Monthly Book Giveaway--The Hidden Art of Homemaking, by Edith Schaeffer

For more information about Monthly Book Giveaways, click HERE. 

This month's book giveaway is for a wonderful, practical, delightful book that has challenged me and opened my mind and heart to see homemaking in a beautiful and intriguing light--as an art and a creative channel through which to use the gifts and abilities that the Great Creator has given us for His glory, and to enrich the lives of our family, friends, and other believers. 

There is a dutiful element to homemaking; that cannot be denied. Washing dishes, folding towels, cleaning floors, changing sheets, weeding gardens. And the Lord teaches us faithfulness and perseverance through the monotony of everyday tasks. He gives us joy through them and fills us with the joy of Himself through serving others via "menial" tasks. This is one of the ways that I believe that the Lord teaches us servanthood and surrender. 

But, as Edith Schaeffer points out in this wonderful book -- Homemaking may also be seen as an art and possesses an artistic, creative element that should be explored and embraced. Arranging flowers on an otherwise bare table, sewing beautiful curtains, preparing an eye-pleasing and nourishing meal, dressing attractively . . . these are just some of the ways that we reflect the creativity of the Great Creator in our lives and homes. 

If you are not the the winner of this giveaway, I would strongly encourage you to obtain a copy of this book and read it anyway! It will open your mind and your heart to the joy of reflecting the beauty of the Creator through creative homemaking and will truly enrich your life and the lives of those around you; it is a mind- and eye-opening book. 

Description of The Hidden Art of Homemaking:  (from CBD)

Artists and homemakers, prepare to be inspired. Schaeffer transfers domestic tasks into masterpieces of creative expression-whether she's filling the house with flowers, music, and literature, building a toy rocking horse from scratch, dipping homemade candles, and more in this timeless classic.

If you are not familiar with Edith Schaeffer, she and her husband were led of the Lord to begin a place of refuge, called L'Abri, for those who were seeking answers to life's questions--you can read more about the Schaeffer's and their work HERE. 

And now, time for the Giveaway! :-)

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You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Theology Thursdays, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking Thursday, Every Day Jesus, Count My Blessings, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Blessing Counters Link Party, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Saturday Soiree Blog Party, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop. Totally Terrific Tuesday, RaRaLinkup

Preserving the Precious, Protecting the Weak

Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9 NKJV

I heard a true story about a prisoner, watching as a Mother Robin built her nest in a precarious place on a chain link fence outside the window of the prison. 

The prisoner watched as the Mother sat on her nest, protecting her young, even before they were born, from the elements that beat down vehemently upon her. 

Fearful for the fate of the baby birds, the prisoner watched as day by day, the Mother tried to care for her young under incredibly difficult circumstances. 

Finally, they fell from the nest, onto the rocks below. Heartbroken and helpless to do anything to help the sweet, innocent birds, the prisoner wept. 

And the prisoner watched as a guard, taking some pity on the fledgling robins, placed them on a napkin in the shade. 

To the prisoner's dismay, along came two more prison guards. Laughing, they threw the baby birds into the sewage drain, and walked away . . . 

And so weeping, the prisoner watched from behind the prison bars. 

This is the devastation of sin in the world. This is the no "happy ending." This is the tragedy and the loss and the chaos and the sorrow. 

This story made me feel sick, that deep, sorrowing sick, when we realize that the unthinkable has happened. 

And this week, I watched a woman drink wine and talk nonchalantly about selling the organs of aborted babies. 

I watched as she enjoyed life while talking about death. 

I watched as she ate and drank and celebrated the monetary benefits that an aborted babies' heart, lungs, and liver could deliver to an organization supported by taxpayer's funds. 

And I, like so many others, felt sick. 

The unthinkable . . . playing out on a camera with words and lips and wine and flippancy and the casual toss of a fork into a salad.

And she spoke of the intentional grasp of forceps that were careful not to crush the parts of a baby that would bring a profit--oh yes, discard the rest, the parts that were unwanted, unloved, and a burden to a woman and to an unfeeling society that has almost lost its conscience. 

Throw away those parts. 

Keep the ones that will rake in a profit. Heart, lungs, liver. 

His heart must be broken. 

My heart was broken . . . how much more, His?

The devastation of sin, the crushing, the destruction, the chaos. 

An innocent baby, thrown into a garbage can.

Innocent baby Robins, thrown into a sewer.

And the world turns away distracted eyes and overlooks and laughs and carries on with "life."

So I ask, how must we respond to these kinds of tragedies, these kinds of attitudes, this kind of sorrow?

With despair? Or with hope? 

He sees the falling of the sparrow. He formed the small one in the womb. He knows each tiny, infinite detail. And He weeps and loves. 

As His, we have a sacred duty. 

A duty to speak for those "appointed to die," a duty to protect the innocent, to defend the weak and the small and the powerless. 

And when we do this, there is hope. 

We make tiny ripples in the pools of complacency. 

We stoop down and we lift tiny birds dying in the scorching sun and we protect them and we nurture them and we set them free to live. 

We touch the hand, the heart of the unwed mother and we speak truth and we speak hope and we speak life and we pray that her eyes and her heart may be opened not to destroy life, but to preserve it. 

Because all life is precious. 

And when we ignore the evil around us, when we refuse to speak, when we will do nothing, are we not just as guilty as the perpetrators of evil? 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Pastor and theologian executed by hanging under Hitler's regime wrote: 

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. 

We must speak. We must act. We must love. We must not be afraid. 

In the little circumstances of life and in the great ones. May we not be silent when confronted by evil. May we not be so comfortable in this fading life that we don't long for the next. May we not overlook evil because it makes our life a little easier. For now. 

Because there is hope. Hope for individuals, hope for the crushed hurting, hope beyond the grave. 

At times we grow afraid. It appears that evil has won.

It has not. He is bringing all things, all events into the fruition of His will; He is ordering the paths of the nations; He is working in unseen ways Hope and Heaven and deliverance and peace. 

And we are sojourners here. For a short time. For a brief hour. May we not let our lives be wasted. May we speak and protect and pray and trust and live for His kingdom--waiting and watching in hope. 

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Theology Thursdays, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking Thursday, Every Day Jesus, Count My Blessings, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Blessing Counters Link Party, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Saturday Soiree Blog Party, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop. Totally Terrific Tuesday, RaRaLinkup

Love that Wins

“Now, Mr. Great-heart was a strong man, so he was not afraid of a lion.” 

- John Bunyan

It was the first time this week that I've really felt peace. 

Oh, I know the promises. And I know that our God is in control. I know that He allows and orders all things; that nothing happens apart from His plan.

I knew all of these things.

And yet, fear gripped me. Worry threatened me. A lump of dismay lay cold and clammy in my heart, and I felt afraid. 

Afraid when I read about the SCOTUS decision in my "Trending"sidebar. 

Afraid when I saw all of the "rejoicing," when rainbow flags kept popping up, overshadowing the faces of so, so many, it seemed.

Afraid when even so-called Christians appeared to be joining the bandwagon, when other believers said nothing, appeared oblivious to the whole thing, or just wanted to ignore it. 

I felt afraid. 

Felt afraid when they called it "hate," when they labeled me a "bigot" because I cannot, in good conscience, approve a lifestyle choice that directly flies in the face of God's Word, of a lifestyle choice that mocks Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, that re-defines" love" as whatever a person wishes it to be. 

I've had friends who are homosexuals. I've loved them. I've felt genuine compassion toward them; I've seen them as fellow sinners--the only difference between us grace and repentance. I remember a boy who was gay in my high school class -- an outcast, who used to enjoy talking with me. I still have it -- the picture that he drew of me with angel wings. He gave it to me. I hope that he found Jesus and freedom. I loved him. 

This message of #lovewins is a deception -- because true love is of God; there is no such thing as love apart from His Word and His rule. Sin brings death and chaos and loss. Sin will never win, for the "soul that sins will die." 

If anything (ironically), the "hatred" that I've seen has come from homosexuals and their supporters... frankly, I've never seen a group exercise so much intimidation and hateful speech towards those who morally oppose them. But then, we are never consistent when far from God, only consistent in our sin and in justifying our lifestyle. May God have mercy. May God forgive them, for they know not what they do. 

So I have felt afraid. Afraid of the "floods of ungodliness." Afraid of the ambivalence. Afraid of the silence, afraid for my children, afraid of what they may have to face in the future, afraid for myself and for other believers.

Fear. But then, peace. 

I was walking with my little ones, down the old familiar road that we always walk on. 

I looked above us, beyond to the telephone wire near a marsh that houses many different birds. And I saw a dove, a robin, and a cardinal. Just sitting calmly, unafraid. 

Creation itself spoke to me of Him, of His constancy, of His power, of His love. Spoke to me in the midst of my fear  and assured me of His presence. He was there with me. He is here with me. His heart holds my children; our times are in His hands. 

Later, we stood near the ocean where the wind whipped our hair, and I spread out my arms toward the sky . . . It is my Father's world. Nothing can happen to me, to my husband, to our children, to my loved ones apart from His will. All the hairs on our heads are numbered. 

And the battle is already won. 

So I take heart.

And I speak His truth, because truth cannot stay hidden inside. 

And I love my neighbor as myself, gay, straight, old, young, rich, or poor--

And if I love my neighbor as myself than I will not look over his sin -- because love that wins is a love that cares about whether my neighbor will spend eternity with Jesus or eternity apart from Him. The question is not whether I love my neighbor so much as it is do I love my neighbor enough to tell him the truth and to lead him to Jesus?

Because love is not a warm fuzzy feeling, as C. S. Lewis says,

Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.

Love is caring enough about another person for whom Christ died, that we don't want their sin (no matter what kind of sin it is) to cause them to be eternally separated from God. And this is the same love that Jesus had for us. 

I will speak because I do not need to be afraid of those who can only kill the body but cannot kill the soul. 

I will speak love in the midst of hatred towards the Lord Jesus, hatred towards His Word, hatred towards His will and His rule. 

I will speak love.

Because I am not afraid.

There is not fear in love because perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18)... We love because He first loved us. (I John 4:19)

And loving, stand unafraid in Him. 

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, So Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, A Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Theology Thursdays, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking Thursday, Every Day Jesus, Count My Blessings, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Blessing Counters Link Party, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Saturday Soiree Blog Party, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-Up, A Little R&R Wednesdays. TGI Saturdays Blog Hop. Totally Terrific Tuesday, RaRaLinkup