Christians Are a Bunch of Hypocrites?

I'm sure we've all known people who've cited the above reason for why they aren't interested in Christianity. If by 'hypocrites' they mean 'imperfect people who struggle with sin', it's true.

We are repenting liars, and cheaters, and thieves, and gossips...and by the grace of God, we are slowly becoming more like Him as we walk with Him day by day, year by year.

The fact that we struggle with sin (and are enslaved by it apart from Christ) is the heart of the matter. It's why we need redemption. It's why we cling to Him: we are sinners to our very cores.

So to those who use the old hypocrite line to blow off Christianity, I want to say, "Yes, but we are being transformed, by the power of God, more and more into the image of Christ!" It's truly a glorious thing.

We made it through our move, and I was overcome with gratefulness to the Lord for a bunch of imperfect Christians who came to our rescue. We had close to twenty-five people blessing us with help.

Meals made.

Childcare given.

Boxes packed.

House cleaned.

Furniture disassembled and reassembled.

Piano and freezer.

Three sets of bunk beds put together.

Whew!

I love the church, and not just because they moved us so cheerfully and lovingly. We are the body of Christ: a flesh-and-blood brotherhood with an unbreakable bond in Christ.

Are you a committed member of a local church body? Oh, friends; we need each other.

Thank you, Shawnee RP, for showering us with love and help. We are truly blessed.

We also had help from other friends--Thanks, Shawn and Jereme! :)

Moving Tips

Isn't this picture hilarious? That is not how I look right now, my friends.

I got the most helpful email from my friend Summer, and she said I could share her wonderful tips here.

I'm so excited about your move! It's fun to move to a new place and start all over. I pray that it will go smoothly for you in every way. Some little hints I would give would be to label your boxes for the rooms they're to go in at your new place--makes moving in simpler for your helpers. Also, use your towels and washcloths to wrap your dishes you use daily. It keeps them cleaner than newspaper so that you don't have to wash them before putting them in your cabinets, it packs your towels in a useful way rather than taking up more space in a bag all their own, and it protects better from breakage. Along the same idea, wrap your mirrors with sheets. Then, you can also put all your beddings inside each child's pillow case (or an extra case with blankets being part of it in the winter). It allows for easy making of the beds on that first night. Last, I would suggest keeping all the hooks, nails, brackets, etc... in a baggie as you pack so that it's all there for when you unpack instead of having to look for the "right nail" again. When you go to unpack, I had a little caddy that had a screwdriver, hammer, tacks, my baggie of nails, tape, measuring tape, paper and pen for jotting down ideas or needs as I found them, simple cleaning supplies, and an empty ziploc baggie or whatever to put loose items in that you'll find along the way that need to be put somewhere else, fixed, etc... Doing this helped save me a lot of time in running back and forth to get stuff or put something away. So, those would be my ideas that might be of help to you.

I have already implemented several of her suggestions. Thanks again, Summer! Still packing, running moving errands, climbing over vast mountains of stuff. We're gonna get there, I know. :)

Another Sunday at Home

This is the third Sunday recently that I've been home either sick myself or with sick children. I really really miss going to church as a family, but this is what God has planned for us right now, I suppose, and it's been a struggle to be content and patient as we deal with this nasty protracted time of illness. Today 12-year-old Keely is in bed with the beginnings of the flu (?), but I'm glad that she's slept the whole morning. I hope that strengthens her body to fight off the virus. I once heard someone say that suffering makes us more compassionate, and I think that's definitely true; having a sick household has also really impressed on me that the Lord holds us all in His hands. We can't 'will' ourselves to be healthy or well. We are truly dependent on Him for our health--for our very next breath! So, for that reminder, I am thankful.

I watched a helpful DVD this morning called God's Technology: Training Our Children to Use Technology for God's Glory. It was full of good stuff, much of which I'd heard before. However, I am a dunce who needs constant reminders to stay focused and do what's right. :) I especially appreciated the comparison between technology and poppies. Neither is inherently evil, but both have been perverted by sinful man. I only took issue with one assumption in the video: That everyone is on Facebook and it's unrealistic to think we can avoid it. Um, we aren't on FB for several reasons, and we're doin' just fine, thank you! :) We are so blessed to have a real, functioning church library that is constantly acquiring new materials, but if you aren't so blessed in that way, this one would be a good one to buy and share with others.

This week will be a week of 'lasts' here! The kids keep saying, "This will be the last Saturday night we spend in this house," or, "this will be the last time we leave for church from here!" I am hoping that I will be able to accomplish all the packing and planning I need to this week. Pacing myself has been a bit of a mystery: should I pack this yet or will we need it? So, I think I have erred on the side of not packing enough. Ah well, we're taking the week off of school, so I'm intent on focusing on it Tuesday through Friday. My plan of attack is to take one room at a time. Suggestions?



Currently the house is in the state of disarray that you can't avoid when you're preparing for a move. It's starting to bug me; I can't wait to be moved and have things in their place again! I admit, I'm a bit OCD about my house, or at least about clutter...hopefully it will motivate me to get things in order quickly at the new place.

Have you heard about Lady Gaga's new song 'Born This Way'? I don't keep up with pop singers at all and couldn't tell you what else she sings, but I think that we Christians need to realize the slick lies of Satan that are pervading our culture. After reading the lyrics here, I kept thinking of Ephesians 6:16 (that we just memorized to the tune of 'Do Lord'): [16] In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (Ephesians 6:16 ESV)

The lie that we each can do what is right in our own eyes is most definitely a 'flaming dart of the evil one.' I plan on studying this passage (Ephesians 6) more carefully with the kids soon and applying it's truth to the lies that are coming our way.

Better go get lunch ready for my crew, who will be getting home any minute now. I put this together yesterday and it was so nice to just pop it in the oven!

Another Reason I Love Ten-Year-Old Boys

Going to Kohl's = torture for Noah. Thankfully, he found a way to make it bearable.

Packing Tape

I've been having something akin to blogger's writer's block. I just don't feel like I have much interesting to say lately. Maybe it's because all I can focus on is packing boxes, carrying on with school here and there, medicating sick littles, the next meal, the next laundry load...do you ever feel like that? Minus the packing boxes part, I mean. :)

Our house is getting bare-er and bare-er (not a word?) and our move is seeming more real. I have been decluttering so much and letting go of things I don't really really love as well as lightening my load by breaking things here and there! Accidentally breaking, of course. I broke one of my favorite candle holders today, and my first thought was "one less thing to move." Seems the older I get, the less attached to 'stuff' I am. Or, maybe I'm just attached to different stuff (don't mess with my Kitchen Aid mixer or my phone!) I don't know. I think I'm just really tired at this point.

I was sick earlier in the week and what a reminder it was to thank God for my (normal) health! I found myself so discouraged to be struggling with weakness and aches for three days in a row. What an eye-opener about (a) how much I normally take my health for granted, and (b) what is really in my heart! The Lord has much work to do on me yet.

If you have any questions for me or thoughts to share, I'd love to hear them! I need some ideas for blogging as well as some good stimulating blog conversation!

Hope you all have a precious Lord's Day resting, being with God's people, and worshiping our Gracious Heavenly Father! Blessings to you.