Melissa at Breath of Life says, "Several blogs will be going silent for 3 days, in honor of the Chapman family and in memory of Maria Sue." Read her post here.
Please continue to pray for the Chapman family, that Gods grace and mercy surround them as they walk this path. And that the body of Christ will continue to lift them up in prayer.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:7
MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME
NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.
More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles. Read more here. Meet Maria here.
We know our God is sovereign in all things.Please pray for the family and especially for the son who was driving. I cannot imagine what he is going through right now.I pray that the body of Christ would hold them up to our heavenly Father as they grieve this loss.
The Excellent Wife Chapter 8: Home - The Wifes Domain
"The home is the wife's domain. What are you going to make of yours?""A godly wife is organized and works hard to operate her home with the least possible chaos. She also creates an optimistic, joyful atmosphere for her family. Gos has always intended the home to be the wifes domain. Page 71.
This chapter is probably one of my favorites so far, meaning, I am a firm believer in the wifes responsibility to take care of her home (1) in keeping it in order and (2) in making it a haven for her family. Yes, it's very hard, yes, it can be a thankless job and double yes, it does not end at 5pm or even 6pm. But , with all my heart I am grateful to God to be able to stay home with my 3 year old daughter and take care of my home. I am fee (because of my husband) to fulfill my role as keeper of our home and I am also training my daughter to be ready to do the same in her home someday.
I have been on both sides of this issue as a Christian woman and mother. I worked outside of the home as a single mother for 12 years before I met and married my husband. Now, as a married wife and mother, my husband has given me the ability to stay at home and I am blessed beyond measure.
That being said, lets start where Martha starts:
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:3-5
"So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already strayed after Satan. 1 Timothy 5:14-15
What is a worker at home... "it is some one who guards the dwelling or is the keeper of the household,...one has to be at home in order to keep your home." That statement brought both a smile an a familiar knot in my stomach when I read it. When my daughter was 2 years old I got involved in a local Moms Group where we lived. It was great, I got out of the house, talked with other adults and my daughter had children to play with. What more could I ask for. After a few months, I realized we were spending 4 out of 5 days outside of the house. Something didn't seem right about that, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. The moms were great, I enjoyed their company, may daughter had friends...but there was something else...Things at home were less the organized and I found myself spending more money each week then I usually did either on eating out or buying foods at the supermarket that could be prepared very quickly. I thought how I wished I could find some help to organize my home and my priorities better. I found a website called Biblical Womanhood, and it opened my eyes. Having my priorities in the wrong place made for a very chaotic home. My husband and my so never complained during that time, but when things began to change I saw them change as well. I'm not saying that things are in order all the time, because I fail quite often, but knowing my role in the family that God has given me helps me keep from going to far to the left or to the right.
I have a schedule set up for my days. It has changed a lot since my son is home from college for the summer, but the morning and afternoon routines are basically the same. For me a schedule helps keep me focused (and I need focus). It's not a hard and fast rule, it just lets me know how my day is flowing. And if things need to change, I change them with no problem.
Martha also talks about creating a godly atmosphere in your home. That is something that will not happen by itself. It's something that I have to purpose to do for my family as well as myself. I find that the best way to keep my mind and heart in the right place is to start my day with the word of God. Again, I am not perfect at it, but I try my best to get up early to read and pray before my family's day begins. And throughout the day my daughter and I sing what we call the Hymn of the Month... to keep our minds on the Lord as we do our daily jobs.
Theses were just a couple of things that came to mind as I read this chapter. Being a keeper of my home is an important responsibility to me, and I don't want to treat it lightly. My husband provides for his family by going out of the home to work, I too can provide things for my family by making sure that their home is a safe, nurturing, and God glorifying place to be.
Please join us in this book study with Leslie at Light Came. She also has links to other women who have shared on this chapter. You can see it here.
Sorry for the delay in Scripture Memory Monday (on Tuesday), my schedule is a bit different now that my son is home for the summer and by the time everyone went to bed I was too pooped to type.
Anyway, this week I am considering verse *7 and *8, as I am not yet convinced that I know verse 7 well enough. Just reading those two verses is so powerful.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us or adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
*7 In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according, to the riches of his grace
*8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
"In Him - In Christ, or in union to Christ, we have or more literally "are having" this blessing. It is not merely in a blessing that exist as a future possession, but it is ours by virtue of our faith in Christ. What is in view with this statement is something which the reader possesses right now. It had been long expected by the Jews and has now been accomplished! Think of that! Our guilt is removed, utterly gone! Forever! No more condemnation for those who are safe in the Beloved...now in Christ and through the efficacious working accomplished by His blood shed almost 2000 years ago, we have truly been set free..."http://www.preceptaustin.org/
What verses are you memorizing, what have you learned from them? Please share with us.
"When someone tells me they don't follow doctrine but just follow Jesus, I know one of two things; they either do not understand what doctrine is or they do not understand how the Bible defines following Jesus as. Let me put it another way, it is also said that Christianity is not knowing things about Jesus, but rather knowing Jesus personally. While that sound very noble and sanctified on the surface, it miss one very important thing... it is impossible to "know" somebody without FIRST knowing some true things about them." From Reformed Rambling
This is such an important subject for Christians to look at, to read more go to here. He is starting a series on the importance of Doctrine. Please check it out.
The Excellent Wife Chapter 7: Christ A Wife's Heart
First I'd like to apologize for not doing commenting on Chapter 6; it was a busy time and I would not have been able to do it justice, but if you go here and follow Leslie's links there are plenty of other women who have written many encouraging and challenging things.
This week we are in chapter 7, and Peace is talking about the wife's heart. Her focus is the Idols/Lust in the wife's heart
We all have idols in our heart...we all set our hearts on getting something that God does not want us to have or to have right now. An idol can be anything. An idol can be anything, it can even be something good in and of itself, for example having a Godly home. Peace gives us examples of what women can set their hearts on on and what can become become idols to them. Here are a few of them...
"God places that kind of passion within the deepest longings of a person. The wife's responsibility is to ask God for that passion and then diligently to seek God through His written word. She also has a responsibility to cultivate a grateful attitude and thankfulness to God regardless of her circumstances. To cultivate a grateful attitude she will have to deliberately think grateful thoughts to God even though she my not feel like it. God will do the rest , because it is consistent with His Character that He answer such a prayer." Page 68. Read 1John 5: 14-15.Lastly, Peace gives us some examples of how we can set our minds on the things of God.
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her."
~ J.R. Miller, Homemaking
Christ is Risen from the Dead
Written by Margaret Bowdler, 1973
Christ is Risen from the dead,
glorious day we celebrate;
death has no pow'r over him.
Hallelujah, he is risen!
As in Adam all men die,
so all those in Christ shall live;
he has conquered death and hell.
Hallelujah, he is risen!
No more need we fear the grave,
now, O death, where is your sting?
God gives us the victory.
Hallelujah, he is risen!
Christ is Risen from the dead,
glorious day we celebrate;
now we live through faith in him.
Hallelujah, he is risen
This Hymn was written in 1973 by a woman named Margaret Bowdler, using the Tune of 7.7.7.8 the meter and tune can be found here.
There are a number of hymns that have the same tune. When you go to the site, you will see the song Hallelujah What a Savior next to the meter 7.7.7.8. This hymn uses the same tune. These words are magnificent; my daughter and I will learn them together.
Below is a Midi Player where you can here the song for yourself. Enjoy the music but most importantly be blessed by the words.
*UPDATE* I am sorry for not explaining the meter system at this time. I just don't know enough about it to make any intelligent statements. I'll be asking my musically talented friends and family for help with this and do an explanation of it as soon as I can. God Bless.
My daughter and I are off on a 6-7 hour drive to pick up my son from College. Yup, just the two of us. I ask you for your prayers of traveling mercies. I am armed with Laurie Berkner, Leap Pad with 3 different adventures, Kids Camera, Snacks, Books, and Coffee and a number of sermons and teachings (those are for me). Have I forgotten anything?
We'll be staying with some great friends tonight and will drive back on Thursday afternoon. Have a great rest of the week.
Our Womens Bible Study is going through the book of Ephesians; we also decided to memorize scripture as part of our study of Gods word. Since we are already working in the book of Ephesians, this seemed to be a great place to begin. Since I am very undisciplined in this area, I thought that I would make Mondays, Scripture Memory Mondays. It will help me to be ready for Tuesday night Bible study and also maybe even encourage others to begin memorizing scripture too.
It doesn't have to be the book of Ephesians, it could be any book , chapter or even verse. It is so important for us to be intimate with Gods living Word. We cannot live without it. I'll have a few more things to share about Memorizing Scripture, but I'll talk about that another time. First lets get to it; Here is where I am:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us or adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
*7 In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according, to the riches of his grace
