"A Young Mother's Prayer" Jonah Elisha is here!!!

Our sweet son, Jonah Elisha was born March 1st, 2011!

A Young Mother's Prayer
Occasioned by an expression uttered
by a mother, over her firstborn

By James Smith, 1865

"Lord, bless my babe!" the youthful mother cried,
And fondly pressed her infant to her breast;
Then offered it to Him, who loved and died,
To give poor suffering mothers peace and rest.

It was her first-born, and she loved it well,
Admired each feature, full of strange delight;
Then turned the kindness of her God to tell,
Whose tender care had blessed her with the sight.

Perhaps she thought, "Ah! If I had been blind,
And felt my loved one on my bosom lie,
But could not see its face — my God, how kind
To let me see my baby's lovely eye!

Its little head had slumbered on my breast,
Its velvet cheek awakened sweet surprise;
Its ruby lips a mother's bosom prest,
Who longed to see it with her poor blind eyes.

"Or, if I had been deaf, and could not hear
Its little voice which thrills through all my soul.
How often would I have shed the bitter tear,
And found it hard my feelings to control.

"To know it prattled, pleasing all around,
And calling Mother with an angel's voice.
Unable to drink in the charming sound,
How could I with a mother's joy rejoice?

"But I have eyes to see my darling child,
And ears to listen to its feeblest cry;
My heart has danced already, while it smile,
And I have seen strange beauty in its eye!

Or, had my babe been blind, and could not see
Its mother's face, or nature's beauties bright;
How painful and distressing unto me,
Its sightless eye-balls destitute of light!

"Or, if it had been deaf, and could not hear
My voice, which seeks to soothe and hush its cries;
That were a burden I could scarcely bear,
Though to complain, in me, would be unwise.

"But my sweet babe has sight and hearing too,
Its senses and its members are complete;
The goodness of my God in this I view,
And lay my loved one at my Savior's feet.

"I do feel grateful, O God of love!
Accept the praises of my thankful heart;
And let me, though a sinner, daily prove,
The peace Your presence only can impart.

"Lord, bless my babe! Your daughter let it be;
In early life convert it by Your Word:
Oh, may it soon Your great salvation see,
And own You as its Savior and its Lord!

"This youthful mother offers up her child,
Savior, accept and fill it with Your love.
May it be holy, gentle, loving, mild,
And all the riches of Your mercy prove.

"Teach me to train it in Your holy ways,
And early lead it to Your gracious throne;
Oh, let my babe show forth my Savior's praise,
And by it, may Your holy will be done!

"I would not nurse it for the world or sin.
Or see it prove an enemy to Thee;
I'll early try its little heart to win,
And pray that it may consecrated be.

"It was Your gift, I love it for Your sake,
And hope to see it live Your name to fear;
Mother and babe into your keeping take,
And all through life, oh, may we find You near!

"Nor let my child assume my Savior's place;
To Him, my warmest love is ever due;
Blessed Spirit, daily fill my mind with grace,
That Jesus' glory I may still pursue.

"Lord, bless my babe, and spare it to me still,
Healthy and strong, to comfort my fond heart;
Oh, may it walk by Your preceptive will,
And in Your service, all its powers exert.

"Tis Yours, created by Your power alone,
As Yours, I wish to treat it day by day;
Oh, may Your precious blood its sins atone,
And from its spirit purge each stain away.

"Accept my feeble praise for mercies given,
And keep me near your side through all my way;
Conduct and teach me until I enter Heaven,
Nor let me from Your holy precepts stray.

"A mother's heart, before a Savior's throne,
Would thus my fondest wishes now express;
To me be all Your tender mercy shown,
And do, dear Savior — do my baby bless!

"You had a mother once, when here on earth:
You know how anxious is a mother's heart;
Oh, grant, do grant my child a second birth,
Your Holy Spirit to her soul impart.

"A mother's tears, are precious in Your sight,
A mother's prayers, You surely will receive;
Oh, fill a mother's breast with joyous light,
And to my darling girl, Your blessing give!

"You, You are worthy — honor to receive,
The highest honor earth or Heaven can raise;
Let all who from your fullness, grace receive,
In one harmonious anthem sound your praise!"

Teach Me, O Woman, to Know

My husband recently pointed out something to me that I have been pondering....alot. He asked me why it is that women often seek to be instructed in the Scriptures by other women? Now, I know that he didn't mean that women should never teach or disciple other women, but in context what he was asking is: Why do many women lean so heavily upon ministries and teachers who are women instead of their own husbands, fathers, or pastors?
Of course there is the Titus 2 example for us to follow. 
"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."-Titus 2:3-5. (click here for context)
 I definitely crave the wisdom of godly older women in my own life, but he was asking a deeper question. Why, as women, are we more prone to take to searching for the counsel of women above that of men in our desire to grow in the knowledge of God? 
I am guilty of this as well, so don't feel like I'm throwing stones at you, they're more like boomerangs that will come back to bop me in the head no matter how hard I throw them. 
I know that there's a comfort level, especially about certain issues, and I think there are subjects and times when it is highly inappropriate for a woman to seek the lone counsel of a man outside of her husband or father, yet even in those circumstances many pastors will counsel women with the aid of an elder woman and I think should. 
Yet, the question still plagues me. Am I turning to women's ministries/women teachers/authors/*gulp* bloggers when I should be turning to the godly men I have been graciously given in my own life? 
"For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."-2 Timothy 3:6-7 (click here for context)

R.C.Sproul  

John Piper 

John MacArthur 

Albert Mohler 

I should tell you that most of my favorite authors and teachers are not women, and I believe that only men should pastor a church (1 Timothy 2:12 ). (These pictures and links are to the ministries of a few of my favorite living patriarchs of the church and preachers of the Word of God. I thank God for the wisdom He has given them, and they share with us!) I even find it hard sometimes to listen to or read after many female Christian authors or teachers, because, to be quite honest, I find many of them either misleading their followers (I believe unintentionally) and not going very deep into study or thought. I hate to make such disparaging remarks about my own sex, but am simply stating my experience, limited though it may be. 

To quote Elizabeth Bennett from "Pride and Prejudice", "I speak as I find." 
The mindset of many women seems to be to leave the serious study of things like doctrine and theology and even any serious study of the Bible to pastors and leaders. (I understand and acknowledge that this is a genderless problem in the body of Christ, plaguing many men as well.)
"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?"-1 Corinthians 12:27-29 (click here for context)
My husband is wise in the Word of God, wiser than I often give him credit for, and often because he is right and I know it when I am wrong. I have a tendency to be cynical and hypercritical of everyone and everything, and yet he is constantly trying to point me to love others with the truth when I have a strong and fleshly desire to smack them down with it. Yet, I must ask myself how often do I turn to him, to this blessing of a man God has given me? 

I am not in any way advocating a complete boycott of women teaching and/or discipling other women, and would never even think of such a thing, as it is biblical and godly to do so. I do listen to some female teachers and have greatly benefited from their ministries, but I am simply asking the question. Do we, as women, lean on the God given gifts of male teachers, preachers, and leaders, especially if we've been given godly and wise husbands, for our spiritual food, or are we seeking the counsel of women by preference or pride in our sex or even *gasp* out of a lingering feminism influence that is keeping us from completely submitting to the authority of such men in our lives? 
You have your topic; discuss ;)

"And the winner is..."

ME! Or rather Crumbs Under My Table.
Thanks so much to my friend Michelle who I met through fb where we were both seeking to share the gospel, only to find out we literally live in the same neighborhood, and had even passed each other out running.
I will be passing on this award to another "Stylish" blogger, but as instructed, will first share seven things about myself that you probably don't know.
1. I have spent most of my life on stage, and was a professional singer/musician/songwriter prior to the birth of our daughter. I have toured all over the United States, and have received fan mail from as far away as Japan and Nigeria, with my band's last studio album reaching #2 on a worldwide roots music chart based on international radio play. However, I am not a household name or face, but (and I'm still weirded out by this) you can still purchase black market prints of photographs of me on stage performing from certain websites (they aren't inappropriate pictures, just always weird to see myself like that). And I have lots of stories about life on the road and unusual fans (If you meet the man with my autograph tattooed on his chest, please know I truly had nothing to do with it, sadly true.)
2.  I am OCD about lots of things, but am a perfectionist that when unable to achieve what I perceive to be perfection would rather leave things undone, than be unable to do properly. (I would rather not clean my bathroom, than not to do a thorough job when I don't have the time.)
3. I have a bachelors degree in Cardiopulmonary Science and worked part-time prn in local hospitals.
4. I am the only girl of four kids. Yes, that means I was slightly tomboyish, and impossibly spoiled by my dad.
5. I love books. Everything from the way they feel to the smell of the ink and paper (especially the smell of old books).  We are constantly running out of shelf space and soon our living room will look like a library (which is probably why its a good thing to close off half our basement to make a large family room, more room for shelves, which means more room for books. We will be seeing more of you, Mr. Moody.)
6. I met my husband when we were both 17 and providentially were assigned seats next to each other in a U.S. Government class. Needless to say, neither of us remember much of the actual class, including who else was in there. We started dating, and have been together ever since.
7. When I was a kid, I wanted to be either an astronomer or an archeologist, even reading several thick books on the subjects while in elementary school. (I think I was the only first grader who read Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, and knew who Stephen Hawking was. The archeologist idea was introduced to me through Indiana Jones movies, and I found I actually enjoyed studying artifacts and history and ancient civilizations.)

In case you're wondering my daughter is still working on my one-of-a-kind designer gown for the occasion, and as soon as I can convince her that a tutu and tiara aren't needed, I will wear it.
Anywho, this may be the one and only time I win any kind of blogging award, so let us all bask in the wonder of such a brief moment. Okay, moment over. Back to serious blogging again, or, well, as consistent as I wish I were in blogging ;)

Oh, and since I get to pass on this award, and I feel like a relative newbie in the blogosphere, I'd love to hear your nominees for "Most Stylish Blogger" so that I can share their blogs with others. So, who's your nominee? :)

"But God,..." Just a Reminder To Myself

    "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience---among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ----by grace you have been saved----and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."-Ephesians 2:1-10


Adam 
By: John Newton

On man, in His own image made,
How much did God bestow!
The whole creation homage paid, 
And owned him lord below.


He dwelt in Eden's garden, stored 
With sweets for every sense;
And there, with is descending Lord,
He walked in confidence.


But, oh, by sin how quickly changed!
His honor forfeited,
His heart from God and truth estranged, 
His conscience filled with dread!


Now from his Maker's voice he flees,
Which was before his joy,
And thinks to hide, amid the trees, 
From an all-seeing eye.


Compelled to answer to his name,
With stubbornness and pride,
He cast on God Himself the blame,
Nor once for mercy cried.


But grace, unasked, his heart subdued,
And all his guilt forgave;
By faith the promised Seed he viewed,
And felt His pow'r to save.


Thus we ourselves would justify, 
Though we the law transgress;
Like him, unable to deny,
Unwilling to confess.


But when, by faith, the sinner sees
A pardon, bought with blood,
Then he forsakes his foolish pleas, 
And gladly turns to God.

We're Not All God's Children

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, 

I should not be the servant of Christ."-Galatians 1:10.

I am not trying to be political, but this AP article caught my attention as a Christian. The title of the article is "Only Christians Are My Brothers and Sisters, Says Ala. Gov." 

The link to the full article is below this picture.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_alabama_governor_christians

I have no idea which polical party Gov. Robert Bentley represents, nor do I know what his theology, doctrine or which denomination, if any, he belongs to. What I do know is that from statements that he made to a church crowd on his inaguration day Monday have upset and offended people across the nation. This is the statement in question:
                       "Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not      my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother," Bentley said Monday, his inauguration day, according to The Birmingham News.

The response from the Anti-defamation League was: 
                       "His comments are not only offensive, but also raise serious questions as to whether non-Christians can expect to receive equal treatment during his tenure as governor," said Bill Nigut, the ADL's regional director."
Wow. So we've went from being offended by the claims of Christ's exclusivity to saying because he's a Christian (who actually states his beliefs publicly), than he can't possibly treat others who aren't Christians with equal respect and even with love.
The sad thing, and again I know nothing about the man personally, is that it seems his motives are out of love for those who are lost in his state. He has since stated, thankfully not an apology, but that his intent was not to offend, and that he "wanted them to become his brothers and sisters" in Christ. 
The statement issued from his office was not an apology either. Saying:
                          "The governor clearly stated that he will be the governor of all Alabamians — Democrat, Republican and Independent, young, old, black and white, rich and poor. As stated in his (inaugural) address, Gov. Bentley believes his job is to make everyone's lives better,".
It sounds to me like he's concerned for the unsaved and wanted to let them know that we're not all God's children. That is a position reserved only for those who have been granted redemption through Jesus Christ's atoning death, being reconciled to God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. (John 3:3 , John 14:6 , John 10:25-28 , Romans 8:14-17 , Romans 9:8 , Galatians 3:26-29 , Ephesians 1:5 , 1 John 3:10 , 1 John 5:2 )
The most vehement remarks came, not surprisingly, from the Ashfaq Taufique, the president of the Birmingham Islamic Society (you know the religion that is so peaceful and tolerant of others beliefs *insert sarcastic voice of your choosing here*). Their statement was: 
                             "Does it mean that those who according to him are not saved are less important than those who are saved?" Taufique said. "Does he want those of us who do not belong to the Christian faith to adopt his faith? That should be toned down. That's not what we need. If he means that, I hope he changes it. We don't want evangelical politicians. They can be whatever in their private life."
Thanks for the freedom, Mr. Taufique. It's okay for him to impose his beliefs. You know the belief that "We don't want evangelical politicians" and that Christians can be whatever they want to be in their private lives. And sadly, he's missed the point completely of Christianity. Christians don't stress the fact that apart from Christ people are eternally lost and bound for hell, because they think less of them, but because we want their eyes to be opened to the truth, and for them to be saved as well. 
                            "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."-Mark 16:15-16

Should a Christian make his beliefs so public when they are in a political office? The opponents are already shouting that Gov. Bentley has violated the First Amendment in proclaiming the exclusivity of his faith. The real question is, How can a Christian truly be a Christian and not live and proclaim their faith publicly? Where does our allegiance lie? With men or with God?
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."-Matthew 10:32-40.


The Bible is true, so a Christian has no choice but to claim the exclusivity of Jesus Christ being the only way to salvation. We shouldn't be surprised as Jesus said they would hate us ("If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."-John 15:18), and the preaching of the cross is offensive and a "stumblingblock"("But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."-1 Corinthians 1:23-25) to the world and seen as foolish("For the preaching of the cross is to them that perishfoolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."-1 Corinthians 1:18).
We need not be shocked or discouraged, but it is one more sign of how we may very soon face persecution as Christians in this country. We're already being told we should keep our "religion" to ourselves and that to do otherwise is intolerant and even hateful. Now we are being told that it makes us unfit for public office and it could be soon that we would be seen as unfit for any job. And yet, we know that God has already been victorious over this world, sin, death, and Satan through Jesus Christ, and that we have overcome the world as believers in Him (John 16:33 , 1 John 4:4 ). May we stand strong and uncompromising regardless of comfort or even safety as God's grace allows so we may be to the praise of the glory of that grace given through Jesus Christ alone, the One True Living God.

Stack of burned Bibles in Orissa State, India.

"Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." - Dueteronomy 5:7-10.

Third Trimester and I am So Lazy!

I know, I know, I'm pregnant, so I should have an excuse, right? But do I really have any excuse ever to be so selfish?  After all, I feel pretty good. I get worn out a little faster, and I get short of breath (but I have asthma, so that happens whether I'm pregnant or not), but I have had minimal swelling, a little back pain, slight heartburn at night, and I'm not working full time this time. I just realized that this has actually been a much easier pregnancy than before. So, why am I finding it even harder to focus? Why can't I keep motivated to do anything, including the things that need to be done? Am I just rationalizing and using this pregnancy as an excuse to not do things I don't like doing anyway? 
For example, our homeschooling has totally become lax and without real structure. But, that's been something easy to put off. It wouldn't be physically taxing or extremely stressful, and yet I'm having trouble writing lesson plans and implementing ones I've already planned. (This is shameful, but I haven't even put up our January counting calendar yet, and it's almost February!)

Actually an emptier sink, than at present in my kitchen.

I've never liked doing dishes, especially those that have to be washed by hand, and now our sink seems continually full. I know, it's crazy, because I have a dishwahser. 
Laundry stays piled and unfolded much longer than I care to admit.
I don't go to the grocery store until we are practically out of or even completely out of basics like bread and milk. I mostly dread having to carry the bags up the stairs by myself, as there is no way to get into my house without climbing a bunch of stairs somewhere.

These are my real slippers and nightgown.
I won't tell you what time of day this was taken ;)

Both my daughter and I spend way too much time in pajamas. (I hate to confess it, but many times we go get dressed quickly only when I look at the clock and realize my husband will be home any minute!)
Things that used to get cleaned on a regular basis aren't cleaned quite so regularly any more. Let's just say unless we're having company over, many things go longer than I would like. 
I can look at all of these things and know and even want for them to be done, and yet I don't want it enough most of the time to just do it! 
This reminds me of the sinful nature in us all. We are in bondage to our lusts, our flesh, our own selfishness. We might even regret what we do and wish things were different, but we can't stop. and the Bible makes it clear why we can't stop. We are spiritually dead, unable to do anything, just as a corpse can't get out of a coffin, but is bound to be buried in it. 
Just as when Lazarus had been dead in the tomb for four days, and only Christ could raise him to life again, we cannot be raised to new life or to freedom from death apart from Christ. We are dead and can't do anything to get out of it. We are simply buried in sin and self awaiting the blessed words from Christ saying, "come forth."(John 11:38-44)
And still we have the markings of one raised from the dead. We still have the markings of one who was dead. When Lazarus came out of the tomb he was "bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin"(John 11:44). It's easy to stay there to look down at the death clothes and despair of life as we look like one dead, to look only back at our sins and the past in sorrow. 

The tomb of Lazarus at Bethany

Yet Jesus didn't leave Lazarus there. His very next words were, "Loose him, and let him go." (John 11:44). 
God doesn't leave us there in the death clothes or in the coffin. He calls us out and in spite of the fact that we look and smell like the grave, He bids us to not live as though we are still dead. 
I've been reading through Ephesians daily this month in an effort to become more familiar with this book, and have been struck by the passage in Ch.2:1-9 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body  and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But  God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
These things were of my past, and yet I can still taste them, still partake of them. The most wonderful truth is to know that I had nothing to do with my own salvation in and of my own power, because I was dead. I couldn't have made the right choice if I wanted to, again, I was dead in sin. And yet God out of love raised us from the dead to show His grace and kindness to me through Christ Jesus. It was a gift, and I could no more control His giving me this gift than I could control anyone giving me a gift. I can't boast in what I have done or am doing or despair of what I have done or am doing. All of my hope, all chance of salvation, and all power to be raised from the dead unto eternal life, rests entirely upon God's love and mercy and the sacrifice and atoning death of Jesus Christ when He took my place by bearing the wrath of God meant for me at the cross of Calvary. 
So, even as I despair or become convicted over my still present flesh-pleasing tendencies, my longing to justify selfishness with anything I can( *sigh* even the excuse of being pregnant), the hope lies in knowing that we are no longer dead, and we have been justified and our sins pardoned through Christ reconciling us to God. 
I cannot change what I have done or not done, but I can go on from this moment, by God's grace, to live as one alive and unbound leaving all of the clothes and signs of death behind.

He Took His Place

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110113/ts_yblog_upshot/boy-saved-brothers-life-in-australian-flood

If you haven't heard this story, I encourage you to read it, but be ready with the tissues. I was definitely crying by the end. I have three brothers, and couldn't help but think of them when I read it. :,(

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."-John 15:13