Happy 2019! I hope you enjoy this latest episode of the podcast where we will be talking about the life of Francis Ridley Havergal and drawing encouragement from a special hymn that she originally wrote as a New Year's Poem.
In this special New Year's episode I also talk about serving the Lord in various season of a woman's life i.e. singleness, raising children, and gracefully growing older. I pray that you are encouraged!
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Hello Friends! We are quickly transitioning into a new year, and I'm excited to share with you a hymn I just recently became acquainted with. The hymn is written by Francis Ridley Havergal; she wrote this as a poem to put on her New Year's cards one year. I hope you enjoy the lyrics as much as I did and that it will give you encouragement in thinking through priorities for a new year.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.
Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.
Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee.
You may be reading this and wondering, "Who is Francis Ridley Havergal?" According to http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/h/a/v/havergal_fr.htm she was born on December 14, 1836 and was reading by age four. The website explains that she, "Learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and memorized the Psalms, the book of Isaiah, and most of the New Testament." Wow! That is a bio I would love to be by my name. Isn't that amazing that she committed herself so faithfully to the memorization of the Word of God? That really puts me to shame, and I find that kind of dedication very inspiring. What it tells me about her is that she highly esteemed the Word of God. She would otherwise never devote herself to memorizing such a large chunk of Scripture. As we enter a new year, I feel a strong desire to cherish the Word of God more, to dwell in it more, and to allow the Lord to use it to transform me more into His likeness. In addition to all this Scripture memory, Francis also penned many hymns in her short life. No doubt her inspiration came by having the Word of God dwell in her richly.
In Working or in Waiting, Another Year with Thee
Verse one of this hymn talks about dwelling with the Lord whether in working on in waiting. Life is full of changing seasons, and sometimes we are faithful in simply waiting upon the Lord. At other times our faithfulness will include much forward motion and progress. Whether this year is a year of working or waiting, may we be faithful to spend our moments with the Lord and put all our trust in Him. Are you in a season of clear marching orders or are you in a season where He is saying, "Be still and know that I am God?"
Another Year of Trusting, Quiet, Happy Rest
The Bible has many instructions for us concerning not worrying, about trusting in the Lord, and about walking in faith. This is God's will for us that we will trust and be at rest in Him. Oh, Ladies, this is so much easier said than done, don't you think? I want to encourage you and me that we can ask the Lord to grow us into women of great faith. We might not naturally be inclined to a peaceful, restful, trusting heart, but our Lord, Who is at work within us, can increase our faith as we are are conformed more to His image. Here are some verses that apply:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." - Philippians 4:6 "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." - Psalm 42:11 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10
Are there some specific areas where the Lord is asking you to trust this year? Isn't it interesting how readily we trust the Lord for our eternal salvation and yet we often struggle to trust Him in the challenges of our daily lives? Can you think of two or three areas where the Lord is calling you to quiet your heart and trust Him as you walk into this new year?
Another Year of Service, of Witness for Thy Love
It is such a beautiful privilege to be able to be busy about kingdom work. Our Lord has called us all to be serving Him in one capacity or another. He has given us special giftings so that we can build up the body of Christ in unique ways. If you are a busy mother at home this may be a season where you are fully engaged in kingdom work in your home. The world will not applaud you for pouring your heart and life into the discipleship of your children, but this is a vitally important role in building the kingdom of God. I want to encourage you that we Mamas are furthering the kingdom of God when we are being faithful in the mission field of our homes. Charles Spurgeon has a powerful quote that is hugely encouraging to a Mother's heart. Think on this and be encouraged that your sacrifices in your home really do count for eternity when they are done for the glory of God.
Ladies, let that sink in. Isn't that encouraging? Some days working at home feels so mundane and hard, but keeping our perspectives right is so helpful. We are not just washing clothes, changing diapers, picking up toys, educating children, etc. We are doing all of this as a part of God's overall plan for us to raise up our children to know and love and follow Christ. Nothing could be more important!
Perhaps you are not a mother working at home. I have many friends who are single and serving the Lord in their local churches, through ministry opportunities, and by loving and serving their families. These friends touch my heart as I see them pouring their lives into the sacrificial kingdom work God has given them for this season of their lives. I well remember my season of singleness, and I am thankful for the unique ministry opportunities I had back then that I no longer am involved in now. Singleness can be a beautiful season of serving the Lord with more free time and the energy of youth.
Then perhaps you are past the seasons of singleness and the season of raising children in your home. I think older ladies have such a beautiful opportunity to impact younger generations to follow the Lord Jesus. I think our culture is starving for the older, godly ladies who will be an example and disciple the younger generations. I pray that when my time is freed up again, once my children are grown, that I will be able to pour my life into encouraging younger ladies to be women of the Word, to love their husbands and children, and to live in light of eternity.
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They 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 2:3-5
In closing, I want us to remember that truly we are moving through the seasons of life on an earthly pilgrimage leading us to our true home. Remember that old song, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through?" When we remember this it bolsters our resolve to live intentionally. May we all, by God's grace, work, wait, trust, rest, and serve our Lord Jesus with great devotion in 2019. May this be our prayer as another year is dawning.
My friend, whatever you are facing today whether great joys or great sorrows, I hope you will be encouraged to think about the beautiful truth of Emmanuel, Our God is with us. He is with us in our joys and sorrows, in our victories and in our challenges. We have eternal hope, because Jesus came to be Emmanuel, God with us. I pray you will be encouraged! Click here to listen.
As we are inching ever closer to Christmas, I want to share some encouragement about the name Emmanuel. The name means God is with us. Isn't that a comforting thought? Our God is with us this Christmas no matter what we are facing. Are you currently flying high with joy and excitement? God is with you. Are you feeling low and hopeless? God is with you. Are you or someone you love dealing with sickness? God is with you. Jesus came to be Emmanuel; God with us.
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
There is an older song written by Michael Card that says,
"Emmanuel, Our God is with us
And if God is with us
Who could be against us
Our God is with us, Emmanuel."
We cannot count on the fact that anyone will always and forever be with us, but we can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that if we have believed and put our trust in Christ, our Emmanuel is forever God with us. We can run to Him in our joys and in our sorrow, in the good times and in the bad. He came to be our Savior and He invites us into His presence.
It is comforting to know that He understands our humanity and our frailness. Because He came and walked this earthly life, He can sympathize with our weaknesses.
Because He was without sin He was able to go to the cross and pay the price to redeem us from our sin. Hallelujah what a Savior! Because of what He did for us at calvary, He is now able to give us forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and victory in Jesus. He understands that we are weak, but He invites us to let His strength replace our weaknesses. In our current christian culture many excuse sin and fail to see that Jesus came to give us victory over our sins. He is with us, and He wants to sanctify us to be more and more like Himself.
I also love the Christmas hymn "O Come O Come Emmanuel." In the song you can hear the emotion of those who are eagerly awaiting the coming of the Messiah, and the chorus becomes jubilant as it says, "Rejoice, Rejoice Emmanuel Has Come." As I look around me at many disturbing things in the world and culture today, I relate to that longing for Emmanuel to come again! He is coming again, and what a glorious day it will be when we are forever with the Lord worshiping Him for all eternity. He is going to make all wrongs right, heal all brokenness, and dry our every tear. While we traverse our pilgrim way, we can praise Him that Emmanuel is with us, and we can look forward to that day when one day we will forever be with the Lord in perfect peace and rest. That, my friends, is something to be excited about!
In closing here are some verses referring to Emmanuel, God with us. I hope you will find a few minutes to dwell on these and let your heart be strengthened:
This would make a wonderful Bible study to go through and try to find all the verses in Scripture that talk about how our God is with us. It is very reassuring and comforting. This Christmas my desire is that we can all have peaceful hearts knowing that we are not alone in our struggles. Our God is with us. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He loves us. His steadfast love endures forever. Merry Christmas and may these truths fill our hearts with true comfort and joy!
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Friends, this is the last week we all have to prepare for Christmas. As we go about our preparations, may we remember that our peace is not in getting it all done. Our true and eternal peace is in knowing Jesus and trusting Him moment by moment. He is the only true and lasting source of peace. May we abide in Him and trust Him fully. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Dear Friends! I don't know about you, but the older I get the more my heart longs for peace, joy, and a silent night during the Christmas season. I remember when I was younger and I looked forward to excitement and holiday festivities. I was ok with running around and being super busy. I remember thriving on the busyness of the holiday season and wanted to take part in all the hustle and bustle that I could. I guess I am getting older, but now what I really long for are quiet, reflective, peaceful moments. We hear a lot about peace at Christmastime, and I think many are longing for peace but do not understand the true source of peace. Jesus Himself said these words:
The great pastor Charles Spurgeon said that peace could not be found but within the message of Jesus.
"Do you not feel, my brethren, that the gospel of God is peace to man? Where else can peace be found but in the message of Jesus?" - Charles Spurgeon
The world around us screams at us that peace will come through a political party, politicians, a perfectly organized Pinterest worthy home, financial success, social status, a public platform, having good looks and maintaining health and youthfulness, travel and entertainment, and through many other things that people desire. If we let our gaze shift from Jesus to chasing these things, which may not be wrong in and of themselves, we will forfeit peace instead of gain it. Remember the words to the old hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus?" The lyrics say Oh, what peace we often forfeit all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
During this Christmas season I just want to encourage us all to keep our eyes on Jesus knowing that He is the true source of our joy and peace. Festivities are fun, gifts are a blessing, and life offers many joys but truly those things will never fully satisfy apart from Jesus. He is the source of every good thing and He is the only one Who can give us quietness of heart and peace so that we can say, "It is Well with my soul." I hope you enjoy this video of Chris Rice singing this beloved hymn so beautifully!
It is hard to believe that Christmas is inching up so quickly. I hope that as we move forward and closer to Christmas day that we can all let the peace of Christ dwell and rule in our hearts. May the world around us see what they are searching for in our lives and may we be quick to share where our peace and hope come from. The Christmas season affords us increased opportunities to talk about Jesus, His birth, and the peace that He offers to us not just at Christmastime but all year long. Merry Christmas, Friends!
Happy Monday! Below you will find the link to listen to the latest episode of the podcast. On this episode I share some specific ideas to help our families keep our eyes on Jesus Who is the reason we celebrate. I would love to hear your traditions and ways of focusing on Jesus through the Advent season. Merry Christmas!
Please click the link below to join me for this episode of the "Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast." On this episode we will be talking about focusing on the most important things this Christmas season. I pray you will be encouraged!
Hello Friends! I hope that you all had a blessed Thanksgiving celebration. We enjoyed a day on the farm with lots of yummy food and times of sharing what we all are thankful for. Well, we are full swing into the Christmas season now, and I wanted to make the topic of this post all about keeping Christ at the center of our Christmas celebrations.
The holidays seem to come and go so quickly, and it takes real intentionality to not get too busy to really worship our Savior and have our focus on what the holiday is really all about. I hope that the following ideas will be helpful and spur on some new ideas for you to keep Christ as the focal point of the season in your family. These are just ideas, and some of them may work for you one year and others another year. This list is not intended to make anyone feel pressure to check off a list. Instead it is just an offering of ideas you might pick and choose from.
1. Play Handel's Messiah and other sacred Christmas music in your house and car. Last year the children and I did a study on Handel's Messiah during our morning circle time, and it is incredible how much Biblical truth is packed into that musical work. It is worth really listening to it and noticing how Handel used so much Scripture in writing the Messiah.
2. Read Christ-centered Christmas books. I remember one Christmas, when I was still single, I was looking ahead and dreaming of one day being married with my own family which led me to purchase a Christmas picture book that I put back in hopes of one day having children to read it to. After marriage, I added to our Christmas book collection which has grown to be quite a stack now. I recommend reading books to your children that will remind them of the true reason for Christmas. You might check out a book like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Candy-Cane-Inspirational-Christmas/dp/0310212472
3. Avoid Being Too Busy Outside Your Home So That You Can Enjoy Peaceful Moments Inside Your Home. I think deep inside we all long for the simple moments of Christmas like sitting by the tree and enjoying the lights while sipping hot cocoa. What often happens is that many other opportunities are screaming at us and we end up running here and there and missing the quiet joys of just being home during the most wonderful time of the year. I think it is helpful to evaluate which activities are top on your list of priorities and leave room for rest, stillness, and togetherness at home.
4. I LOVE having nativity scenes in the house and outside. It is such a powerful reminder of WHO it is that we are celebrating this time of year. Years ago my husband began giving me individual pieces to our Willow Tree nativity scene as gifts. Over the years the collection has grown quite large, and it is by far one of my favorite decorations. It is always very special to pull it out each year.
Another nativity scene that we bring out is our Little People nativity. That set has been with us for many years and has provided much joy to little people year by year.
Last year we gave our youngest child the toddler version of the Playmobile nativity as well. I look forward to one day having these out for our grandchildren to play with.
5. Decorate your tree with ornaments that point to Jesus. When I was a little girl I had a star ornament with a picture of Jesus in the center. I think I made it at church, and it was very special to me. I had my own tradition that the Jesus ornament needed to be towards the top of the tree each year. These days the Christian book stores and Hobby Lobby offer many good ornaments and decorations that remind us of the birth of Christ.
A few years back I ordered a set of ornaments from Ever Thine Home called Adore Hymns. These ornaments beautifully display different Christmas hymns on each individual one. I LOVE them, and they also made a nice gift for our piano teacher. https://everthinehome.com/portfolio/adore-hymns-8-pack/
6. Provide your children with crafts centered around worshiping our Savior. Hobby Lobby usually has good options on pre-packaged nativity sets and such.
7. Make a paper chain with a Bible verse written on the inside of each link. Tear one link off each day of the month leading up to Christmas and read the verse as a family.
8. Serve and give to others in need. This is a good way of helping our children think of spreading the love of Jesus instead of just focusing on themselves throughout the season.
9. Read Aloud the Christmas Story as a Family. Reading the Christmas story is one of those sweet family traditions that unites the hearts of one generation to the next. It takes us back to days of old as we move into the future before us. It is God's eternal truth and is always good to hear again.
10. Go Through a Drive-Thru nativity display. Our family has enjoyed doing this, and it definitely puts the spotlight on the birth of our Savior. I think it is a great tradition as well as a Christmas Eve service. I know our children have enjoyed the services where we have gone and lit candles on Christmas Eve. It is a sweet time to just be still, reflect, and adore Jesus Who is the reason we celebrate.
I would love to hear how your family seeks to keep Jesus at the center of Christmas. I'm sure you also have some great ideas to share. May we all together kneel our hearts in adoration of Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Lord has really been working in my heart concerning this area of gratitude. In I Thessalonians 5:18 we are told to give thanks in everything.
In recent months I have been facing the frustration of waiting for direction and answers to several big decisions, and honestly it can be exhausting and discouraging to live in the realm of uncertainty. Through it all, however, I have been reminded to choose to give thanks. I have not mastered this, but I can say it is an area where I feel the Lord is pruning my heart attitudes and gently reminding me to choose to have a grateful heart. When I am feeling anxious, it is an opportunity to choose once again to trust the loving heart of my Father and embrace gratitude for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me.
For this post I thought it would be encouraging to look at what strong men and women of the faith have had to say on this topic of cultivating gratitude and thankfulness. I am going to start with sharing from Joni Erickson Tada, a lady who is well acquainted with suffering. If you have not heard, she recently received a second cancer diagnosis and will be undergoing surgery soon. You can read about it through this link: https://www.joniandfriends.org/blog/new-cancer-diagnosis/ Here are a few things that Joni shared:
“When I received the unexpected news of cancer from my oncological surgeon, I relaxed and smiled, knowing that my sovereign God loves me dearly and holds me tightly in His hands. What good is it if we only trust the Lord when we understand His ways? That only guarantees a life filled with doubts.”
“Jesus is ecstasy beyond compare and if new hardships draw us closer to Him, I'm more than content with it.” —Joni Eareckson Tada That, my friends, is the perspective of a lady who has cooperated with the Refiner's Fire in her life. That kind of faith and trust has come out of over fifty-one years of suffering and knowing first hand the faithfulness of the Savior. That kind of wisdom is rare and beautiful. Please join me in praying for Joni as she battles cancer for a second time. As I was growing up I remember my Daddy having a set of Charles Spurgeon books on his shelves. Back then I was drawn to the pretty pastel covers on these hardback books, but in recent years I have learned what great wisdom is contained in the writings of Spurgeon. I truly love and appreciate his writings and his beautiful way of showing us the beauty and magnitude of the Savior with the only reasonable response, out of believers, being to follow and obey our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is what Spurgeon said about gratitude: "He who would serve God must begin by praising God, for a grateful heart is the mainspring of obedience. We must offer the salt of gratitude with the sacrifice of obedience; our lives should be anointed with the precious oil of thankfulness. As soldiers march to music, so while we walk in the paths of righteousness we should keep step to the notes of thanksgiving. Larks sing as they mount, so should we magnify the Lord for his mercies while we are winging our way to heaven."
When I was a little girl my Sunday school teacher taught through a flannelgraph series on the life of Amy Carmichael, and ever since I have been challenged by her example and seen her as a hero of the faith. Here is something she said about trusting that Lord is working through every circumstance in our lives: "All the paths of the Lord are loving and faithful" Psalm 25:10 I have pondered this verse lately, and have found that it feeds my spirit. All does not mean "all - except the paths I am walking in now," or "nearly all - except this especially difficult and painful path." All must mean all. So, your path with its unexplained sorrow or turmoil, and mine with its sharp flints and briers - and both our paths, with their unexplained perplexity, their sheer mystery - they are His paths, on which he will show himself loving and faithful. Nothing else; nothing less."
- Amy Carmichael
If you know me very well then you probably know that I also greatly appreciate the life of Elisabeth Elliot. Here is a hugely convicting quote from her on choosing gratitude:
It is uplifting to read what great men and women of the faith have had to say about trusting the Lord and giving Him thanks in all circumstances. I hope this has been encouraging to your heart. May we all enter into Thanksgiving week thanking the Lord for His faithfulness, His mercy, and His loving kindness. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
