Seems winter has hit hard for most the country. Here, it's running typical rainfall...lots of rainfall.
The news this morning was practically screaming about the inhumanity of this years' winter season hitting as it has been.
Am I the only one who realizes what 'winter' really is for most folks in the US? Granted, it's rough in most of the Northern states right now, and they haven't had anything of a serious winter in many years, but this is winter...it's what winter means. Some years you have great amounts of snow, and some years you have that and deep frigid cold temps. This is the year for both it seems. Old timers down here are saying the same thing...ice storm in 1987 did some serious damage to the lifestyle around here. Same thing again, 14 days without power and phones for those who had them here on the mountain, in 1994. It's simply due to strike hard again soon.
I'm just goofy I suppose. I miss that. I miss the waist-deep snow drifts having to be shoveled just to get to the barn to do morning chores. I miss the cold temps, the bone-numbing temps even, where I felt that much more blessed to be heading back from the barn and into the warmth of the house, all cozy with the woodburner going, a kettle steaming all day for cups of tea and hot cocoa.
Winter is winter. It's not out of the ordinary, harsh or otherwise. The weather of the past handful of years is what's out of the ordinary. Lack of snowfall amounts, a distinct lack of typical cold temps. I am sad at the numbers of people caught unprepared for this year's winter hit, but it's even more sad that the cities themselves didn't prepare for what they have always dealt with. I don't understand not being prepared, I guess. It's something that just makes sense to me to do, on at least some basic level. Not even so much for the potential variance in weather anymore, but for the events of the past year with the financial world. Unless you live under a rock, this has all been coming on for some time, and the signs were there to prepare to some degree. Individuals I can see not thinking ahead as much, they usually don't, but the city government I would have thought would have had some better plans in place for at least a winter that is normal and typical for their regions.
Dewey doesn't miss any of it at all. He spent most of his life working outside in that bone-numbing weather, plowing parking lots and such, getting power back up and running for folks, etc. He doesn't miss one single flake of it. I'd trade the breath-taking heat of the southern summer in a heartbeat :o)
Our wood cookstove is ready to go. I'm still no carpenter, so it sits waiting on Dewey to get home next week for a visit. If he feels up to it. He's been battling illness there same as we have here. Finally talked him into getting to a doctor. Good thing -- he has bronchial pneumonia. Not into his lungs or bloodstream, thankfully, but still bad enough. And his blood pressure is outrageously high. Could be in part due to the illness, but still...not a good range on that at all. So, maybe we won't deal with the wood cookstove at all next week and it will wait again. Maybe I will hone those carpentry skills :o)
Question: With a cookstove...it has a couple of dampers already on the stove, do I still need one for the stovepipe itself? I haven't gotten one yet...I have everything else we need, but the cement board and will get it this week in town. It's been such a mess here with the rain lately.
Time to rework the schooling routine again. My sewing machine is set up full time in the living room/dining room to allow easier access to teaching and such, but also to allow me the ability to get some very much needed sewing done. Still, we are lagging in schooling and it needs to be looked at differently. No one is completing tasks without my holding their hand and that's getting rather old. I could understand it with the youngers, but my olders have no need for a babysitter with schooling. They are more than capable -- it's not a matter or can't, but a matter of won't with them lately.
Worst part is, we deal with this periodically. It's hardly a first-time thing with us. So, back to rigid and strict routine again I guess. I've allowed too much freedom and play with the schedule and routine lately and as usual, its come back to bite me. Ugh, why do I do this? I know what will be sown when I reap, and still I reap away thinking maybe, just maybe, this time it will be different. Never is. And I write the same set of words in my blog. Might as well just cut and paste this paragraph or two here...I'll be needing it again later on down the road.
Goodness...to live and learn without repeating history so much!
Here is some reading I've been doing. I need reminders like this every so often. I truly believe that teaching The Law is strongly needed in far more churches these days. Too many "Christians" are being spoon-fed a religion that doesn't include anything remotely close to the Truths of The Law. They are just receiving the soft 'Grace' teachings, and even those are watered down to the point of a slew of disoriented and distorted Christians walking through life believing they are on the right track 'just because'...just because they go to church; just because they have labeled themselves Baptist, or Methodist, or what-have-you; just because they have picked up a Bible a time or two. People don't spend any time in studying for themselves anymore. They take the word of a preacher as gospel and the Bible hits the shelf until next church day.
I certainly don't have all the answers. I know enough to know I won't ever have them. I just know what I know and believe what I believe based on what I've studied ad what I've been led to through Preachers, The Bible itself and prayer. I'm not trying to be your Bible -- and I don't expect you to be mine. I just like to study things out for myself and not put my trust in men who are made the same as I am...flesh and full of mistakes.
Was Martin Luther, the great faith reformer, against the Law? Not at all, in fact he said, "The first duty of the Gospel preacher is to declare God's Law and show the nature of sin, because it will act as a schoolmaster and bring him to everlasting life which is in Jesus Christ." John Wesley said, "Before I preach love, mercy and grace, I must preach sin, Law and judgment." Wesley later advised a friend, "Preach 90 percent Law and 10 percent grace." Charles Spurgeon, who is known as the "Prince of Preachers," said, "They will never accept grace until they tremble before a just and holy Law." Charles Finney who is labeled as having a 80 percent success rate in his ministry said, "Evermore the Law must prepare the way for the Gospel; to overlook this in instructing souls is almost certain to result in false hope, the introduction of a false standard of Christian experience, and to fill the church with false converts." John Wycliffe, the "Morning Star of the Reformation" said , "The highest service to which a man may attain on earth is to preach the Law of God." D.L. Moody, who is credited with having over one million disciples for the Lord, put it in perspective when he said, "God being a perfect God, had to give a perfect Law, and the Law was given not to save men, but to measure them."
If we were to ask the Apostle Paul why the Law was given and if it had any effect on the world today, the Scriptural Text gives us his answers. We would expect to receive the same answer he gave to the Romans "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God" [Romans 3:19]. The most significant tribute to God's Law comes from the Saviour when He said, whosoever does and teaches the Law will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven [Matthew 5:19]. The sad truth is that since the turn of the century, various new ideas have been substituted for the teaching of God's Law and standard in Christendom to the extent that Mr. Finney's above three areas of warning concerning the Law have been self-fulfilling.
The Nine-fold Purpose of the Law
Even in the New Testament and apart from being the guideline of God's covenant people Israel, the Law has at least a nine-fold purpose to all people. This is not to say that all the Law applies to all people, for much of it was a direct covenant to Israel alone. Note the detail of some of the universal aspects of God's Law:
First - To teach the believer how to serve, worship and please God [Psalm 19:7-9; Acts 18:13,14].
Second - To instruct the believer how to treat his fellow man and have healthy relationships with him [Leviticus 19:18; Galatians 5:14; Galatians 6:2].
Third - To teach believers how to be happy and prosper here on earth by manifesting the power and authority of God's reign in their lives [Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Luke 12:32].
Fourth - The Law was given, not to save, but too measure man's deeds both toward God and his fellow man, straightening out all matters contrary to sound doctrine [I Timothy 1:8-10; II Timothy 2:5; 1 Corinthians 6:1-12; I Corinthians 3:13; Romans 2:12; Revelation 20:12, 13].
Fifth - The Law is a schoolmaster showing that we are guilty and then leading us to Christ our Messianic justification [Galatians 3:21-24; Romans 3:19].
Sixth - The Law gives us both the knowledge and depth of our sin [Romans 3:20; Romans 4:15; Romans 7:7, 8; Luke 20:47 - greater ****ation].
Seventh -The Law reveals the good, holy, just, and Perfect nature of God and serves as the visible standard for God's will [Romans 2:17, and please God [Psalm 19:7-9; Acts 18:13, 18; Romans 7:12; II Peter 1:4].
Eighth - The Law is to be established or accomplished by our faith, therefore, it is called the Law of faith [Romans 3:27; Romans 3:31].
Ninth - The same Law today is written on our hearts, and through God's Spirit we can delight and serve the Law of God [Romans 7:6-25].
No indulgences of self will can be trivial, no denial unprofitable; Heaven or Hell depends on this alone. A parent who studies to subdue it in his child works together with God in the renewing and saving of their soul. The parent who indulges it does the devil's work, makes religion impractical, salvation unattainable, and does all that in him lies to damn his child, soul and body, forever.
Susanna Wesley
At The School Desks
We are a Christian family desiring to raise our children with the primary focus of Training their Hearts!
I have no greater joy, than to hear my children walk in truth... III John 1:4
Train up the child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it... Proverbs 22:6
Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!... Deuteronomy 5:29
Our mission in life is not to go to some far-off foreign land, but to work at home and in our churches and home communities. Our goal should not be to leave behind riches and possessions, farms and homes for our children, but a priceless heritage they will cherish enough to work fervently to pass along to their children. It has been done for generations and with God's help it can still be done. In teaching our children, we are striving toward a deep understanding of who they are In Christ. I am . . . a child of God, a gift to my parents and my country. I'm a person of great value because God made me. I can . . . do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God has made me able to do everything required of me. I ought . . . to do my duty to obey God, to submit to my parents and everyone in authority over me, to be of service to others, and to keep myself healthy with proper food and rest so my body is ready to serve. I will . . . resolve to keep a watch over my thoughts and choose what's right even if it's not what I want.
