hell's Best Kept Secret."  It may just change your life.
 

Hell's Best Kept Secret

Eternally thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ,

Gloria 

A Barn in Need of Repair

A barn on Hwy.5 in Central Arkansas

"My son, if you will receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."

Proverbs 2:1-5

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight." 

Proverbs 3:5-6

The older I get (and trust me, I'm getting older!), the more I contemplate the past.  Don't do it if you can avoid it; it's painful.  But hopefully my past mistakes will help someone else to avoid them.

 

As I was reading Proverbs 2 today, I was reminded of one of my favorite scenes as I drive now and then along Highway 5 between Benton, Arkansas, and Hot Springs Village.  This beautiful old barn is so picturesque, so compelling, such a lovely backdrop for the sky.  And yet there is something very melancholy about it; someone has left it for the elements.  Someone has failed to nurture it, to maintain it, to keep it purposeful.  No longer does it do what the builder constructed it for.  It merely sits there year after year, becoming overgrown with vines.  I drove by it the other day, and it is more dilapidated than it was when I took this picture a couple of years ago.  It has outlived its purpose. 

 

Maintaining the kind of trust in the Lord that enables us to learn wisdom is not the simple task of simply saying, "I trust in the Lord." If it were, most people would have it all together, because most people would say, "Yeah, I trust in the Lord."  But more importantly, we are not to "lean on our own understanding."  Oh, my, that's the hard part! 

 

Proverbs 2 tells us to seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasure.  Once we find it, we must maintain it.  If we let it go, as the owner of the barn has done, we will be no more useful than we were before we began.  

Does your barn need repair?  Mine does, it seems, all the time.  I thank God that He is patient; I need His longsuffering in my life.

 

Hammering and scrubbing, and praying that I never outlive my usefulness,

Gloria

The End of the Matter

 

"The end of the matter; all has been heard.  

Fear God and keep His commandments, 

for this is the whole duty of man.  

For God will bring every deed into judgment, 

with every secret thing, whether good or evil."  

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

I said yesterday that I find the book of Ecclesiastes somewhat depressing.  It seems that the king spent many years searching the things of life, and at this point in his life, he saw much emptiness.  Have you ever felt that way?  I certainly have.  It seems that many times our efforts just don't pay off, that the things we work for come to nothing in the end, the people that we put our hearts and souls into turn from us or just plain don't appreciate what we have sacrificed for them.  

So why go to all the effort?

Solomon wraps up his soliloquy by turning to the reader and giving the final bit of wisdom.  The duty of all mankind is two things:

• Fear God.
• Keep His commands

Why?  Because God is the judge and will judge.  Our deeds will be exposed, whether good or evil.

Our efforts to please God are not in vain.  There is purpose in our worship, in our learning, and in our acts of service.  Ultimately it is for His glory.  In this we can rejoice!

Pressing on,

Gloria

 

I Commend Joy

"And I commend joy,

for man has no good thing under the sun

but to eat and drink and be joyful, 

for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life 

that God has given him under the sun."  

Ecclesiastes 8:15

The book of Ecclesiastes can be depressing to me.  It seems that King Solomon was a bit depressed himself.  He saw much futility in life, in the things that we go about day in and day out.  He saw the evil succeed, the good fall, the seeming futility of so much in life.  But there are verses that enlighten and encourage, and this is one of them.  I do not for a minute think that he is saying to give up on the important things in life and just do what you want instead of what you should.  He says at the end of the verse that God has given us tasks to do.  Our responsibility is to carry out those tasks, and I believe it is our duty to do them well.  But that's another post!

As I read this verse, I began to think about the things that give me great joy, or cause me to enjoy life (NIV) ,or to have pleasure (NASB).  I could not think of anything of great monetary value that gives me joy. Nor could I think of "things" that give me a real enjoyment of life.  I love my nice home; it gives me comfort.  But it does not give me joy.  Some of the things that give me joy:

Flowers in my kitchen window

 My garden

 Seeing a grandchild earn a medal for memorizing a large portion of Scripture

 A trip to the mountains with my husband, my best friend

 Being privileged to help home educate a precious grandchild

 Taking a cake decorating course with another grandchild

Having mother-daughter tea parties with friends and family

Going to church with my family and beloved fellow worshipers

Getting up in the mornings and having breakfast in the garden

Having a morning quiet time

As I sit here and contemplate what brings me joy, I am so thrilled to see that my enjoyment of life does not come from the things that burden me down with  having to achieve according to the world's standards.  The simple pleasures of life are those that bring greatest joy.  There is much to do in this life, and most of it is not easy.  God did not give us that life of ease, but He has given us those special things to bring us joy.

What gives you joy in life?  Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures that surround you daily.  Our time on earth is short; let's enjoy it! 

Presented with joy,

Gloria

Today I am joining Linda at Prairie Flower Farm

Building Our Homes Together With Jesus

Letting them Fly

There are ThThere are three things that are too amazing for me,

"There are three things that are amazing to me,

four that I do not understand:

the way of an eagle in the sky..."

Proverbs 30:18, 19a

My husband was out of town for the evening, and when that happens a granddaughter always wants to sleep in our bed with me.  As we were lying in bed, I said, "Emma, I'm going to miss you when you get older and don't want to spend as much time with me as you do now."  Of course her response was, "I'll always want to spend as much time with you."

I explained to her that as she grows older she will have other things that take priority, that she will gradually fly the nest.  That is why it is so important to me that I am able to spend time now helping her (and the other grandchildren) to learn the fundamental things of life that will enable them to spread their wings and fly like an eagle.  Hence the title of my blog:  Under Her Wings.

A mother swan with her babies under her wings

Did you know that an eagle, along with other birds, nestles the babies under her wings in order to protect them from predators, from the elements, and from themselves until they are deemed old enough to take the next step? 

Isn't this beautiful?

(I know, it's not an eagle.  But it had to be put in here. 

If I can figure out how to do it, that will be my new picture for my blog.)

When the eagle is ready for her very reluctant babies to begin to learn to fly, she begins to stir the nest. She rids the nest of the soft materials that she had collected for the nest and then begins to force the eaglets to stand up and develop strength in preparation to fly the nest. 

"Like an eagle that stirs up its nest

and hovers over its young,

that spreads its wings to catch them

and carries them on its pinions"

Deuteronomy 32:11

Eventually he will learn to fly, but often with difficulty.  The parent is close by to catch him if he starts to fall. But eventually that little eagle will take flight, becoming independent of those who have so carefully guarded him. 


Even so these precious grandchildren.  Even so your more-than-valuable children.  I so encourage you to take those little ones under your wings, to nurture them in every way God has allowed you, and then watch them grow into strong, independent people, able to fly with strong wings.  They may not spend as much time with you, but you will be assured that you played a vital role in their lives.  As you teach them the things of God you may be confident that

"They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; 

they shall mount up with wings like eagles; 

they shall run and not be weary; 

they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

 

That's my goal in nestling them under my wings,

Gloria