The Small Branch

I have been taught that we are to reflect Jesus in all we do, like a mirror.  But I am not sure that is the best picture.  We are told in 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  If the Spirit dwells in us, then we need to be a cleaner window, not a mirror.  "Me" dirties my window.  "Me" makes it hard to see through to the Spirit.  Genesis 1:27 says "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."  If we are created in the image of God, then He should shine through  us, not be reflected off of us.  Maybe being sanctified means that our dirty window gets cleaned to clear glass so that the image of God is what people see rather than the dirt of ourselves.

     Matthew 10:20 says "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."  Several times in the book of Acts, the disciples are questioned and tortured yet they stand boldly before their accusers and speak.  Why?  How?  We are told they are "filled with the Holy Spirit".  To be filled with Holy Spirit, we must first be empty of ourselves.  This is not a one time act of emptying, but a daily, even minute by minute, emptying of ourselves.  Think about a glass.  If you want to fill it with lemonade, first you have to get the milk out of it.  To mix the two would not be good, it would just give you sour milk.  You empty the milk and even wash the glass before you put the new drink into it.  But even if you want more lemonade the next day, you still wash the glass before you put it in.  Over and over, washing the glass so that it is clean and ready for what the Father puts in it.

Proverbs 16:9  "A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." I know I have said this before, but kids sure do teach you a lot about yourself and a lot about God.  This morning was a typical morning at our house.  Everyone running late and everyone yelling and screaming at each other that they were the cause.  It breaks my heart listening to the way my kids talk to each other sometimes.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes they are really great to each other.  But I also hear a lot of my own impatience and anger reflected in the things they say to each other.  I tell myself every day that I need to get up earlier so things don't go so wrong, but that isn't the real problem, is it?  The problem is that I don't handle people not doing things my way at my speed the right way.  The problem is that I like control.  And one thing kids teach you very quickly is that you are not in control.  No matter how together a mom seems, s...

Wow!  It has been a very long time since I have posted on this blog.  Does anyone even look at it anymore? Well, the last few years have been very crazy for us.  I have suffered from intense depression and just feel like I am walking out of it.  Over the last year, God has called us to some major changes in our lives.  In August of 2013, we relocated to Rapid City, SD.  We love it here, but it took some time to get used to.  In December of 2013, we realized that He wanted us to put our oldest child in school.  We found a great Christian school and he is doing great!  Then, in the spring of 2014, we realized He was calling an end to our homeschooling years.  We weren't really sure how we were going to do it, but we knew He wanted our kids in a great Christian school near us, so we signed them up.  By the middle of the summer, with a few bumps along the way, I had taken a part time teaching job at my oldest son's school teaching my ...

Last week, President Obama made a startling announcement.  He has formally announced that our country no longer believes in right and wrong, but only in social trends at the whim of the people.  The United States has been heading down this road for many years, but to hear it come directly from the President is most unsettling.  The issue here is not truly gay marriage, but truth.  There are two truths which we must uphold for this issue.  First, homosexuality is sin.  It is defined as such by God Almighty in the Bible.  Of course, like all sin, we are called to love others into repentance, not force with hate and oppression.  But sin is still sin.  Secondly, according to our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and numerous other sources, the United States of America was founded as a Christian nation.  While we do not persecute people of other faiths, we do hold fast to our Christian principles.  This should be evident in ou...

The second half of this year's CBS study we have been working through the book of Hebrews.  Wow!  It is amazing to me how much God uses His Word to talk to us where we are at the moment.  The last few weeks we have been looking at the eleventh chapter - the "Hall of Faith".  We have talked a lot about faith and perseverance.  This is something I need right now. We seem to be stuck in Limboland.  We thought we would have been moved long ago, certainly by now, but we haven't even put our house on the market!  In fact, we aren't even sure where we are going.  All this with no more job here (construction project, not actual paycheck).  One job near for a few more months, but what next?  We thought we were going on to another job, but that job keeps getting pushed back.  This is truly one of those moments when we must put our hands in His and let Him lead us through the dark. This, for two type A personalities who need a plan for eve...

Anyone who really knows me (the few there are), knows that I love children's literature. One thing I love about really good, usually older, children's books is the parallels that God reveals about Himself to me through these timeless treasures. The more I study God's Word and commmune with His heart, the more I see these. Here is my most recent discovery: The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams is a great example. Hebrews 5:8 says "Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered." As I pondered this truth, and the truth that our own suffering is for our good and His glory, I was a little confused. Why do we have to suffer and what does that really mean? Then I read this book, and the Spirit spoke clarification to my heart. In this book, a young boy receives a stuffed rabbit for Christmas. The rabbit is beautiful and nice, however, not played with at first. Then, as the boy loves the rabbit, it becomes shabby and suffers because of its missha...