Keeping it All in Perspective

DYING TO SELF

When you are forgotten or neglected, or purposely set at naught,
and you do not sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight,
but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed,
your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed,
and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart,
or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity,
and unpunctuality, or any annoyance;
when you stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance,
spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus endured it,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation,
or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation,
when you can truly love to be unknown,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you are content with any food, any offering, any raiment,
any climate, any society, any solitude,
any interruption by the will of God,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met,
and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God,
while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less
stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly,
finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart,
THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

Are you dead yet?
In these last days the Spirit would bring us to the Cross.
"That I may know Him...being made conformable to His death."
Philippians 3:10

Christ, only Christ, no needless bustling sound,
Christ, only Christ, no self important bearing,
Christ, only Christ, no trace of "I" be found.

Author Unknown

Called to Submission

Oh how difficult this one is!
Really D.I.F.F.I.C.U.L.T.!
But so necessary for a godly and fulfilled marriage.
We as women are called to this ~ it is not an option.
It is Obedience.

In light of last week's post on the subject of marriage,
and in light of those friends of mine in unusual circumstances...
this post is somewhat of a sequel.

What do you do if your husband is not a Christian?
What do you do if he doesn't want to pray?
Or doesn't want to lead the family in devotional times?
What do you do if he is on a "different page" spiritually.

I have encountered dear ladies in most, if not all, of these situations.
Oh how we need the LORD's wisdom and grace!
How we need HIS strength in all these things.


God is gracious and merciful and it is HE that keeps us ~
not US who keeps us!
How blessed we are that HE does not leave us to ourselves!
The marriage advice we were given has held us in good stead over the years. Oh there are times it has been hard ~ nearly I.M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E. to follow ~ but with God all things are possible ~ how precious that truth is!

The key thing is to be sure your own heart is right with God. Be sure you are not harbouring any unconfessed sin. Seek God on this matter. He is faithful and will show you the areas that need attention in your heart. If your husband is not a Christian, it is your responsibility to pray for his Salvation and live before him in a meek and gentle way.

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."
I Peter 3:1-2
See also I Corinthians 7:10-16

What if he doesn't want to pray or lead in Family Worship?

You are not called to be his conscience ~ what a liberating thought.
Pray quietly for him and live sweetly with him ~
remember that with the LORD all things are possible.
Ask the LORD privately to convict your husband of the need to be leading you in this way and wait patiently for the LORD to do the work.
In the meantime and as you are able, teach your children ~ do not neglect their spiritual well-being. Just do it in such a way that you are still submissive to your husband. You will need great wisdom to know how to implement this. How precious that God will give that wisdom as we ask Him for it!

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him."
James 1:5


Oh and the "different page spiritually" ~ that's a tough one!

I would caution you as a wife to be very careful about abandoning your husband's protection and guidance in your walk with the Saviour. Obviously if he is not saved, that is another matter and you will need to seek out godly counsel to know how to deal with that. Be sure the counsel you get is Scriptural and sound ~ not just man's opinion. We as wives are called to follow our husband and he is called to lead.
It is God's design.

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:
and he is the saviour of the body.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ,
so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing."
Ephesians 5:22-24

How do we begin?

Begin with prayer.
Maybe your husband is waiting for you to encourage him in these things.
Maybe all it will take is a suggestion from you. It would be best to approach this subject when you have time to share your heart. Pick your moment...likely when it is just the two of you. Try to be encouraging and build him up. Some suggestions for where to begin?

We love Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening". It is a devotional written by a godly pastor from the 1800's. You will find that there are two readings for each day of the year...you may want to just read through one reading at a time ignoring the dates. Whatever way you do it I am sure you will be greatly encouraged. Although it was written over 100 years ago, it is so relevant for today! Much like God's Word...it's never out of date.


How to pray together?

Read a Psalm or a few verses of Scripture and pray it for your spouse, your children and your family members. Pray what you read back to God. If it is praise you are reading, use it to jump start your own praises to God. If it is supplication, use it to fuel the prayers you are praying for others.
Some examples of wonderful verses to pray through are Colossians chapter 3,
I Corinthians 13:1-7, Matthew 5:3-12
and Psalm chapter 1.

Another great resource is Sermon Audio where you can download sermons to listen to that will fortify and edify you both. Maybe suggest that your husband pick one he would like to listen to together and set aside a time to make it happen. Sometimes all that is needed is a little encouragement.

Again, this post is in no way meant to discourage. There are as many situations as there are marriages out there. I pray that it will be an encouragement to your heart in whatever situation you find yourself. I do not think for a moment that I have arrived in this area. To further illustrate my feelings as I write this post, I would like to quote the following passage of Scripture:

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:
but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which
also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count myself not to have apprehended:
but this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:12-14

There is always HOPE.
Look to the LORD...He is able to do far above what we ask or think!
Be encouraged with the words of the LORD to His people found in the Old Testament:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:"...
Jeremiah 29:11-14a

My Little Baker

Studying the recipe book...just like Mummy! :)

Mixing the cookie dough by hand ~ of course!

Rolling and patting...

And rolling some more...

It's starting to crack ~ what should we do?
(Maybe use less flour next time) ;-)

Rolling and getting ready to use the cookie cutters...

It seems this is where the documentation ended...
I suppose we got taken up with the baking and the eating ~
which was a worthwhile pursuit! :)

Beauty in the Imperfect

In the imperfections of life I am reminded that this is not my HOME.
Eternity is what really matters and where I will spend it.
Do you know for certain where you will spend eternity?
This life is not all there is.

REAL life comes after this one.
Our days here are very short...
even the longest of earthly lives are but a vapor.
Eternity is FOREVER.

My list of thanks this week documents some of the reminders
that this is not my HOME and I am not my own.
I belong to HIM.
HE can do with me exactly as HE pleases.
I exist to bring GLORY to HIM.

So in the imperfections of life I see beauty.
In Heaven nothing will be marred.
All will be forever PERFECT.
What a GLORIOUS thought!

There is beauty to be found in the imperfect ~
it is a blessing to enjoy this day regardless of what is
"unfinished" or "needs fixing".
The days are fleeting and the truly IMPORTANT things
often go unnoticed unless we really SEE!

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Matthew 6:19-21

496. Laundry collecting just as the bins are emptied

497. Broken glass in the sink ~ Casualties of hand washing...

498. Imperfect garden beds ~
Yes...you do see recycling in the mix...Emma seizes them from the bin for play.
FYI ~ The jug looking thing is an empty Maple Syrup bottle...oh YUM!

499. Little-boy-chewed guard rail on the bunkbed

500. Tear in the linoleum ~ my feeble attempt at installation

501. Missing doorknob on the front door ~ that would be the inside! :)

502. Broken and glued "treasures"

503. Mildew growing in the caulking

504. Dust that collects

505. "Dings" in the laminate

506. Warped laminate from the time the dishwasher had a leak

507. Scuffs on the wall

508. Mud that is tracked in

509. Tears in favourite articles of clothing

510. Stains that won't come out

511. Broken dishwasher

512. Chips out of the edges of the kitchen doors
(not installed that long ago!)

513. Betsy's broken door

514. Unfinished bedroom

515. Trim that isn't painted

516. Weeds

517. Grey hairs

518. Old injuries that resurface every now and then

519. Beginnings of arthritis in the fingers

520. Shifting teeth in spite of long-ago braces

521. Wrinkles

522. Sun-faded furniture

523. Congenitally missing teeth in two of our children

524. Chipped dishes

525. Five colds on our holiday

Find the inspiration for this post here.

And here.

Many Blessings,
Camille

How Great Thou Art

**Rocky Mountains ~ photo by Camille 2009**

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,

Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;

~ Refrain ~

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in:
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin;

~ Refrain ~

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

~ Refrain ~

Stuart K. Hine (1899-1989)

Wonderful Collection of Books

Over the years we have built up our home library to the point of overflowing.
Both my husband and I have a weakness for books!
One of the bookshelves in the schoolroom has books doubled up.
And yet, we still find more books to bring home.

What is this teaching our children?
They say children will follow your example more than your words.
Will they value books as we have?
Will they read the MOST important BOOK every day?
Oh we do pray to that end.
We desire to see them glorify God in their lives and
pray that they would be equipped to teach and lead the next generation for HIM.

The Rare Collector's Series of books is worth looking into if you are building up your library.
Or if you want to give something of lasting value to a young person in your life. They work well as read-alouds...and the stories tend to be thought provoking
as well as touching in the way the valuable lessons are taught.

If you live in the Lower Mainland of BC you can find these titles at The Valley Gospel Mission Bookstore.
Phone 604-530-7880 for hours of operation and directions.

**I do not receive compensation for any of my reviews ~
they are humbly submitted for your examination only.

How to Keep Your Marriage Intact

**Photo of one of our Bibles and our wedding rings ~ by Camille**

When we were just on the verge of getting married, we were given the best marriage advice ever! I can't remember who it was that said it, but we have proven the truth of it over and over and over again. We have been blessed with nearly 19 years of marriage in which we have used this tried and true advice and have found that it works, by God's grace...every time!

What is this advice, you might ask?

If you are a Christian this will make perfect sense to you...for I am speaking of something that involves looking outside of ourselves to the one true God of Heaven and Earth...our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. If ever you argue or disagree with your spouse and cannot see eye to eye on a matter, it is then that you must do what follows.

Get on your knees together to pray. Pray out loud. Confess your sin...not his or hers! Easy to say, but very hard to do! You both must do this. Very often, before you are even finished praying, the Lord will mend the rift and you will be reconciled.

This, by the way, is THE MOST difficult thing to do! Be sure to have this strategy in place before it is needed. Commit yourselves to it and implement it as necessary.

A strong marriage has been depicted as one where the husband and wife are both growing closer to the Lord together...like the two lower points of a triangle...and the upper point represents God. The closer they get to God, the closer they get to one another. Interesting analogy, isn't it?

BTW...if your spouse is not a Christian and you are...DON'T despair! You can still commit your way to the Lord in prayer and seek by God's grace to live in harmony with your spouse.

God's Word says..."Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."
I Peter 3:1-2
See also I Corinthians 7:10-16

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Repost from the archives under the title "The Best Marriage Advice"

I Will N.E.V.E.R. Understand!

Although I have T.H.R.E.E. boys,
they are still capable of coming up with new ways to amaze me!
The boy who did this will remain A.N.O.N.Y.M.O.U.S.
And, in his defense, this took place about two years ago ~
I like to think he now knows better.

Can you see what happened?
They say a picture speaks a thousand words and
in this case THREE pictures may reveal more than you ever wanted to know!
Whatever possessed my boy to do this to my girl is beyond me.
Her shrieks of horror were heard all over the house.
Thankfully he shut the power head of the vacuum off
before more damage was done.
The joys of motherhood abound! :)

The B.A.L.D. spot left after the...

B.O.Y. used this...

On her H.E.A.D. ~ While it was R.U.N.N.I.N.G.!!

Poor thing!
Oh the joys (and sorrows)
of motherhood!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Life's Fleeting Joys

The weeks fly by.  The Mondays come and go.
The documentation of thanks continues ~ AND as I plod along,
I find myself being transformed by this "new" way of thinking.
We are called to this.  Joy is found in obedience.

"In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
I Thessalonians 5:18

456. Clean dishes piled up in the drying rack ~
Remember that my dishwasher is broken?

457. Window seats on the airplane

458. WestJet! :)

459. New apron for our girl

460. Treasure found at an antique store in California

461. Constantly feeding the washing machine with dirty clothes...

and they come out clean!

462. Listening to my composer on the piano ~
what does the Lord have planned?

463. Crumbs (and chunks) on the floor...
we have food to eat and children to eat with ~
they won't always live here :(

464. New recipes to try

465. Play clothes that get dirty ~ the children are healthy

466. Opportunities to serve

467. Peaceful land to live in

468. Peaceful home

469. Peaceful street to live on

470. Church family to be a part of

471. Finishing the pile of ironing ~ ahhhh

472. Freshly laundered Sunday clothes...ready to be worn

473. Blonde bangs to trim

474. Recent visit with my sister...
a treat as she lives far away

475. Doing dishes with my sister ~
reliving distant memories

476. Hospitality of my sister and her family ~
they invited all SIX of us to stay!

477. Cousin friendships

478. Visiting a church a few thousand miles from home and
finding fellowship amongst God's people ~ joy!

479. Hearing two amazing sermons on the same Sunday ~
delivered with a Scottish accent :)

480. Exploring new (to us) parts of God's creation

481. Enjoying the diversity of plants found in the desert

482. Safety as we drove the Southern California Freeways!

483. A new appreciation for how relatively little traffic there is at home! :)

484. View of the mountains from 38,000 feet

485. Cloud pictures from the airplane window

486. Enjoying the perspective that flying gives ~
we really are SMALL and HE is GREAT!

487. Cheap flights!

488. The simple things

489. A van to drive and the ability to do so

490. A van to share and the flexibility of schedules
that enable us to have only one

491. A fresh batch of hand-me-downs

492. An invitation to return! (See #476)

493. Reminders to enjoy the moments

494. New beginnings

495. Patience and forgiveness extended to me ~

grace upon grace

Many Blessings,
Camille

A Wonderful Hymn!

A Sovereign Protector I have,
Unseen, yet forever at hand,
Unchangeably faithful to save,
Almighty to rule and command.

He smiles and my comforts abound;
His grace as the dew shall descend,
And walls of Salvation surround
The souls He delights to defend.

Inspirer and hearer of prayer,
Thou Shepherd and Guardian of Thine,
My all to thy covenant care,
I sleeping and waking resign.

If Thou art my shield and my Sun,
The night is no darkness to me;
And, fast as the moments roll on,
They bring me but nearer to Thee.

Kind Author, and ground of my hope,
Thee, Thee, for my God I avow;
My glad Ebenezer set up,
And own Thou hast helped me till now.

I muse on the years that are past,
Wherein my defense Thou hast proved;
Nor wilt Thou relinquish at last
A sinner so signally loved!

Augustus Toplady (1740-1778)

California Flowers

Our family was able to go visit my sister and her family in California at the beginning of the month. It was lovely to reconnect and spend some extended time with each other. One of the things my sister and I share is the joy of photography ~ I continue to learn...and by no means have arrived!
But it is enjoyable all the same!

She and I took MANY pictures of flowers. These are just a sampling of the ones we saw. I don't know the names of them all, but I do think that they display some of the creativity of our Great God!
Isn't HIS handiwork GLORIOUS?

"...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you,
That even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these."
Matthew 6:28-29

Chewy Chocolate Cookies ~ Oh My!

Thy Hand Hath Provided posted a recipe for Chewy Chocolate Cookies ~
it is the second recipe shown in her post.

Oh. Dear. Me.

E.A.S.Y.

Too Easy!!

Hop on over...grab the recipe and follow her directions to a "T",
but be sure to let them cool on the cookie sheet.
I found they were too soft to transfer to a cooling rack right away ~
they are meant to be chewy after all.
I challenge you to whip up a batch and not eat every last one!!
They are destined to become your new favourite chocolate cookie...
that is, if you are one of those who likes chocolate cookies!
But who doesn't? :)

Tender Mercies

The days pass and the joys mount higher ~
reflection is often necessary to really appreciate today.
Oh that I would slow down long enough to drink it all in!

"The LORD is good to all:
and his tender mercies are over all his works."
Psalm 145:9

Continuing to number my days and His tender mercies ~
grace upon grace...

436. Endless supply of flowers for my little vase ~
lovingly picked just for me!

437. Little helper ~ eager to be of use!
Remember that my dishwasher is broken? :)

438. Soap bubbles...

439. School project ~ a tiny glimpse into the
sheer magnitude of our Great God's marvelous Creation

440. Neighbours willing to fill in on the paper route
and collect mail while we were away

441. Safe return of my Mom from Egypt

442. Imaginations of a child

443. Chocolate Molten Cakes

444. Bald eagles soaring overhead ~ three of them!

445. Little girl who keeps up as I "power walk"

446. Reading about our niece's adventures in AFRICA!

447. Ability to pray for loved ones far away

448. Our hearing and answering Heavenly Father

449. Fresh spring breezes filling the house

450. The gate slamming shut ~ boys live here

451. Empty fridge ~ boys live here

452. Full fridge ~ boys live here and God provides!

453. The "shhh" of little (and not so little)
boys in a bunk bed waiting for Mum to say goodnight

454. Little girl reading "The Bobbsey Twins" in bed
as she waits for Mummy to tuck her in

455. Oldest son who quietly goes to bed and still allows Mum
to kiss him goodnight

Many Blessings,
Camille

Bless the LORD!

Psalm 103:1-5

Bless the LORD, O my soul:
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness
and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Holy Bible