Love Starts Off Messy

I am learning to allow my kids to love me, even if it is messy. Loving isn't just hugs and kisses. Love is hot chocolate even when your diet forbids it. Love is allowing them to help with laundry even if their idea of folding is rolling shirts up. Love is them offering to mop because they see you're tired and take it upon themselves to add dish washing liquid so the solution smells better. Love is teaching and then allowing them to serve. So, seeing them put into action what's coming from their hearts should not be met with disappointment, but encouragement....even when they "clean" the drawers you organized just the day before.

Our Olive Plants: Kings

Every Thursday, Around Our Table will feature one of our children's thoughts. It will be in whatever form they decide to express themselves. This section will be titled, 'Our Olive Plants,' with a subtitle of their selection. Enjoy!

                    ~Kings~

The first king was king Saul

He was strong in the beginning,

But, in the end he did fall.

King David, The Lord he did fear

Although he had some troubles, 

There and here.

King Solomon was very wise

Precious was he

In the Lord's eyes.

King Rehoboam, a fool was he

The old men's words

He did not heed.

King Jeroboam to God he did bond.

But, in the end, 

He worshipped other gods.

Now, I'm skipping through to wicked Ahab

His family and he,

All were mad.

There were many more kings

You can probably recall

Even if they were evil,

God chose them all.

                     

                  ~About the Author~

Israel is an 11-year-old who loves studying history, namely the Civil War era. He collects hot wheels, and he also likes to rap. His favorite musician is Lecrae. Oh, and he loves eating. ;)

God holds up the Universe...He can keep you from falling!

I remember in the not too distant past, things were seemingly chaotic. I mean, all that could go wrong, was going wrong...and then some. I was at my wits end. I fell to my knees and cried out to the Lord. I poured all of it before Him-my fears, my frustrations. I piled them up at His feet.

I got up, wiped my tear-stained face, and opened up my bible. I asked the Lord for a Word to feed my need. I started reading in Psalms. Then, went to Matthew. They surprisingly didn't have what I needed for that moment. A voice in my conscience kept telling me to read Genesis. I opened up to it. I really don't think I got passed the first verse when I cried and laughed and praised God.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ~Genesis 1:1


Listen, do you really think that the same God that put the world and the stars, and all galaxies in order, is not able to sustain you? Do you really believe that He who poured out His wrath on His Son, so that we can have life in Him, will save us to then leave us to figure things out for ourselves? The same God that knows our frailties, is the same God that makes His strength known to us in our weaknesses. If I'm keeping myself, I should be VERY afraid. Oh, but it is HE who keeps His children and is able to keep us from falling!

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. ~Jude 24&25

Quit leaning on your strengths. God will always put His children in a position so that they can realize it is He who has all power. He gave you life, He keeps you, He cleanses you, and one day, He'll bring you to be with Him.

Husband, you are my lord?

"For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." ~1 Peter 3: 5 & 6

The first thousand times, or million times, I read this passage, I would just laugh. Then, when it wasn't funny anymore, I would skip over it. Then, when I couldn't skip over it, I'd get angered by it. Then, when it was useless being angered by it, I'd cry over it. I don't know when it happened or how it happened, but the Holy Spirit grabbed hold of my stony heart, and turned it into a heart of flesh. I grieved at the fact that I could not see my reflection in this passage.

Listen, I'm going to lay this out plainly, being very well aware that this is not a favorable stance. I just don't see the point in beating around the bush. I hope all that are reading this agree that the Scripture is not meant to be just read, but lived out. And, one can see in reading the Bible, time and time again, that if one proclaims they love God, it is evidenced through how they treat their neighbor, whether it be in feeding them, clothing them, forgiving them, and so on. 

Here it goes: Why do we women NOT use this logic in respects to this passage towards our husbands?

Peter, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is admonishing Christian women to be like Sarah and holy women of old, and submit to our husbands. Notice the words, "who hoped in God." THAT is the beauty of the passage. THAT is what the enemy wants us to overlook. Our hope is not in what our husbands are doing for us. It's not wrapped up in how they treat us. This is not to say that husbands do not have responsibilities towards their wives, because in this chapter and in other books of Scripture, those responsibilities are outlined. They are to love us wives as Christ loves us, His Church. Do you realize the implications of that one statement to husbands? Can one truly measure what Christ has done for us? 

With that being said, I want us women to be women of hope and honor, not women filled with excuses and rebellion towards God's Word. We hope in Christ Jesus and Him alone. We stand on His promises. He has a plan. He has an outline of His will that He has given us. This is why we don't fear, as stated at the end of verse 6! We are not inferior to our husbands as concerning our relationship to our Father. We both are coheirs unto salvation and the abundance of riches found in Christ Jesus. However, God has set us under our husbands, because that's His will for us on earth. As Jesus submitted to the will of our Father, to save us and teach us how to walk in humility and obedience to God, so, we submit to our husbands to show OUR children how to obey and respect and honor their dads. Break this order, and, well, you get what we see today in our society. 

We say we love God? Prove it. Honor His Word. Submit to your husband.

Our Olive Plants: Lovely Is His Name

Every Thursday, Around Our Table will feature one of our children's thoughts. It will be in whatever form they decide to express themselves. This section will be titled, 'Our Olive Plants,' with a subtitle of their selection. Enjoy!

~Lovely Is His Name~

Oh, how lovely is the name

Of God our sovereign Lord.

A name to fear, a name to love,

A name to be sought for.

The One who came, and through His love,

Died on Calvary's tree,

And suffered for OUR transgression;

He died for you and me.

And from that came salvation

From Hell and misery,

To be with Him, through thick and thin,

Because of Him we see.

Now we are called His church, His elect,

Though we may stumble and fall,

And find a way to make a mess,

He helps us through it all!

About the Author:

Elise Judith is a 12-year-old that LOVES to read. She's been known to consume 7 books in a single week. She prefers to read biographies. She also loves playing the piano.

This has been weighing heavily on my mind. How often do I call God good, but only when things are going the way I want? I must trust that ALL of His ways are good!

You know what's a pet peeve of mine? When one of my kids ask me for something, and then ask me when and how it will be done. And some have had the nerve to complain because what they asked for didn't come when they had expected, or how they expected it to come. You know what I've done because of their ungratefulness? I've withheld what I was going to give them for a time. Then, I ask them if they believe I have their best interests at heart, and if they do, why did they not trust my decision and timing.

I'm not saying that God acts like me. He never has sinful motives, and He has more patience in one finger than I have in my whole body for a lifetime! But, I can only imagine how we grieve God when we act like spoiled children. When we complain when we didn't get quite what we wanted, when we wanted it. We constantly say, "God is good." Do we truly believe this? Is He still good when we lose our homes? Or when we don't get the job we applied for? Or when we see the wicked living comfortably? Ask yourself. Is He good then?


"He is the rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He." Deuteronomy 32:4

Our Olive Plants: Brethren

Every Thursday, Around Our Table will feature one of our children's thoughts. It will be in whatever form they decide to express themselves. This section will be titled, 'Our Olive Plants,' with a subtitle of their selection. Enjoy!

~Brethren~

Love of the Brethren, pride of the pack.

Helping to gain what another might lack.

Serving as pages, individuals who are saved.

Fighting as knights for the victory claimed.

Together we are nothing, sinners hell bound

Under Christ, we are something, once lost, but ever found.

Purging our flocks of wolves who deny

The sovereignty of Christ, the Trinity on High.

But why?

Because we love our dear Brethren, and pray they are blessed

Let a hypocrite never enter and cast lies in our midst.

For our Church is the Body, the workers of Christ.

How can we honor God if our crowd disunites?

Let us stay joined together as a temple for Him.

Fitted in position to destroy any sin.

But why?

Because we love our dear brethren and there is no people like us

Sodom did fall for its vile, sensual progression.

Babel, the same, for its prideful conception.

But us? We will stand and draw closer to God.

Oh, Holy Spirit, let us ever the road of Love, trod!

And keep us in unity to our Master, the Father.

And why?

We love Him...He first loved us.

About the Author:

Ian Gabriel is a 13-year-old, with an interest in writing and reading. He enjoys reading books on Theology and poetry. 

But God...

Before going to work this morning, Aaron said that if I would've shown him a picture of our marriage now, 3 years ago, he wouldn't have believed it. I had to agree. There was no communication. There was no oneness. There was a cheap imitation of love. The love that the world portrays. The love that demanded from the other, but not from oneself.

But God...

God has a way of using the most foolish, unworthy people. The people that others would say, "Yup, I give them 6 months and it'll be over. " And, we gave more than ample evidence for believing so.

But God...

The morning when it seemed as though we had reached our final plateau, I remember thinking that I was going to exit with a bang. My will at that moment was to shatter any hopes of Aaron and I working out our marriage. I was so filled with rage and pride.

But God...

But God had His will and His purpose. I sing praises to His sovereignty! His that is not contingent upon mine! I turned to Aaron, and in an instant, my will was overcome by God's love. I couldn't speak. Just tears. Love-HIS love, filled the room. It was so tangible that I was sure Aaron felt it too. I asked, "Aaron, do you feel that?...what is that?....is that love?" I fell to the floor in repentance, first towards God, then towards Aaron. We both repented. It was strange, because although I was ashamed of my behavior and my actions, the guilt was gone upon realizing that His sacrificial act surpassed all that I had done or could do. It surpasses ALL understanding! Aaron and I haven't looked back since, but only to sing praises to God for His intervention. 

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? ~ Psalm 8:4

How often do I meditate on this verse. This verse has become my heart's puzzled, yet joyful cry. I know that what I am about to say will fly in the face of the ideology that we are to believe in ourselves, and work on our self-esteem. I actually believe that when we hit rock bottom, and think that we're nothing but a wretch, that's when God appears. When all is hopeless, that's when God can be glorified. He's not looking to share His glory, but to reveal His glory and His alone. And then, when we esteem HIM, will we see our worth, being the creatures He delighted in creating.

I believe that God saved Aaron and I for His good pleasure. If anyone knows our situation intimately, I pray that every time they see us, they glorify God in what He alone was able to do, and say, "I know Aaron and Lizzy shouldn't be together right now. They were selfish and stubborn. But God..."