“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” Romans 6:15-23, ESV.

I choose to read the following verses pretty plainly and take them for what they say.  The Law is not abolished.  Jesus came to show use how to live the Law correctly, in its completeness – He came to show us the fullness of the Law.  Heaven and earth are still here, as far as I know.  I mean, I live on earth, right?  So what does that say to me?

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20, ESV.

I need to obey the Law, as best as I can, keeping in mind the love that Christ brought to the world.  Y’know, it kinda goes a long with the WWJD campaign that was popular a while ago, but I’m not sure that people really understand Jesus and who He is and what He would do.  (But that’s a post of another day.)  I know that I don’t fully understand what my relationship with him needs to look like; I’m learning.  The more I dig and the more I remove the evangelical glasses I was raised with  and the more I question, the more I find my relationship strengthened, not only with God but with the people around me as well.  It’s an amazing thing.  The more obedient I am – the more I am a slave to righteousness – the more important people become to me and my family and we are able to show them the love of God.

So back to the point about the Law not being abolished… what is the purpose of the Law?  In Romans 3 we read this: Now all this that the Law says is said, as we know, for the benefit of those who are subject to the Law, but it is meant to silence everyone and to lay the whole world open to God’s judgement  and this is because no one can be justified in the sight of God by keeping the Law: all that law does is to tell us what is sinful. (vs 19-20, The Jerusalem Bible, Reader’s Edition)  Did you see that?  Let me say it again: ALL that the Law does is to TELL us WHAT is SINFUL!

If the Law is telling me what is sinful and I’m NOT OBEYING the Law, then how is that being obedient to righteousness!?!?!  How am I in a loving relationship with God if I am not obeying the law?  I would say that I’m not because without obedience to the Law, I am living in sin.  The purpose of the Law is to show me my sin.  The purpose of the Law is to bring me to an understanding of my sin, my need for faith, and the Law brings me to freedom in God.  We are truly free as slaves of righteousness.

The purpose of the Law is to show ME my sin.

photo credit: Gwen’s River City Images via photopin cc

PS. I encourage you to read all the way to the end of Romans 3.  Faith saves us, but doesn’t make the Law without meaning, but instead the Law brings us to faith.

 Do we mean that faith makes the Law pointless?
Not at all: we are giving the law its true value.
Romans 3:31

The post Slaves of Righteousness appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

Sometimes when doing unpleasant tasks such as this yard clean up, I need a greater purpose and a higher reason to complete even portion of the job.

The Self-Talk

“Now my kids and dog have a clean area in which to play.”

“Now the new spring grasses can poke through easier;
I’m one step closer to seeing green out my window!”

“The view out my desk-side window is not quite so disgusting.”

Yes, my reasons are somewhat selfish.
And then I started to talk myself out of finishing ALL of the front yard.

“That’s good enough.  I’ll just finish under the swings; that’s a great place to stop.
Besides, I need to ask the children to pick up the toys and bicycles so I can finish properly.”

“I’m tired and hot.  I already got my exercise for the day taking the dog for a walk earlier.
And I know there are things I should be doing inside.”

“I wonder if the baby needs me yet.  He was kinda fussy when I left.
He’s probably ready for a nurse and a nap.  Was that him I just heard?”

     And so I didn’t completely finish the whole area.  I did the end nearest the swing set.  I raked all the refuse into a large pile, put the rake away and went indoors, to snuggle my sweet baby, and admire my accomplishment from the office chair.  Later, I watched as my boys played on and around the swings without having to step on dog poo.

It’s the little things in life!

You can do it, too!

The post Unpleasant Tasks: Self-talk appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

And so my day of preparation looks like this:

The main floor (and, ideally the basement as well) receives a quick, but thorough going over – tidy up, put away, vacuum – everything-in-its-place type of clean.  The pile of unfolded laundry, from the week’s washing and drying gets folded and deposited into dresser drawers.  Our massive desk gets cleared, organized and wiped down.  In the kitchen and dining room floors are mopped, counters are scrubbed and dishes get washed.  A special meal is planned and prepared.  Someone washes the table very well and lays out the white tablecloth.  A dessert can usually be found releasing a yummy aroma from the direction of the oven.  In the bedrooms the children are encouraged to change their bed sheets, tidy there floors and return items to their proper locations.

Friday is not a school day here, but rather a day of preparation and anticipation of the Sabbath.  At this point in their lives, my children mostly see the day as one free of major chores, a day for being outside, being with friends, or simply hanging out at home with a movie or reading a book.  My children are sometimes not fond of Friday being a day of preparation, because we do a lot of work to get the house and yard cleaned up.  I simply remind them, “tomorrow, we rest” and we move on with our tidying and straightening.

I look forward to Fridays each week, not because it’s the end of the week, and certainly not because I get to clean house (I don’t like housecleaning…), but I look forward to Fridays because it means the Sabbath is coming!

The post A Day of Preparation appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

• We can do this!
• We need to remember that we are worth the fees we charge for our time and our abilities.
• It’s not going to be easy, but as long as we continue to follow the direction God leads and remain in His will for our family, we’ll be okay.
• God doesn’t give us ALL the answers right away; it’s on an “as needed” basis.

On that note, Jason has recently said to me, “If  I knew everything that was going to happen to me in my life, before it happened, I don’t think I would have allowed myself to live.  There was no way at 18 years old that I would have been able to handle knowing that my son would die, that my house would burn down, that I would be a fire fighter and see the things I see regularly.  God is wise to only let us know what we need to know, when we need to know it.”  And he’s so right.  I think the character in the story would agree.

I encourage you to check out this movie!  Here’s the trailer to give you a taste.

You can purchase this film from Amazon.com – Break Away

Please “LIKE” Word Films on Facebook and “follow” them on Twitter (they have yet to tweet anything though).  On their Facebook, you can see some “on the set” clips that are a lot of fun.

The post Break Away – Use What You’ve Got appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

I’ve moved into a new dynamic of parenting – parenting young adults.  I don’t really like the term “teenagers” but I’ll get over it.  I have a couple of young ladies (preteens, really) who are really starting to push some independence and make decisions for themselves.  I am so proud of my two oldest girls.  They have grown and developed into great people and I trust they will continue to do so as we guide and direct them into adulthood.  I am embracing this stage of life – with all it’s ups and downs and I plan to enjoy it.  By no means do I consider myself their equal, I’m still their momma, but at the same time we are starting to have more adult conversations and they are learning how the world and society operates around them.

The post Growing Up – Parenting Young Adults appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

On my Kindle app:

This is the second book in the series.  I love Bible based historical fiction.  Before this series, the only wife of King David I knew by name, as Bathsheba.  I have already read Michal and will read Bathsheba when I’m done here; the series is an easy read, but great material.

Guardian Angel by Skip Moen is a book I’ve just barely started, but I’m excited to dig into it.  The subject matter is one that is a pet topic for me – the wife’s role in the marriage as her husband’s helper.

More by Heidi Marshall.  It’s next on my list; I haven’t actually started it yet.  I didn’t realize until just now that this was a fiction selection.  I thought it was another non-fiction book about marriage relationships.  I guess that’s what I get for judging a book by its cover.

This book has been on my list to read for a year or more but was recently bumped to the top of the list due to conversations (and recommendations by) with friends and family.

In my stack:

Esther by Beth Moore has been an enlightening study.  I have set this aside for a time but I am ready to get back into the content, I think.  I bought and have watched the video segments that go with the study and those have been very interesting additions to the workbook and material.

I just finished the “new teenager” book a week or so ago and loved it!  I have a feeling the content will be similar in this book with a few changes due to the age of the subject.  Children, ages 5 to 12 don’t drive the family car, but their bicycle might come into play.  More of my children fit into this category than the teen category, so I think I will really enjoy it, when I get there.

 My brother sent me a copy of this book; he is a Bible school student and I believe this is his textbook for one of his courses.  I’ve gotten as far as the preface and maybe a few more pages.  This will be a challenging and educating read!  I’ve already had to use other resources to discover more complete meanings of words and that kind of thing.  This will not be bed time reading material!

Called to Controversy by Ruth Rosen is one of those “required” content and is a book I’ll get to; it stays on my pile until I’ve completed the review.

Laying Down the Rails by Sonya Shafer is a parenting book that I’ve wanted to read for a while.  My kids think I’m weird to read so many books about how to be a better parent.

Do you have a “considered read” rule?  My rule is that if by 50 pages I am still not into the book, I’m allowed to mark it as read.  I no longer require myself to read every page of a book like I used to do.  Some books you know in the first few pages if you are going to be into it or not.  Others take a few more, but I always try to stick to the 50 page rule.  I’ve had a couple of books this year that have fallen into this rule – The Excellent Wife was one.  I’m sure the book has great material, for someone else.  For me, it’s not where I am right now.  Do you have a book that falls into this category that you’ve tried to read lately?

DISCLAIMER: Affiliate links in post.

Keep learning,

The post What are you reading? appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

March was busy for us this year.  My husband and I attended a day of training; we learned how to better use essential oils for the health of our family.  You’d think that listening to a cell biologist would be boring but this man was so interesting!  He even kept my sleepy husband awake for the whole day; usually my hubby falls asleep in training like that!

The other “big thing” that happened in March was Passover and  Unleavened Bread.  Passover is a meaningful time for our family that we have only recently started celebrating.  Passover is a celebration about the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It is a time that we remember when the Israelites fled from Egypt, after the Angel of Death passed over their homes.  This year my children learned about how the plagues were an attack on the gods and goddesses of Egypt.  We all learned a lot from our little study the one night.

Looking back, March was a month of learning!  I love that!

Keep learning,

The post Looking Back on the Month of March appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

So as I’ve been cleaning this week, I made some bigger messes.  I was working under the stairs and anything I didn’t want to deal with at that moment I just threw into the TV room.  That room became a monstrous mess that had to be cleaned up later!  I’m not sure what I was thinking, except I wanted to get the current area done.  And while I’m doing this, I got to thinking; if the cleaning out of leaven from our homes (Exodus 12) is symbolic of searching out and discovering hidden sin in our lives (1 Corinthians 5) and I am just tossing this junk aside to deal with later, am I really helping myself? Eventually I will need to deal with it. Would it not be better to deal with the mess the first time around?  It’s the same with sin; the sooner we acknowledge it, ask for forgiveness for and repent of sin in our lives, the better things will be.  Our relationship with God and people will be better.

But for me, this Passover and Unleavened Bread season is more than that.  Jesus is our Passover Lamb.  He died, shed his blood, so that the angel of death will pass over me, and my home.

Cleaning is probably my least favorite thing to do.  Just ask my husband and family; I’m very good at delegating household chores.  Last week, though, I was amazed to find that I enjoyed the process of cleaning every single room.  I couldn’t wait to work on the next room.  That being said, I found my time cleaning stretching in a number of ways. This was the first year I attempted to remove leaven from more than one room of the house. In previous years, I cleaned the dining room, but that was the extent of my searching out. I am physically sore from bending and lifting and hauling. Honestly this was no easy task … probably because I don’t like cleaning in general and had 3 or 4 rooms where you could not see the floor!  I had to make a plan to hit every room AND prevent the children from undoing my doing. But I don’t think this was meant to be easy to accomplish.  My thoughts, while I was working, turned to my own life and heart.  As I was searching through my house for leaven to remove, I did search my heart and life for things that needed to change there as well.  My goal, and the reminder taken from this feast, is to live a life free of sin, striving to live God’s principles found in His word.

I am very much in the early learning stages of learning about the biblical feasts.  We are keeping things very simple for ourselves and for our children.  The more I read (I’ve been reading from this site and from their book) the more I find symbolism and depth that I never imagined.  I don’t want to overwhelm us with too much depth, but each year we can build on what we’ve learned previously.  This year, we rid the house of leaven.  We will have a Passover dinner; we are having lamb and we will discuss the escape from Egypt, and the significance for us.  And as I’ve developed our plans for this year, I’m thinking, already, of how I want to do it differently next year.

Striving to learn and live God’s principles,

The post Preparing for Passover appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

Numbers chapter nine starts out like this (Complete Jewish Bible):

1 ADONAI spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert in the first month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt; he said, 2 ”Let the people of Isra’el observe Pesach at its designated time.3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at dusk, you are to observe it – at its designated time. You are to observe it according to all its regulations and rules.” 4 Moshe told the people of Isra’el to observe Pesach. 5 So they observed Pesach at dusk on the fourteenth day of the month in the Sinai Desert; the people of Isra’el acted in accordance with all that ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

It goes on to talk about some people who were unclean and therefore could not celebrate Passover at the designated time.  So Moshe (Moses) asked God what they should do, because the people had the heart and the desire to be obedient to God’s command to observe the Passover celebration.  God made allowances for future unclean people to celebrate at another time.  And then He adds an interesting point in verse 13 and 14:

13 But the person who is clean and not on a trip who fails to observe Pesach will be cut off from his people; because he did not bring the offering for ADONAI at its designated time, that person will bear the consequences of his sin. 14 If a foreigner is staying with you and wants to observe Pesach for ADONAI, he is to do it according to the regulations and rules of Pesach- you are to have the same law for the foreigner as for the citizen of the land.’”  (emphasis mine)

So what are the basics of Passover?

• Look at Exodus 12 and 13 – the first Passover when the Israelites were living in Egypt.
• In Leviticus 23, the feasts and holy days are listed.  In verse 21, after the section about Passover, we can read the following (CJB): On the same day, you are to call a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; this is a permanent regulation through all your generations, no matter where you live. (This verse in particular is in reference to the Feast of Unleavened Bread which immediately follows Passover.  These two special observances are often rolled into one and called Passover.)
• Deuteronomy 16 has some reminders and instruction regarding Passover as well.
• 2 Chronicles 34-35 tells about the boy-king who returned the Israelites to God’s word and the observance of Passover.
• 2 Chronicles 29-30 talks about a king who returned to the ways of God and what it took for them to start observing the Lord’s feasts again.

Is the Feast of Passover celebrated during the time of Jesus and the apostles?  You bet.

• Luke 2 – when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, they’d gone there for Passover.
• John 2 – when Jesus turned over the money changers’ tables he was there for Passover.
• Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22
• John 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 – leading up to Jesus’ death during the time of Passover.
• Acts 12 – Peter was imprisoned before Passover, and escaped.

Something to think about,

PS This is just the first in a series of posts I have coming about Passover.  

The post Thinking About Passover – Numbers 9:1-14 appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.

With much love and care,

LaDonna

************

Looking back on my life people would say that I have experienced a number of traumatic experiences in my life.  I’ve been in numerous car accidents, several of which I can remember the momentum of the vehicle and the feeling of the van spinning in circles and hitting the snow bank over and over again.  The disruptions in my life have been many with moves to different schools in the middle of the year, torn away from family and friends to move far, far away.  I got married mid-year my 4th year of college; this could be considered a trauma – it’s was a great disruption (though it be a pleasant one) to my life!  I’m not sure that many people would call these things really traumatic.  There’s no rape or murder or abuse, just pretty normal stuff that you think happens to everyone.

trau·ma
1. A serious injury or shock to the body, as from violence or an accident.
2. An emotional wound or shock that creates substantial, lasting damage to the psychological development of a person, often leading to neurosis.
3. An event or situation that causes great distress and disruption.

The real trauma in my life first happened in 2004.  I was pregnant with our third child in as many years.  The baby due early March was a full week late when labor started slowly but regularly on a Saturday morning.  I got the plans in motion for baby’s delivery; my aunt would come to make supper and care for our 2 girls through the labor and delivery.  My midwife stopped by on her way home from a meeting to check on me.  I was progressing quickly enough that she decided to stick around, figuring she’d be home shortly after supper.

After about 18 hours of labor, we made the decision to break my water because things were not progressing.  That seemed to work and by the early morning hours I was starting to push.  Once baby’s head crowned and came through is when we saw things go bad.  Our baby was stuck – half in and half out.  It’s called shoulder dystocia.  There is no just pushing harder.  My midwife had to go in and maneuver baby and I had to change my position.  My midwife had to pull my baby out of me as he changed from sickly color to a more sickening color.

My baby was born dead.  The cord was so tight around his neck that it was white in color.  There was no blood and no oxygen getting to him.  He had no heartbeat, where there had been a heartbeat only minutes before.  There was no breathing.  He did not make a noise; there were no tears and no tender snuggles.  My husband and my midwife went to work on him right away and within moments he had a heartbeat.  My aunt called and spoke with 911, having them send an ambulance for my baby.

As soon as I was able (within minutes of them leaving), Jason and I went with my midwife in her private vehicle, following them to the hospital.  And just to make a terrible situation even worse, the car stopped running and we were stuck on the highway.  

For the rest of the story (some of which I’ve never shared before), read my guest post at

heatherkrebs.com

where my friend, Heather, teaches women the skills needed to survive trauma.

Today (and always) I remember,

The post Flash Back to March 2004 – Harvey’s Story appeared first on Just Our Thoughts.