Monday, December 31, 2018

Another Year is Dawning/A Hymn By Francis Ridley Havergal Podcast 2019

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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!
  If you are enjoying the podcast, would you consider leaving a star rating and maybe a quick note over on iTunes?  Your effort will tell iTunes that people are listening and that will help others find the podcast.  Thank you, Friends!  May the Lord bless you in this new year!

To Listen Click Here:
https://legacyhomeschoolreflections.blogspot.com/2018/12/legacy-homeschool-reflections-podcast_31.html


Saturday, December 29, 2018

Another Year is Dawning



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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?"  Image result for 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:

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"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.  

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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.

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  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


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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.  



















Monday, December 24, 2018

Remembering That God Is With Us




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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.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2018

The Joy of Emmanuel God With Us

 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.
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“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel” 
(which means, God with us).
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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.  

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  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.

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  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!

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  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: 

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  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!  




  





Monday, December 17, 2018

Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast/ Jesus is Our Peace!

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  Welcome to another Christmas episode of the Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast.  We hear a lot about peace at Christmastime, and in today's episode I share how Jesus is the source of true peace.  The world offers us many counterfeit means to peace, but Jesus said He came to give us true and abiding peace.  I hope you will be encouraged!  https://s3.amazonaws.com/aws-website-legacyhomeschoolreflections-d3zzd/Having+a+Peaceful+Christmas+-+12_15_18%2C+12.44+PM.mp3

  Would you consider leaving a short review or even just a star rating over at iTunes?  Apparently the more reviews the podcast receives the more it will be visible through iTunes.  I want moms to be able to find the podcast, so this would be very helpful!  Thank you!

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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! 


Monday, December 10, 2018

Jesus is the Source of True Peace



  
  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:

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  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! 

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Monday, December 3, 2018

Helping Our Families Stay Focused on Jesus Through the Christmas Season

 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!

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https://legacyhomeschoolreflections.blogspot.com/2018/12/legacy-homeschool-reflections-
podcast.html

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