I'm Invisible - thank you for seeing me, God

The Correct Christmas Question

My Life as a Tea Infuser

In studying John 15:9 this morning, I began to think about the word

abide. Abide means to dwell, remain, continue, adhere to, maintain, to continue permanently on in the same state. As I was enjoying a cup of tea as well, I thought how much our lives as Christians are like tea infusers. Every day I am filled fresh and new with the most fragrant, sweet tasting Word of God and placed into the cup of my daily life waiting for the hot water of life to flood over me, the daily tasks of my life - pouring through me and engulfing me with its demands for attention. Did I fill myself with God's leaves today or am I empty? Do I allow the water to mix with the tea, releasing the sweetness of God's word, the kindness of Jesus bringing warmth and gooness into those who are in my cup for the day? Is there anything to give besides hot water? Is the tea sweet, is it hot enough, does it bring health and growth to those who drink it? Am I infusing today's leaves with patience and love or am I just a cold, bitter cup of water others are forced to deal with? At the end of the day, when my cup is empty - I go to the Lord and ask Him to wash out the leaves, the staleness, the sin; clean my cup and allow me to rest before being filled again tomorrow with His leaves and waiting for His infusion of love to give me wisdom and strength to serve my cup of tea.

The Hope Chest

On July 10th we were blessed to present Rebekah with her hope chest. This evening was so very special to us. Rebekah chose to invite very close friends and ladies who mean a great deal in her life to this event. Each person wrote and read aloud to her beautiful letters and poems, encouraging, challenging, and reaffirming her as a young lady. We had a great time of fellowship. Rebekah was truly blessed by the gifts that are now nicely packed away in her hope chest waiting to be used in her own home. This evening was one of great joy, encouragement and friendship. It was truly a blessing to me.

My Job - My Offering

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him…. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” Elizabeth Elliot

In this privilege of life I so often forget that the little things I say and do count. My attitude or tone of voice, my offering - is it of myself or for myself. I pray that I my job is done for Him and will not be offered in vain.

The Four Ceremonies

I have completed writing up the ceremonies that we are currently using for our children as they pass from childhood to young adult and then into adulthood. Each ceremony is written with the idea that it designates a specific growth period and sets parameters for both you and your children.

The first ceremony is called The Challenge of Purity and was written for our daughters. We performed this with our oldest at the age of thirteen and will do this at thirteen with our youngest. This ceremony asks the young lady to recognize that God calls them to remain physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually pure for their future husband. This is also a recognition that their lives are to be pure for the purposes Christ has for them, now and in the future. A ring is given to them to serve as a reminder of their promise and the knowledge that Christ has a purpose for them.

The second ceremony is called The Pledge of a Squire and was written for our sons. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this ceremony is to be performed with our sons at age fourteen. This was the original age when a young man would pledge himself into service of a specific knight for his education and preparation for life. This ceremony acknowledges that the young man should now look to God, their father and other godly men as agents of instruction in preparation for their future lives. A ring is given to the young men as a representation of "a lady's favor" to remind them of their pledge to honor, serve and protect the ladies of the household. The ring we chose for this ceremony is black with silver edging to remind our son of the constant battle with sin and evil and the fact that God on one side and their father and other godly men encircle him and provide protection and help for him.

The third ceremony is The Hope Chest Ceremony and is written for our daughters, or course. We don't have a specific age for this ceremony, but hope to give our oldest daughter her chest this year - she will be seventeen. This ceremony involves godly women and friends writing and presenting a letter of commendation and challenge for our daughter and adding something to her chest for her future home. Everyone should also give her a favorite recipe. The current plan is for her dad to write her a letter as well and present it to her over a lunch or dinner date and for her brothers to give her a letter and perhaps her own "Joshua Stones" for her chest.

The fourth ceremony is the final ceremony for the boys. When they leave our household, we will perform this last ceremony called Honoring a True Knight. This ceremony is designed to transfer authority of our sons from God and ourselves to God alone as they establish their own household. They will be given a sword to remind them of their responsibilities as "true knights" to provide for and protect their household and family. They will be knighted and challenged with specific scriptural mandates given to them in order for them to lead and direct their family. We do not have a specific age for this ceremony and it should be left to the discretion of prayer and family preference.

These ceremonies are truly very special times that we have and will cherish with our children and we wanted to make them available for others if they are interested in them as well. If this is an area of interest for you and your family, please contact me for a price list.