Spiders

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. ~ Acts 7:60

I kept seeing a Wolf Spider around my carport door. Spiders are creepy, especially these SC wolf spiders. They're big and hairy. They move fast. This one always skittered away before I could step on it. Finally, it was a little slower than usual, and I nailed it with one big stomp. Baby spiders exploded out everywhere on the carport. I was dodging baby spiders in all directions! I had no idea this species of spiders carried their babies on their abdomens. Killing one just released the babies to spread. They're actually helpful hunters. But to me, that's just more spiders to watch for and dodge everytime I go out the door. 

When the church first began there was great persecution. A deacon named Stephen was such an effective witness, the leaders of the Jews and the high priest wanted to accuse him of blasphemy. The penalty was stoning. Stephen was led outside the city. A young man, Saul of Tarsus, who was a well trained Pharisees held the coats of the men while they stoned Stephen. 

Stephen's final words as he kneeled down was a prayer to Jesus not to lay this sin to their charge. Then he "fell asleep". He died. It didn't seem to affect any participating in the stoning. It seemed to make Saul more adamant in persecuting Christians, but in reality, Jesus was working on his heart. Jesus was convicting him of his own sin. On the road to Damascus to persecute more Christians, Saul saw a blinding light and heard Jesus speak to him. Saul became the Apostle Paul who brought the gospel to the Gentile world. Though the Jewish leaders including Saul had meant evil toward Stephen, God used it for good to spread the gospel. 

Just like the spider, they can't stop the gospel. There are many already training to reach the world. Pray for those who don't yet know Jesus as Savior. Pray for those who try to stop the Gospel even with deadly persecution both in our country and around the world. Pray for families who need strength in the trying days ahead. 

Heavenly Father, may we have the courage of Stephen to continue to witness of Jesus even in the face of death. We know that like the spider, when one is persecuted, even unto death, there are hundreds more already trained to proclaim the gospel. May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done. In Jesus's name. Amen.

 

I Am The Clay

 

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter;  we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (ESV)

Do you have a piece of pottery in your home? I don't mean a dollar store coffee cup. I'm talking about a piece of pottery that is handmade by someone. I have a little bowl my oldest son made when he was in elementary school. I can see the size of his little fingers where he squished the bowl into shape. His initials are scratched on the bottom.  He brought it home as a gift, probably for Mother's Day. It may not be much to look at, but it holds the paperclips on my desk. It does its job, and to me it's priceless. 

When he went off to college, he met a girl majoring in something far different than art, but she took a pottery class as an elective. She is now a professional potter. Her work is amazing, very unlike the child-made bowl on my desk. Her work is unique. I can see the ridges her fingers made as she turned the pieces on her wheel. I asked her about the process of bringing her pottery to the finished product. 

She explained that clay doesn't need to cure, just dry, which could be between two days and two weeks before it is fired in the kiln. In the first firing, called the bisque, the pottery is heated to 1800 degrees. After the pottery is glazed, it goes through another firing at 2000 degrees. This firing takes between eight and nine hours. The pots shrink 10% during firing. She sometimes fires a third time if something needs to be fixed. I'm thinking she means fixed as in the glaze. 

She often names her pieces according to the way she glazed them. The mug shown here is a mountain view. It was a gift because she knew how much I love the mountains. The saucer under the mug is my favorite muffin plate. It was one of her first works. It's nothing like the saucers she makes now, but I love it. 

Have you ever turned a piece of pottery over and noticed it's not glazed on the bottom? There's a secret about the unglazed area. Regardless of the use of the pottery, the bottom can be used to sharpen knives. Just a little kitchen magic for you there. 

Isaiah compares God to a potter. God fashions each of us for a unique job. We are all different in our appearance. Even identical twins have different fingerprints.  Some of us may feel a little misshapen by the world's standards, but like my son's little bowl, we are priceless in God's eyes. The Lord knows each of us by name and we are created with a special purpose. 

The Lord's fashioning of our lives is not a hands-off process. He shapes us and molds us and often times puts us through the fire, maybe more than once. No one is too young or too old, too sinful or too messed up for God to make them into what He has planned them to be. 

Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the whole armor of God. When we put on the armor, the head and front are covered, but the back is still open. Of course, God's got our back, but I'm wondering if, like the glazed pottery, our most vulnerable side is another part God will use. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for creating me for a special work. Thank you for leading me to know your salvation and plan. Father, please continue to guide me and use me for Your unique purpose. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Communicating with Our Children

 

That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: Psalms 78:6,7

It's back to school. The kids come home and you ask, "How was school today?" 

And the answer is, "Fine."

Do you feel like your children just don't want to tell you or are they answering like we often do when someone says, "How are you?"

Here are some suggestions to get a conversation going.

• What did you do today that was fun?
• What was hard today?
• What was your best class? Why?
• Did you read any good stories?
• What are you studying in history? science?

All of these questions and more lead into conversations with your children that will help you engage with their education. Even if you're homeschooling, these can be worthwhile questions to see where your children's interest lie.

Let their answers tell you what to share about your experiences with your children. Suppose they say they had fun at recess. Next question," What did you do?" It's not likely they played jump rope or hopscotch or red rover, but maybe you did. Share those experiences. Teach them how to play those games and recite those jump rope rhymes.

If fractions were hard, pull out the measuring cups and spoons and ask them to help you make cookies or supper. Then show them how you use fractions. Money is another good way to teach fractions. Pour out the change jar and let them sort and count the money discovering what makes up the parts of a whole dollar. 

Maybe music was the best class. Ask about what they are singing and share songs you remember from childhood like Eating Goober Peas, or The Erie Canal. 

Are they reading Little House on the Prairie? Go explore a nearby antique shop or the basement if you happen to have family antiques. Subjects like reading, history, and science are always more meaningful if children can put their hands on what they are reading about. 

Are their historical parks in your area? Do they put on demonstrations? In my area, there is American Indian Days at Haygood Mill, reenactments at Cowpens Battlefield and Walnut Grove. What about your family history? Did your ancestors follow the wagon road down the mountains to settle southern Appalachia or were they already there to meet the pioneers? Did they come over on slave ships? Did they go with the wagon trains to settle the west? Were they stowaways on ships? Are they new immigrants who are fleeing harsh homelands? Let your children know and then tell them how good God has been to your family during the tough times as well as the good. 

Do your children enjoy science or need encouragement to study harder? Visit farms, orchards, festivals, planetariums, museums. The Creation Museum is close by for most of the east coast located in Kentucky. The Institute of Creation"s museum is opening in September located in Texas. 

As the holidays approach make sure your children are aware they can share the true meaning of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter at school. 

Heavenly Father, keep us in the middle of our children's lives, especially their education. Help us have conversations that implant You Lord, in our children's hearts and daily life. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Hey Kids: '

What's this school year like? 

Dig deeper into things that interest you most. Let your parents know so they can share their experiences with you. 

Did you know that everything in life is tied to every subject? 

Maybe math is your best subject but history is kind of okay. You will need to read well to learn about the best mathematician - Einstein. In the process, you will learn the history of how he struggled as a kid and why he needed to flee his homeland. Einstein was also a scientist. Look, we've already covered every subject in school just because you like math!

Maybe you liked to reading The Drinking Gourd. To really understand it you may need to talk with your grandparents, visit an antique shop, a farm or a National Park to see how harsh life was during that time period. Math and science will come in handy to know slaves navigated by the stars. Now you've already used all the subjects from school.

Don't leave your parents out of your adventures. They have lots to share as well and may the Lord lead you in this new school year.