5.15.2013

Our Precious Babes and Sin

Between our small group, accountability groups, my local church, being a mom and crocheting like a mad-woman I have abandoned this old thing. But I found an amazing quote by J.C. Ryle while I was studying God's word on sin and the confession of it. In his book "Holiness" the first chapter is entirely dedicated to sin. As he discusses our "sin nature" he says this:

"The fairest babe who has entered life this year, and become the sunbeam of a family, is not, as it's mother perhaps fondly calls it, a little "angel," or a little "innocent," but a little "sinner." Alas! as it lies smiling and crowing in its cradle, that little creature carries in its heart the seeds of every kind of wickedness! Only watch it carefully, as it grows in stature and its mind develops, and you will soon detect in it an incessant tendency to that which is bad, and a backwardness to that which is good. You will see in it the buds and germs of deceit, evil temper, selfishness, self-will, obstinacy, greediness, envy, jealousy, passion, which if indulged and let alone, will shoot up with painful rapidity. Who taught the child these things? Where did he learn them? The Bible alone can answer these questions! Of all the foolish things that parents say about their children there is none worse than the common saying, "My son has a good heart at the bottom. He is not what he ought to be; but he has fallen into bad hands. Public schools are bad places. The tutors neglect the boys. Yet he has a good heart at the bottom." The truth, unhappily, is diametrically the other way. The first cause of all sin lies in the natural corruption of the boys own heart, and not in the school."

The truth is nobody has a good heart. No not one. All have gone astray. All do evil. As a lion craves meat, we crave sin. We naturally do not choose good.  Human nature is to be inclined towards sin, it is the same with our  children, even our babies. Intense, right? Consider these verses:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Jerimiah 17:9 (kinda throws that "Go with your guts!" "Just trust your heart" saying out the window, right?)

...among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were BY NATURE children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." Ephesians 2:3

"For FROM WITHIN, out of the HEART of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, covetint, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride foolishness. All these thing come from WITHIN and they defile a person." Mark 7: 21-23
(No one is to be blamed for our sin. It comes from within our hearts.)


7.19.2012

Sin lives in a costume...

"Sin lives in a costume; that's why it's so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party. Impatient yelling wears the costume of zeal for truth. Lust can masquerade as love for beauty. Gossip does it's evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer. Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership. Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart. The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom. Evil simply doesn't present itself as evil, which is part of it's draw."

 - Paul Tripp, Whiter Than Snow Meditations on Sin and Mercy (Loc 296, Kindle Edition)

6.13.2012

Funny Preschoolers & Fathers Day

This year we made a Cook Book for all the dad's in the class. We asked the kids "What does your Dad cook & how does he cook it?" We typed up their answers, made a booklet and gave it to each of the families. Here were some of my favorites:

"My Pa does whatever my grandma tells him. He cooks everything that's good. He uses toms. Then it cooks and he puts on salt."


"He wears a chef hat and a chef outfit. He uses the thing that are like scissors but you use them for salads. And he puts it on the BBQ. And then we eat it."


"He barbecue's steak. I think he burns it a little bit and that is all. He buys it at Vons. He puts on salt. I think he uses a big air pump thing to cook it. He makes it good. He fires it and a tiny bit burns."
Haha, don't the gas tanks have a close resemblance to helium tanks?


They are out for the summer now and most of them will be in Kindergarten next year. I will miss their funniness but look forward to the next group of kids.


5.24.2012

What preschoolers call the egg yolk...

Since Easter I started noticing some of the preschoolers referring to the egg yolk (that they of course don't like) to a few different things. Here are some of their responses to "What do you call this part of the boiled egg?" The first response is my favorite:



"The animal"
"The seed"
"The apricot"
"The baby"
"The chicken"
"The ball"
"The hatch"

5.18.2012

All things family: Mothers

Various projects have taken my blogging time recently...but I'm still here. This would have been a great post for last week. But here ya go anyways. Stop by soon for some fun conversations I had with my preschoolers.

*= Favorite posts- Both happen to be by Rachel Jankovic

*Motherhood as a Mission Field "Look at your children in faith, and see how many people will be ministered to by your ministering to them. How many people will your children know in their lives? How many grandchildren are represented in the faces around your table now?"

*Motherhood is Victory "These mouths we are feeding — these are the mouths that God has ordained to use to silence the enemy....The victory is ours, because the Savior is ours."

Mothers for whom Jesus Died- I never thought about Mothers that are not physically mothers due to past abortions...but John Piper reminds us of not only their motherhood but that Jesus came to die for "abortion-committing-mothers." So good.

5.17.2012

Helpful posts on Hot Topic: Homosexuality

Some Seminars on Homosexuality, Change & The Gospel:  You can watch the videos by Matt Chandler or download them and listen while you cook/clean/whatever it is you do. I listened to the first one last year and his explanations were super helpful.

What is Better? Jared Wilson asks & answers the question "Is it orientation? Or is it choice?"

Mohler & Dever on Gay Marriage and The Church- Albert Mohler is one of my favorite to read and listen to. You will find him helpful.

The Case of the Lesbian Den Mother: Moral Reasoning Exposed- Albert Mohler uses the current story to discuss moral reasoning.

And then amidst all the discussion it's good to remember that The State Does Not Have the Authority or Power to Cure All Ills.

4.27.2012

All things family...

Here is the round up of All things family....
* = My favorite

*Prayer Journaling for your Husband and Children*- This was my favorite this week. Grab a pen, journal & bible. Leave a legacy of prayers and prayers fulfilled that your family can eventually look through and praise God! Love this!

Desperate, Breathless, Dependent Parenting- "Some people tell me it is brave to raise my kids in Africa. They could get malaria or be bitten by a poisonous snake. They don’t have a Sunday School class. They can’t eat gluten-free foods. Their friends are Muslims. They live far away from cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents….My initial reaction is to be tempted to say, 'Well, I think it is brave to raise kids in America.' "

The Everyday Questions of Motherhood- "The constant battle of motherhood is more subtle, more everyday, more hideable. At the center is one question: Will I sacrifice?"

Forgiveness for Moms who Fail- Distorted guilt of moms, what true guilt is and Christ as the answer for guilt mom's feel

Lecrae's 'Man Up' Mission to Address Father Absence- What 116 is up to and the trailer for their short film on Manhood.

10 Ways For Moms To Respect Their Daughters -"She deeply desires to be loved and the deep admiration of respect is most profoundly felt for her in words and acts of love. She is comforted and secured by the knowledge that God and her parents love her."

4.24.2012

Etiquette for Ladies

I've been reading like crazy lately (trying to keep my mind off the 3rd book of The Hunger Games). I've started reading classics that I've always wanted to read but not enough to actually pay for. So it's been great b/c the kindle store offers many classics for free. Jane Eyre by Charlotte by Bronte is so good and and I'm reading A Hand-book of Etiquette for Ladies which is fun to read. So if you notice my vocabulary improving, that's why :) Here are some tips for you ladies to keep in mind:

Always bow when meeting acquaintances in the street. To curtsy is not gracefully consistent with locomotion (Loc 84, Kindle Edition)

Ladies of good taste seldom wear jewelry in the morning, and when they do, confine themselves to trinkets of gold, or those in which opaque stones only are introduced. Ornaments with brilliant stones are unsuited for a morning costume. (Loc 108-110, Kindle Edition)

Cautiously avoid relating in one house any follies or faults you may hear or see in another (Loc 131, Kindle Edition)

It is not contrary to good-breeding to laugh in company, and even to laugh heartily when there is anything amusing going on; this is nothing more than being sociable. To remain prim and precise on such occasions, is sheer affectation. Avoid, however, what is called the "horse-laugh." (Loc 162, Kindle Edition)

So watch your morning jewelry, the horse laugh, and remember to bow in the street-not curtsy :)

4.20.2012

All things family...

Here's my round up of posts that are All things family hope you find one or two interesting/helpful. Happy Friday!

Five Problems I have with Slutwalk Marches "Over the past year, more than 50 SlutWalks have taken place in the US, Canada, and around the world, including Australia and Britain. The events are similar to “Take Back the Night” rallies. But they differ, because addressing sexual violence is only one of their aims. SlutWalk also wants to aggressively redefine notions about woman’s sexuality."

The Littleness of Motherhood "Even the temptations to sin are little. Getting huffy about water on the bathroom floor. Falling into full fledged worry over a diaper rash, a cold sore virus, or a teething baby. Stumbling into pride over potty training, homemade bread, or well dressed children. Getting selfish over a moment with your coffee. Feeling that somehow the smallness of it all justifies the sinfulness in your attitude."

Ten Ways for Moms to Respect their Sons- Some practical help for moms with sons.

5 Things You Should Know About Child Sex Offenders- Super helpful-especially if you have any part in children's ministry. For more on Protecting Your Church from Predators go here-with Deepak Reju.

Women aren't fish and men aren't bicycles-“Even in Christian circles, we cultivate an attitude of independence in our girls. The underlying message is that women need to be independent because men are untrustworthy, and will almost certainly let them down….But can a woman truly "win" in a world without men? Is she better off without ties to a godly father, uncle, cousin, husband, or brother?”

How eternity shapes our mundane- On "Parental Amnesia"