Easter Sunday : He Is Risen Indeed

I hope you are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus today with your family and friends.  He is risen indeed!

We are headed to our older son's church this morning, then back to his house to cook out and spend the afternoon together.

If you can't make it to church, here is a wonderful sermon by John Piper, both text and audio.

Scripture:  1 Peter 1: 3-9



The Power of Hope

...That's how a 2,000-year-old resurrection reaches my heart and begets hope: it certifies to me that because Jesus bore my sins on the cross, God is for me and not against me; and it declares that this Jesus who loved me and gave himself for me is alive and present and caring at every moment of my life. Thank you, Jesus!...

Music:  The Power of the Cross

Have a blessed Easter Day with your loved ones and family.
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I'm a huge fan of Elisabeth Elliot and I had never read this poem by her:

Easter by Elizabeth Elliot

When the chief priests, temple officers, and elders came

to the Garden of Gethsemane

to arrest

Jesus,

they succeeded

only because a

sovereign God

permitted them to succeed.

Jesus pointed out that He was teaching daily in the Temple, yet

they never laid a finger on Him then.

Now they were after Him with swords and staves.

"But this is your hour, and the power of darkness is yours" (Lk 22:53 JBP).

Who gave them that hour?

Who allowed them the power to capture Him?

It was God,

without whose leave not even a

sparrow can fall to the ground.

God is omnipotent,

never slumbering,

just,

righteous, and

forever in control.

He was not taken by

surprise.

All was working then, as it is always working, into a pattern for good.

Our own difficulties often appear to be

random.

Our tragedies look wildly

uncontrolled.

They are not.

They are subject.

Limits are set.

God is quietly at work,

standing in the shadows,

ceaselessly watching over

His children.

"The light shines on in the dark, and the darkness has never mastered it" (Jn l:5 NEB).

Elisabeth Elliot, 1926 –

revised

Titus 2 Moms / Older Women Younger Women Older Women? / Elisabeth Elliot

I attended our Titus 2 Moms group last night and looking around the room I realized (not for the first time) that there were only 2 women over 60, 3 in their 50s and about 15 aged 30 or younger.  I love being one of the "older moms" these days but sometimes we older ones need women even older than we are to talk to and learn from.  One of my favorites is Elisabeth Elliot to whom I was introduced (literally) when I was in my 20s.  A dear friend invited me to  a relatively small luncheon of about 100 women to hear her speak on her latest book at the time, Discipline: The Glad Surrender.  At that time I did not even know who Elisabeth Elliot  was or anything about her famous husband Jim.  Here is a LINK Elisabeth's  background if you are unfamiliar with her story.

I think I have read almost all of her books. Here is a LINK to Amazon.com where here books are listed.   I would recommend any of them to you.  In previous blog posts I did a book study on her classic Let Me Be A Woman.

I was so excited to discover a terrific website that has quite a few of her talks and downloaded them to my iPod Touch.   Sadly, Elisabeth no longer travels or speaks at conferences, but her legacy lives on in her books and audio messages (as well as my memory).   I plan on spending a little time with Elisabeth, now 84, while walking in the mornings or when I'd just like to hear the wisdom of an older godly woman.   :)  If you would like to listen to Elisabeth Elliot yourself,  go to THIS LINK to download or play one or more of her messages.   Her teaching is like fresh water to the soul.

NOTE:  These are not podcasts so if you click the DOWNLOAD icon they will just begin to play. I downloaded them all to iTunes, then created a Playlist titled Elisabeth Elliot, and check-marked  it so that my iPod Touch would recognize the list.  I  then synched my iPod.  

Let Me Be A Woman YOU MARRY A MAN / Elisabeth Elliot / Mothers Day Series / WHAT'S NEXT?

Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliot

Chapter 24:  You Marry a Man

In our country today and around the world, there are those who choose to deny what God has taught and men marry men, women marry women.  It is a sad state of affairs that even our government is trying to change the legal definition of marriage to be this way.  I know and have known men and women who think and believe this way, some of whom have repented and become believers and are happily married to the opposite sex.  My heart breaks  for those  people I know who remain convinced that their sin is "right" and "that God made them that way" and I often pray for them.    

This chapter begins with the sentence to Elisabeth's daughter Valerie,  you marry a man, not a woman, so this discussion will be about that.  It is easy for women to  expect their husbands to  be women, to behave like us, to do what we expect (what we know other women would do).   Men are just being themselves and generally, behave as men, although some admittedly, behave as boys.    You really have to read this chapter as she describes the differences between men and women in their mannerisms and behavior.  :)

We women sometimes get exasperated with them, whether we are married to them or not.  But thankfully, God made us different.  If he's acting just like a man, be thankful, rather than condemning of him or ungrateful to God.   Men will never totally understand women and vice versa because they are not of us and we are not of them.   After 23 years of marriage I am still surprised every now and then by my husband and I'm sure that he is surprised by me as well.   Hopefully, more in a good way than bad.  

Elisabeth refers to King Solomon's visit from the Queen of Sheba. The Bible says that the queen told him all that was on her mind AND he answered all of her questions.  Not many men could sit patiently and listen for hours, answering all the questions a woman might have.  Most would not even try.  Men were  not made to hear all our thoughts and all our worries and all our details. God is here for us to talk to as much as we need to and most likely, He has provided multiple women friends to whom we can go to chat.   

Bottom line...Know your man. Know that there are things that make him different from you.  His masculinity will help to explain some of them.

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In anticipation of my next book to read with you, this series fittingly ends today with this chapter.  I know we're only halfway through the book.  There are forty-nine 2-3 page chapters in this book.   I hope this discussion has prompted you to read the whole thing.  The entire book can be read in an afternoon or a day at the beach or you could continue on reading one chapter a day for another month.  

During June, since Father's Day is coming up, I will be reading Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul by John Eldredge.  Actually I prefer its sequel The Way of the Wild Heart, also by the same author, but I don't own that copy.   I may or may not finish the book during the month, but again, keep reading and learning.  It is a book that I wish I had read when my sons were young; or even when I was a single woman.  Once I read it, my thoughts on men changed dramatically and I actually felt like I understood them more!  I encourage every woman to read it whether married, single, young, old, with or without sons, to read it.  Hope to see  and hear from you in June.

 

Let Me Be A Woman YOU MARRY A SINNER / Elisabeth Elliot / Mothers Day Series

Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliot

Chapter 23:  You Marry a Sinner

I love Elisabeth's reference to her friend Dorothy who said:  Well, dear, we're none of us prize packages.  Just look for the essentials and skip the rest!  The prize package most likely will contain some surprises, some pleasant, some not.   How much more we could relax  and enjoy all there is to enjoy if we took Dorothy's advice.  Truly, all we, like sheep, have gone astray, including me (and you).  We are all alike in our need of redemption, which is a freeing thought in relationships, to not expect perfection from one another.  

I had to laugh when Elisabeth referred to the movie from the 1970s Love Story and the famous quote: Love means never having to say you're sorry.   I agree that it is one of the most ridiculous lines written and to be quoted, to me, shows a person's foolishness.  You  DO need to say it and probably, OFTEN. To each other.  And, receive forgiveness in return which we all need.     Living with someone, sometimes you see the trouble spots TOO clearly and need to take off our magnifying glasses and put the rose-colored ones back on -- give a little grace.  Walk beside your spouse as heirs together of the grace of life.

let Me Be A Woman / Elisabeth Elliot / Children / Mothers Day Series

Prayer #18 for Your Children:   Perseverance

Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.  (Hebrews 12:1)

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Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliot

Chapter 18:  The Soul is Feminine

Elisabeth begins this chapter with a quote from Psalm 144:12:  May our daughters be like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace.  Pillars uphold and support...Meekness is the adjective she uses to describe a woman's place.   The world views meekness as timid, self-abnegating, colorless.  To be meek is to have a sane and proper estimate of one's place in the scheme of things.  The fact that we have a "place", shows that we are recognized by God which is a comforting thought. 

As with a pillar that is cut and shaped to fit into a particular place, so we are cut to a certain size and shape to fulfill a certain function.  It is a woman's offering, not a man's, that we have to give.  

She again uses Mary, the mother of Jesus, as an example of self-giving and submission.  How many of us respond to difficult circumstances or requirements by God with "Behold the handmaid of the Lord.  Be it unto me according to Thy Word" ?  Unfortunately, probably not most, myself included.    "Be it unto me" ought to be the response of every man or woman to that will (God's will), and it is in this sense that the soul and the Church have been seen throughout Christian history as female before God,  [NOT to be confused with various cults that believe that God IS female...] for it is the nature of the woman to submit. 

Let Me Be A Woman / Elisabeth Elliot / Children / Mothers Day Series

I got behind this weekend on the prayers for your children (although I'm sure you have prayed for them every day).

Prayers for your children:

#8:  Mercy
May my children always "be merciful as their Father in heaven is merciful."  (Luke 6:36)


#9:  Respect
Father, grant that my children may "show proper respect to everyone," as Your Word commands. (1 Peter 2:17)


#10:  Strong, Biblical Self-Esteem
Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus."  (Ephesians 2:10)


#11:  Faithfulness
"Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, "but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts. (Proverbs 3:3)
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Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot


Chapter 10:  One Day at a Time

Psalm 32:8

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 

...none of us knows the will of God for his entire life.  God gives us enough light for today, enough strength for one day at a time, enough manna... This is part of the meaning of God giving us our daily bread as we seek Him in His Word each day.  That's why life is a journey of faith from Point A to Point B to Point C.  If we already knew everything (although we think it would be better), it wouldn't be faith, would it?    In various stages of your life, as you look back, do you not see that overall the incidents of it fit together into a pattern for good?  

When my children were younger, we made timelines of history and in one lesson we made timelines of our lives.  Try this for yourself and actually write down the major incidents over a period of 2-5 years.  Begin with Day 1, your birth and fill in the information up to today.  It helps to remember and look back over what God has done to see how it all fits together.  Continue your personal timeline out to age 80 or 90 as many live that long today.  At almost 55, my life here is more than halfway finished but I am amazed to see the tapestry coming together as I look back and can see in hindsight what God saw in that "present".  Each day of our lives will eventually open up into a season, a year or a decade.  He really does have a plan for you personally.  Trust Him and look to Him for direction in whatever stage of life you are in.

I love this last line in the chapter:  The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it has to be lived--not always looked forward to as though the "real" living were around the next corner.  It is today for which we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow.  

Let Me Be A Woman / Elisabeth Elliot / Children

Let Me Be A Woman 
by Elisabeth Elliot

Chapter 4:  A Daughter, Not  a Son

This chapter is the story of Valerie's birth (Elisabeth and Jim Elliot's only child--Valerie Elliot Shepard).  Both Jim and Elisabeth had prayed for a son, as is usually the natural order of things--firstborn son, older brother, the heir... When Valerie was born, of course, they were both content to have a daughter.  The primary message from this section is:

If you believe God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things.  It is we, of course to whom things look "little" or "big".  Amy Carmichael wrote:

There is no great with Thee, there is no small, for Thou art all, and fillest all in all.

Chapter 5:  Creation--Woman for Man

In this section Elisabeth refers back to the book of Genesis where, after creating the world and everything in it,  God says, it is not good for man to be alone.  She discusses animals and the gulf that separates us from them.   A suitable helper for Man was not found among any of them.  God filled the gap by creating a woman from the man.  Note that He did not create another man or a new animal but a new being in God's image--a woman.  It is reassuring that God specifically created us women for a specific purpose--to be a  specific man's helper.  The word helper is similar to the word for the Holy Spirit who is our ultimate Helper.    

What about the women who do not marry? or who do not marry a believer who understands this concept?  Well, I have my own opinions but I'm sure Elisabeth will get to them later in this book.  Keep reading.  :)

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Prayer for Your Children:  Love
Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love through the Spirit who dwells in them.  (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22)

May is Mothers Month / Elisabeth Elliot / Prayers for Children

For the month of May I'll be blogging about motherhood and children primarily, as well as daily life in our family of four.  I'll also be discussing and pointing out highlights from one of Elisabeth Elliot's books Let Me Be A Woman, reading two chapters (about 4 pages) each day.  Also included each day will be a scripture prayer to pray for your children generally taken from another mom's Christian blog called  Inspired to Action.

Next Sunday, May 9, is Mothers Day.  Typically quite commercial, it nevertheless is a special day to show love and honor to women who have been blessed in their lifetime to have children--adopted or biological.  Some women have stood in the gap for children who have not had moms or had one that was an unfit mom.  Those women should be honored at some point as well.  We are the caregivers, the nurturers, the lovers, the counselors...so many different roles...in our families.  Once a woman has a child of her own, her life is never, ever the same.  I've been told it is a lifetime of happiness and joy but also of sorrow and grief as you sometimes have to watch your children make choices that you can see are not in their best interest but that they have not developed the wisdom quite yet to recognize.  

I have two sons, one in college who is almost 21 and the other is 15, going into 11th grade this fall.  I was never a motherly type and really did not enjoy or appreciate other people's children until I had one of my own.  Since I was adopted as an infant, there has never been anyone in my family who looked like me.  When our first son was born I was ecstatic that he looked just like me! And the same thing happened when our second son was born as well!  A double blessing for me.  :)   Of course, now as they have grown into  young men, you can tell that we are related (still an amazing thing for me) but not the extreme resemblance when they were babies.  Through all the stages of life--many I will cover in this series--I will be their mom and as the familiar children's  book says "I'll Love You Forever".  Today is a special day of joy for me since our older son informed us last night that he is moving back home for the summer and will start moving things in on Sunday afternoon.  One moment in time, one that is happily burned into my heart--those words, I'm coming home. Although I have generally adjusted to him not seeing him every single day,  I have missed him  but am so thankful he did not go to college in Ohio!  :)  His dad and brother will be glad he's home, too. :)

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LET ME BE A WOMAN

by Elisabeth Elliot (1976)

There are several more modern looking covers to this book. This looks like the copy that I have.   Elisabeth (I'll call her by her first name throughout this series) wrote this book during the year preceding her daughter's marriage. They would only be together a few weeks out of that year and as a gift to Valerie, she summed up her thoughts on being a woman through various stages of life and roles.   I first heard of Elisabeth Elliot in the early 80's. A friend took me to a luncheon of about 100 people where she was the guest speaker.  At the time I did not realize how fortunate I was to attend such a small group of women where we could actually TALK to her.   She is an amazing woman and one of my favorite Christian women authors.  I have two of her other books on my bookshelf:  Discipline The Glad Surrender, Passion and Purity.

Chapter 1:   The God Who Is In Charge

This is a short one-page  note about the sovereignty of God.  We are not for one moment of our lives at the mercy of chance.  Romans 8:28

Chapter 2:  Not Who Am I? but Whose Am I?

She asks the question:  Is being a woman fundamentally different from being a man?  There are countless books on this topic, some say yes, some say no.  Just a quick Google search turned up several books such as

Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps, The Book of Men and Women, Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus, Are Men Necessary?      I  haven't read any of these but just the titles show how much of our culture thinks.  My opinion:  We are absolutely different.  

I love Elisabeth's "bottom line" on this:  There is no doubt, a superficial sort of consolation and reassurance to be gained from sitting around telling how you feel about things...In order to learn what it means to be a woman we must start with the One Who made her.

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TODAY'S PRAYER FOR YOUR CHILDREN: Their Salvation

Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.  Isaiah 45:8, 2Timothy 2:1.