Question: "[Have you] ever written anything on condolences for people who lost loved ones and believe they are in heaven without a doubt, however lifestyle may suggest otherwise. However I know I can't judge anyone's heart...
Or when people say God needed that person in heave and so that is why they died...what can you say to these people? Something comforting, not judgmental."
Answer:
I have not written on this before, so this may be a good time to do so. We'll start with the what is perhaps the easier one, which is the idea that "God needed them in heaven."
We do know that the Bible says that the death of God's children is precious in His sight. Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Ephesians 3:16-19 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 1 Peter 1:7-9 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Here is a tutorial for some lovely cloth napkins (serviettes, or whatever you call them in your country :-) ). Stephanie posted made this useful tutorial at The Enchanting Rose. I hope someone enjoys making these pretties.
Reader: "I was wondering why does your husband read your emails before you do ? You are plenty capable of handling a nasty email or discern if someone sends you something off? Just curious?"
Answer: This anonymous comment showed up on my blog several years ago. I am finally getting around to answering it.
First of all, let me say that while some people refuse to publish anonymous comments, I understand that some ladies want to maintain their privacy, so I don't have a problem with it. In this case I didn't because I wanted to answer it in an actual post. Of course, if it is a rude, angry or otherwise unacceptable comment, I will not publish it as all my comments on the blog are moderated by me.
The reason someone asked this question is not directly related to the blog itself and actually it had nothing to do with the post where it was made. This comment was inspired by the fact that formerly, if someone clicked to send email from The Home Maker's Corner, there was a page with the email address which also included a short message. Part of that message was that all emails were pre-read by my husband, Peter. Someone apparently thought this was weak of me. :-)
So, what was the reason behind this?
I started The Home Maker's Corner around 1995 or 1996 (I wish I'd made a record of that date). This was long before I got married, and I was still living in my parents' home at the time. Back then, what have now come to be called trolls on the internet did not have nearly as much breadth for their general nastiness as they do today. When my dad and I first started our web pages, we got "hate mail" and "flames" often enough. And, I do mean hate mail. Some of it was obscene. The vile spewings that sometimes landed in my dad's "in box" were really dreadful. In fact, he has even had a death threat and threats of personal harm and law suits in the past. Yes, you read that correctly.
Not surprisingly then, it was decided early on that my dad would screen all of the email for The Home Maker's Corner. Some of it he answered himself, especially if it was from a man or a lady who was being particularly pushy or rude. Some was simply deleted. If he thought it was something I should handle or it was a positive communication, he forwarded it to me. I did deal with some difficult questions and emails at times, because he was only protecting me from the really vile or disgusting stuff - and things from men who should have been writing to him anyway.
When my husband and I got married years later, this was still the system by which we were working and so we naturally just transfered those incoming emails over to my husband. He is not terribly diligent with he email in some ways, and I am not as diligent at answering emails as I used to be, so this was not working out too well. There were long delays in people receiving answers to their letters. Some never did get a reply, I'm very sorry to say.
But, something curious happened on the internet during that time. The trolls and ranters experienced a wide expansion to their field of activity. They now have their own blogs, other blogs where comments are allowed without moderation, Facebook, Twitter, etc. where they can dump their loads of verbal manure for tens, hundreds, and thousands of people to read. Why waste their time sending single emails to some housewife or her husband who may not ever answer it? So, they seldom do that any more. For the most part I handle the email now, but my husband is still sometimes part of the decision process if something difficult comes in.
Interestingly, even the contradictory emails tend to be more polite than they were in the past. The people who are prone to gross language and such like seem to be primarily attracted to the places where they can have a wider audience.
I think that there is also the facet of the multitude of information out there now. There are millions, billions of sites people can visit, and my little corner of the web is really not that interesting to most of the trolls and rowdies. Why rail on some "stupid housewife" when they can spend their energy tearing up the POTUS or their hated Hollywood star or some well-known Bible teacher? And since I don't do videos, I'm really pretty dull. :-)
As to my being "plenty capable" of handling nasty emails, that is debatable. Some emails that are not even nasty, but only difficult, can still cause me stress. And, with a chronic anxiety disorder [disclaimer on some content], this is something that I sometimes just can't deal with very well. It isn't a matter so much of whether or not I can handle the content or discern a problem, it's more that my mind becomes obsessively compulsive over answering such mail and this can literally wear me out mentally and emotionally. So, yes and no to being able to handle it. Sometimes it isn't a problem. Sometimes it is. Partly this just depends on where I am with my own struggles with health - both physically and mentally.
So, for whoever was wondering, this is the story behind that. :-)
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms...
Better Than My Best
I prayed for strength, and then I lost awhile All sense of nearness, human and divine; The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart, The hands I clung to loosed themselves from mine; But while I swayed, weak trembling, and alone, The everlasting arms upheld my own.
I prayed for light; the sun went down in clouds, The moon was darkened by a misty doubt... Continue Reading
In case you hadn't noticed, there has been a rise in the United States of bad attitudes toward people of other nationalities. This is not limited to people living within this country who are viewed as "aliens" or immigrants. I have run across Americans being really rude to people who live in other countries. I could say A LOT about this subject as it is something that really puffs my tail, but I'll refrain at this time. :-)
What I thought might be interesting is to make some posts from time to time about other countries, cultures, nations, etc. Those of us who are Christians should be seeing our fellow believers in other countries (whether nationals or expats) as our fellow saints; and personally, I think it is healthy to show an interest in their culture and the things they have to deal with on a daily basis.
Strangely, it makes some professing Christians very angry when anyone says this, but: The United States of America is not God's favorite nation. Some of us are ambassadors for Christ here, and some are in other countries, but if we're saved, we're all members of the same body of Christ and this world is not our home! Praise God for that!
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. Revelation 5:9-10 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
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So here is a post at another blog about what it is like to live in Malaysia. I hope you take the time to read it. I found it very interesting.
This week is the big "reveal" of the mug and tea cup exchange gifts over at The Enchanting Rose. Stephanie did a fantastic job of hosting this blogland event in March and now we're supposed to share the gifts we received either on our blogs or at her page. You can see the other mug and tea cup reveals here: 10th Tea Cup and Mug Exchange Reveal.
So, here is the gift I received from Angela, the lady who received my name - and very nice gift it is too!
I received a mug with a pretty cardinal on it - my favorite bird. Also there was a journal, two kinds of herb tea, two crocheted hot pads with a matching thing to hang them on, some honey spoons, a rolling pin shaped recipe card holder, and a lovely apron! It was a very nice surprise to have the apron in addition to the mug! So appropriate and thoughtful. :-) There was also a cute card with a letter, which was nice as well.
I would have to say that cardinals are probably my favorite bird. I love their brilliant color, but they also have a number of fond memories connected with various people I knew in the past and know now, including my own dear husband. This mug is pretty large, which is another plus. Great for hot cocoa. I have used it several times already. :-)
The beautiful white apron has both embroidery and Battenberg style lace on it. I doubt that I will use it for cooking, it's too pretty to spoil that way. But, it would look very nice in our dining room on the pantry door where I already have a small collection of special aprons. It also matches the valances in the dining room nicely.
Altogether it was a very nice package. :-) I appreciate Angela's efforts.
Even the cat got something enjoyable out of it! hehe
Here is what I sent to the lady whose name I received (copied from Stephanie's page.)
The account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and their meeting with Jesus is one of my favorite parts of the events surrounding His resurrection. It has drama, mystery, humor, and pathos. It is beautiful. Let's take a closer look.
Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
On the first day of the week, the day that Jesus rose from the dead, two of His disciples headed to their home at Emmaus in the afternoon. Sixty furlongs is about 10-12 kilometers or 7 miles, depending on how you measure it. So, it was a bit of a walk. At a moderate pace it would take them close to two hours, longer if they went slower.
Many of the paintings and illustrations of this story have shown two men walking with Jesus or sitting at the table eating with Him. If a woman is present, it's usually in the eating scene and she is usually a background figure serving the food or merely an onlooker. But is that really how it was?
Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Colossians 2:13-15 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
On Calvary
On Calvary we've adoring stood,
And gazed on that wondrous cross
Where the holy, spotless, Lamb of God
Was slain in His love for us;
How our hearts have stirred at that solemn cry,
While the sun was enwrapt in night,
"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"
Most blessed, most awful sight.
Our sins were laid on His sacred head,
The curse by our Lord was borne;
For us a victim our Saviour bled,
And endured that death of scorn;
Himself He gave our poor hearts to win--
(Was ever love, Lord, like Thine!)
From the paths of folly, and shame, and sin,
And fill them with joys divine.
We've watched by the tomb where our Saviour lay
When he entered the gloomy grave;
And by death the power of death might slay
And His lambs from the lion save.
Oh! glorious time when the Victor rose!
He liveth, no more to die;
He hath bruised the head of our mighty foes,
For us was His victory!
The gates of heaven are opened wide,
At His name all the angels bow;
The Son of man who was crucified
Is the King of glory now:
We love to look up and behold Him there,
The Lamb for His chosen slain;
And soon shall His saints all His glories share,
With their Head and their Lord to reign.
And now we draw near to the throne of grace,
For His blood and the Priest are there;
And we joyfully seek God's holy face,
With our censer of praise and prayer.
The burning mount and the mystic veil,
With our terrors and guilt, are gone;
Our conscience has peace that can never fail,
'Tis the Lamb on high on the throne.
- James G. Deck
From Hymns For the Little Flock, No. 212
Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:...24 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Acts 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Here is another free vintage graphic which has had a verse added and/or been edited by myself. I thought this would be appropriate for Resurrection Sunday, so am posting it this month. You may click on the image below to save it, or click here and then click the download button in the lower right corner.
I think that these are supposed to be a type of stork's bill or crane's bill. I haven't made a positive identification to my own satisfaction as yet. They are very tiny, though. See the fingertip for comparison.
It's time for another writing challenge. I don't seem to have many people following along with this as compared with the other challenges that I posted for two years, but I have found the writing challenges to be really beneficial for my own writing, so I intend to keep on with it. Maybe more will join in eventually. I hope that some home school moms might realize that the challenges could be used for writing assignments to help improve their students' skills. They are also useful for adding content to a blog - so far. :-)
Show us our need, O Lord; how lost, how hopeless,
How poor, how sunk in sin our carnal hearts;
Show us how vain to change our sad condition,
Our best endeavor and our utmost arts;
Show us how weak we are, and how dependent,
How multiplied defeats our pride abase;
And then -- O Lord, lest we despair too wholly --
Show us Thy grace!
Show us Thy grace, the great, the all-sufficient,
Infinite riches for our poverty,
Mercy of God for uttermost salvation,
Weapon that turns defeat to victory;
Gladness unspeakable and full of glory,
Beyond our needs, a vast unmeasured space.
Lord, as we never yet have seen or known it,
Show us Thy grace!
- Annie Johnson Flint
One of my (many) favorite quotes:
There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things. -- Dwight L. Moody
One of my favorite hymns, sung by the John Marshall Family who were my favorite Christian singing group. Words by Frances Ridley Havergal.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
