Monday, April 9, 2007

Get Real Monday: Favorites

Randi's theme for this Get Real Monday is favorite things. At first I was overwhelmed at the possibilities. How can I choose my favorite things? There are so many of them! Then as I was reading over some others favorites, it hit me - and I knew what my true favorite things are.

But I first need to explain that really my favorite things are not things at all. The more I thought about those things that I hold most dear, I envisioned faces and times and memories and hopes. The things that are my favorite are the things that have value both now and for all eternity.

  1. Bible My Bible, in the King James Version. It is the word of God preserved through the centuries; my source of encouragement, strength, peace, comfort, and wisdom, and a tool that the Holy Spirit uses to mold me and refine me as I read, read, read from Genesis through Revelation and back again. It is kept under my pillow and is the first thing I read in the morning and the last thing I read before turning off the light at bedtime.
  2. My husband! He works for us, provides abundantly for us, makes us laugh and keeps us in line. When times are rough, he's there with strength and a solution. He's the calm in the storm and I am so thankful for him.
  3. My Children! As hard as it can be sometimes, I am blessed to have three incredible sons and one amazing daughter. I love their laughter, their hugs, even their tears. I love hearing their ideas and seeing their eyes light up when they have a plan! There are so many times when I sit back and am absolutely astonished at being blessed with these four souls. Being responsible for training them and leading them in the straight and narrow path which leads to life is overwhelming and yet so abundantly rewarding.
  4. Homeschooling! I'm even more blessed in that the LORD led us to keep them home for schooling in order to not only protect them from the world and to educate them to the very best of their abilities, but to truly bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Ephesians 6 Homeschooling has been the anvil that I have been forged upon in a way unlike anything else. While at times it is my greatest trial, it is also one of the things I love the most.
  5. Our time reading the Bible as a family. We each read a chapter out loud, going slowly, explaining as needed. When they gain a new understanding, see something they never noticed or paid attention to before, or remember something similar from another chapter or book, it's wonderful to see the workings of their minds, the visible "click" of knowledge gained, and the excitement they have for the word of Life.
  6. Hymns! I'm so thankful for the dear and faithful believers of ages past who were led by the Holy Spirit to compose songs of joy and praise to the LORD. Who, during times of intense suffering, wrote lines of such intense beauty that you cannot help but be drawn closer to God. One of my favorite times is when before and after our Bible reading, we sing hymns as a family. The children take turns choosing which ones we sing - and yes, there are some that we sing over and over and over. ;-)
  7. Books! In the same vein with hymns, I am grateful for believers who have taken the time to write and share their knowledge and wisdom. The Holy Spirit has opened my eyes through the writings of several faithful brothers and sisters in Christ - as regards music, clothing, training children, being a wife and mother, Bible versions, friendships, hospitality and more! I consider them the older women or fathers in the faith teaching and training me. I need to add here that I used to just read for the sake of reading. No longer. I now carefully choose the books I read, and if it is claiming to be teaching something Christian, I make sure that it agrees with the whole counsel of God (the Whole Bible, not just a verse or chapter or book.) Sadly, much of what is written today is simply the fluff of the world re-written and re-packaged for 'itching ears.'
  8. Uplifting Ministries. Several years ago as I was doing some reading on the history of the Bible, how different versions came to be, and all the different preserved texts used, I started thinking about all of the ministries that I really benefitted from. I was surprised to find that they all had one thing in common - they all used the King James Version of the Bible. These are a few of the ministries that I have gained eternal wisdom and encouragement from: Titus2 (The Maxwell Family), No Greater Joy, Keepers of the Faith (look at their Articles section for some great, thought-provoking reading), Mantle Ministries, and Answers In Genesis.

Be sure to click on the Get Real link above to find out what other favorite things are out there!

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