What if the Covenant of Marriage is a picture of the Gospel of Christ? What if the next generation will have trouble seeing the Gospel because they only know broken marriages, divorce, bitterness, and perversion? What if God set in motion 5,773 years ago the powerful team that is marriage to both protect frail, weaker man from the enemy and to declare God's love and God's image, God's order and God's better way.

As a teenager, I was taught that God's institutions included personal volition, marriage, the family, and the nation. I was taught that God guided and protected these down through the ages. When any or all are attacked, civilized society falls. fails. But, what if God set these up to reflect Himself, and the future?

I have listened to it again today--amazed how now I have even more questions about covenants, good and bad marriages in the Bible, etc. And the timing---drawn to the Genesis accounts that then echo in Ephesisans. And I need all the help I can get with Ephesisan!

 

is the Genesis 2:24 Leave, Be joined, Become one flesh applicable to the Gospel of Christ: Repent, Trust, Walk/Abide? and is "help meet suitable" in Genesis the same word for administration suitable in Eph 1:10?

 

A friend in Italy--an Air Force wife, posted a Denton Bible Church sermon from 2008 in a word search she did on "manhood" and I have now listened to that sermon and watched the video four times.  It is so rich.  It explains so much. 

 

I have not always been the best wife.  I was guilty of the roman novel fantasizing the professor talks about.  I have also been guilty of badmouthing my husband.  Especially early on, as I was used to telling my parents everything as a child---what happened at school, etc.  And I was guilty of badmouthing my husband with friends, falling into the trap of the evil feminist movement.  No excuse.  As a Christian, badmouthing anyone is sin, especially your husband. 

 

And I have wondered about those verses in Genesis---what was God saying we are made in the likeness of God?  How Day 6 was a VERY busy day.  Was it six days of creation or restoration?  Where did water come from?  And the characters that pop up in the story---when were they "created"?  the talking serpent.  the cherubim, the seraphim. 

 

The clues are all there.  And as I read over the chapters in my morning personal Bible story, I am left with more questions.  Adam lived almost a thousand years, but his last recorded words---"...and I did eat."  Lovely.  Eve gets to wax on about her son---with the help of the Lord.  Did God literally assist at the birth?  Did God answer her questions when her belly swelled and her firstborn murdered Abel? She knew.  She declares Seth a replacement for Abel.  "because Cain murdered Abel." 

 

What of Lamech in the naming of Noah?  What prophecy?  When "men called on the name of the Lord" did God prophecy that one would come to break the curse? 

 

After hearing the Denton Bible Church sermon, I want to study marriages in the Bible, the good and the bad.  God established marriage as a covenant relationship.  God puts in little girls the desire to be married.  God gives us the tools, the power, the instructions on how to be a good wife, and a good mate.  And ladies, we are told to submit ONLY to our own husband.  no other man.  Leave father and mother.  Leave and cleave.  How do you talk to your Mother about your husband?  Do I pray for my husband more than just God smack him upside the head?  Do I simmer and resent time at church because women are to keep silent and ask their husbands questions at home??   Or do I marvel at the power in submitting--how it pisses satan off. 

 

How enobling that we are given marriage as power, as protection, as a glimpse of God.  God invented marriage.  satan attacks it.  God lets satan rail, roam, roar, even try to devour.  But, the head of the serpent has been crushed.  Satan bit Jesus bruised His heel, and now Jesus sits at the Right Hand of God, King of kings and Lord of lords.  Above all.  And we share everything Christ has because He did the cross in our place, and desire that we Walk with Him.  ABide in Him.  Christ is the Head of the Church even as the husband is the head of our marriage. 

And Lord, please keep me from crusader arrogance because protecting marriage to protect the Gospel could confuse.  Instead, help me impress on the younger women how important marriage is--and to keep it holy.  pure.  It does not say obey when you feel like it.  It does not say when your husband loves as Christ loves.  It does not say obey to the point of sin or crime, nor endure abuse.  Love just like Christ loves in order to be a good witness and testimony to your children, the next generation and the world.  God set out good Christian marriages as a becon on a hill.  Expect attack.  Look to God for the energy, the motivation, the forgiveness, the daily removal of anger and bitterness that you are going to need to Love the gift God gave you: your dear husband, and truly be his helpmate suitable.

Found some old posts in the drafts folder

poking around, I found some old posts in the drafts folder.  decided to publish them so as to save them. 

I think the full bloom of blogging is gone.  I use it for an online journal.  But, if you just stumbled across my blog.  enjoy. 

And if someone knows how to save their favorites list off their internet explorerer...please let me know.  If/when a computer crashes, I grieve the loss of favorites sites bookmarked.  It takes a while to build them back up again. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I have been celebrating all week.  ha.   Mashed potatoes with cream cheese---whoop.  I'd add garlic, but not everyone in this house loves garlic as much as moi.

Re-arranging Chairs on the Titanic May 9, 2011

That is what housework feels like sometimes. I changed the sheets on the guest bed, and while Ben, our youngest, will use it on the weekends when he comes home from college... Andy will be here next weekend with his animals. So, I was getting that spare room ready, too. Bedspread all washed, and lap quilts all done and folded on the toddler bed---which won't get used for another month, but I want to get ready.

Our house is so quiet now, and I got so sweaty trying to remove the dust from nooks and cranies... and trying to see the rooms through little eyes. Are we baby proof? Time to find the electrical plug covers. Seven month, David will be eight months when he comes here, so we need to re-think the cords and dangling things.

Bob helped me clean out the hall closet. It is now a cat haven. Complete with cat door. Kitty litter, and food and water bowls... Wish we had a cat perch to put in there. In cleaning out the closet, I was able to donate some old suits to Mission Arlington. Those folks are so friendly about taking anything. Even an old surge protector. And I got the magazines mailed to my Mother with the Filipino recipe I think she will remember from when exchange students visited our house when I was a kid. I know it seems silly to mail magazines to my Mom, but she knows I can get rather too creative with recipes---best to let her read it herself so that she knows I did not forget something or tweek it already. ha. I tried to help her over the phone with facebook today, but, she just wants to see recently added photos, and finds facebook not easy to navagate around.

Now for some Mother's Day observations: I want to remember celebrating early with Ben and his classmate from college. We went to Carrabbas on Friday when they were not busy. It was fun. A silly expense, but the food was good. So, on Sunday, Bob gave his Sunday School lesson, and then because Ben and his friend were all packed and ready to head back to collge, we just went to Whataburger for lunch. The onion rings were good. I thought Bob liked going there for the burgers, but he ordered a chicken sandwich. He was not impressed. How silly. Why order chicken at a burger place? I don't understand. When we got home, there was a pro-flowers box leaning up next to the car, and the phone was ringing---James from Afghanistan!!! YAY So good to hear his voice. We also got to talk to his wife, Amber on the phone, too, and we could hear Baby James.

I was nodding off at the computer on Sunday afternoon, so we took naps. Then we got to talk on the phone with the firstborn and his family in Alaska 6pm our time, which is 3pm and almost naptime for them.

So--for Mother's Day--I got to hug the youngest son, hear the other two on the phone, arrange two dozen roses in vases. (could not fit them all into the one that came with) and eat chocolate. And take a nap. Our pastor taught from Hosea for Mother's Day !!! What a brave man. And a lady that has been attending our church since she was a teenager told her motherhood story---barren until age 40, then twin girls. Those girls are now graduated from college, and one is married, the other to be married soon. And all without a word about her ex. That is what made it amazing to me. Since one of our sons tracked with the twins through junior high and high school, we know the story--and just let me say, that woman has a right to bitterness, but she chose not to go there. She chose to only discuss the positive. That was amazing.

All that is left is purchasing some art materials for our 4 year old granddaughter to use when she gets here in a month, and keep an eye out for pink sheets for the bed in case the Disney "Cars" theme on the toddler bed is just too small for her now. I went through the toys, and noticed that the blocks are marked 18 months, so no use getting them out of the wrappers unless our daughter-in-law approve. I culled through the Chevron car collection, and took off the small choking hazards, and pulled the pink and purple cars to the front. Our granddaughter may play with them like dolls as they have eyes and mouths, and their own claymation commercials, but the beanie babies will probably see more air time. And the Toy Story puppets. And the dinosaur egg. Maybe I can get someone to put new batteries in the elephant. I do need to move the books to a lower shelf, and de-clutter the shelf with the dvds.

I don't know if our granddaughter will get to stay and play here a month or more---we can hope. But, I know our daughter-in-law wants to find a house for rent close to her folks and grandparents in Houston. We just want to make them feel welcome as they move down from Alaska, and wait for

Baby James??

The Two Hour Tribute, and Six Hour Reception Feb 15, 2010

It was a once in a lifetime event, and I am thinking that we won't see some of these dear folks until heaven home, as Bob's cousins are scattered across the country. And even though I have tried over the years to explain connections and relatives to our sons, Ben still came up to me after and proclaimed, I did not know I had another blonde girl cousin with our last name. Girl cousins are kinda rare to him. (He has two more girl cousins I bet he would not recognize a room full of relatives.)

And how come the very same child who has not listened to your explanations of relations obviously did not listen to the good sermon about being gentle and kind, either? During the reception, he decides to "kid" one of the cousins wives, and all over a chair. Shesh. We had been sitting for two hours during the wonderful tribute where every sibling, and every grandchild spoke. Why did Ben decide to be a pill with Lisa? I had to take a snowball out of his hands. And Bob was oblivious. I try not to yell at my husband unless it is an emergency, and Ben needed a man to sit on him. gently. If he had not driven with us, I would have been tempted to ask him to leave. I wanted him to meet his relatives, and know he is part of a big family that gets along. What got into him? Someone made a crack about his long hair, but he gave the his oft repeated "it would make my Dad too happy to cut my hair". Seriously? Yet, he gets along with his Dad and shows Bob stuff he has built or done at his solar power constrution job. Gotta keep praying.

Gary Horton came and spoke yesterday at our church. It was so good to be reminded to keep praying...especially for the hard to love, the pierced, the tattooed, the difficult, insecure, rebellious. I look at them as carrying a lot of baggage, but they are precious to God, and need God to change their lives and give them purpose. We need to pray that God open doors and get Gary into school to give the Gospel. That is what our future generation needs.

One story stands out in my mind from the day. Bob's uncle had the same name and signature as his own father. When Bob's uncle was overseas in the Battle of the Bulge, and sending his $22 a month paycheck back home, it was either put in a joint account or the bank messed up, because when Bob's granddad wrote checks, he used up all Bob's uncle's money. When Bob's uncle and dad came home from WWII, they came home to no money, and all their possessions had been sold by a second wife. All their precious books, and things, gone. And Bob's uncle was not bitter about it. He never complained nor spoke of it, but went on and got a job and got married, and raised a wonderful family, and made a conscious decision to be a better father and husband than he had had. a daily, conscious decision...to start his day reading his Bible, praying, looking into the Word for what to do, how to act, and then he lived it. He was respected all his life in his town, and seen to be strong and gentle. Reflected in the stories from the sons and daughter, was this theme of a true gentleman.

Bob's oldest brother, both a preacher and a prof at a Bible college, did okay in the sermon portion. Everyone else loved it, and thought it great, but to me it was just okay. I wanted more about passing the baton. I wanted more about admonishing the next generation as this looked like the last opportunity for that. But, God the Holy Spirit directed Joel to preach other things. Like, be careful what God you serve. A god of your own making, or the One True God.

Maybe they ran out of room on the bulletin, but the myriad of nieces and nephews, grands and greats were left off. And Bob's uncle's influence of the El Paso Williamsons was not mentioned here either as it had with Aunt Mary's funeral. At Aunt Mary's funeral, we were all directed to sit shoulder to shoulder, and the orphaned El Paso Williamsons got to say thanks. This time, we had wandered in early, and sat apart. I was so glad James and Amber were there to hear the stories. And I hope Ben appreciates them some day. But, I wish Andy and Lauren could have heard them, too. As these stories from Missouri, Arkansas, New Mexico, and El Paso are part of their rich heretage, too.

Bob's uncle's daughter shared some of the near death experiences which sound more like a gift and something to ponder, as she was amazed they happened while all three of them were there. Usually, her brothers took turns flying into town to see their Dad, and at the end, the lucid times seemed to be rare as they knew he was ready to go, and yet lingered for a few weeks in hospice. At one point, he seemed to be talking to another place when he bold demanded of some unseen entity: "who are you? come here, who are you?" and then proclaimed, "I am William R. Williamson, junior, and I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ..." as if in some part of the angelic conflict, his spirit was still lucid and alive and awake. A man of prayer to the end, a prayer warrior all his life, doing spiritual battle to the end, too. All three of his children witnessed it and were so thankful for this and other glimpses into that unseen realm. They could tell a difference in when he was halucinating or confused, and when he was clearly declaring or conversing with the next world.

Dangerously Hot (old post found in draft folder from July 2009

We are under a heat advisory until Monday night at 7pm. Why 7pm? Is that when the temperature dips below one hundred degrees?

Even the nights are warmish. I think the day started at 85 degrees this morning. And the water coming out of the "cold" water side will wilt lettuce. I can take a whole bath and shower just using the "cold" side. We might as well turn off the hot water heater this month.

Bob has waited until the yard is somewhat shaded to mow. He wants to mow so that he can water and keep the yard sorta green for a few more weeks.

We attended Amber's church this morning. Drove the route between our two churches to check the milage, and noticed that one of the streets have changed. Bob fixed the maps on google earth so that we can print out a few to keep with us, and post the link for incoming relatives. Amber's church is small, but they have done such an amazing amount of remodeling since we were there at Christmas. Carpet, and padded pews, and the textured walls reminded me of angels' wings. I wonder if they planned it thataway. I tried to imagine Amber and her eight bridesmaids all lined up. It will be packed, but fun. I wonder if Amber and her crew will step up on the stage to be seen easier? It is a big step. And I hope all the dear ladies and gentlemen eat a good lunch, and drink plenty of water. We don't want anyone fainting.

It will take folks 30 minutes or so to drive back to our church for the reception where we have lots of room in our church gym. I am encouraging some of Bob's cousins with small children to come just to the reception, as we can still visit, and it will be easier on their kids. Bob asked if we would be inviting anyone from our church, but how do you invite a select few and not everyone? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. And while family understand we can't all fit into Amber's church, they are flexibale about coming to the reception for a good visit. We kinda need a head count to give the catorers. or is it caterers. or how about catorors?

Amber's church members may wonder why no one from our church attended, but I hope they understand why. And I hope they will feel welcome at our church.

As soon as the reception is over, we have to get the gym ready for church the next day---200 chairs wheeled out of their storage rooms and set up. Bob has been on the chair crews for years, and can do it in an hour with four other men who know what they are doing. Bob likes to set them precisely. Our church threw us a curve ball by deciding to add yet another "ministry" of opening the gym Friday afternoons. Just when are we going to have time to decorate. It is not right to be mad at your own church, but ... And Bob and I have been pondering just how much tea, limeade, and lemonade for 150 people in super hot weather. I am sure there is a formula on google somewhere. Ice hauled from the grocery store next door.

It will all work out. I just hope James and Amber look back with good memories. And I hope they are able to laugh at all that transpires. No matter what.

Now if we can just find someone to keep our church open from 2-6pm, and greet the cake lady, and catorers, and receptionees, and help with the music....

James was home this weekend

And we only ate breakfast with him once.   (publishing an old post from a drafts folder) 

I think we missed our opportunity on Saturday night.

He heads back to Lawton today. He says he'll be by to pick up his laundry later. But, he has a full day scheduled with Amber. And that is as it should be. Yesterday we showed Amber and her sister and niece and nephew the facilities, and they discussed table placement. Then James showed them the botanical gardens, but he said he also experienced a flat tire. Yikes. Got it fixed at Walmart. That is good.

Next weekend, James does not come home here. We'll be going to Ohio to see firstborn become a captain. And then June 6th--Ben wants to go with us to see Hannah graduate from high school with us at Reed Arena. Our social calendar is getting exciting!

Bob google earthed the trip to Ohio. Google earth has pictures of the streets and houses and businesses now, as if you are driving down the street!!! Amazing, and so helpful for the directionally challenged like me. And so fun to zoom in on the farm in Illinois. When I was a little girl, my grandmother would send me to the north bedroom to fetch a sweater, and I had NOT a clue as to which bedroom was north, and google earth helps me figure out which way was which. I did not learn to drive in Illinois, which is my excuse for not knowing the four points of the compass. And it was cloudy a lot---so I could not use the sun. That is my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. Ha. I should have had a watch with a compass as a kid.

I would like to thank my husband again for over and above and beyond the call of duty---the hours and hours shopping, researching, schlepping, re-arranging, plugging in stuff, downloading stuff, and getting this new computer stack set up and going so that I can wile away my hours playing on the computer. What few interesting articles I find him, I don't think it is a fair exchange. Bob does not ask for much. He seems so grateful for any meal (except yogurt), peanut butter cookies, and clean black socks. And of course, a game of Scrabble. But, we did not get to do that much between computer revivial, retreaval, and power outages. But, Bob did a funny, funny post about our adventures Sunday. I can tell it is going to be and awesome post when he sits in his chair laughing at his own writing. And then we get to bouncing comment ideas off each other. Whoa. And Bob's commenters are so kind to help me out with even more ideas. We hope no one from church (if anyone reads Bob's blog) is offended. We have had poor attitudes about the music at church for years. It is not just the present administration.

Maybe, in heaven, God will not only fix our attitudes about worship music, but give us the great music to sing. And maybe He has a special place for hymn lovers---a special hymns only section as well as a seven-eleven place for those who lean thataway, for their enjoyment. I don't know. And won't it be fun to hear the original Psalms in their original music. Bob thinks it will sound mournful