Ideas for Home ~~Redeeming the Time

A few weeks ago, I shared a blog post titled Making the Best and wrote about how our acceptance of our situation reflects a surrendered heart toward our Heavenly Father. So many times, "acceptance" of our situation is a hard pill to swallow~we all need the Lord's "humbling" hand and that heavenly perspective given to us at various times of our life~~what a mercy that the Lord is patient with His people . . . 

And now, we come to a time when many of us are "stuck" in a  situation that is beyond our control. A virus that no one has ultimate sway over has spread to our country and most of us have been "sent home," so to speak, in order to stop the further spreading of this illness. 

Whether we like it or not, and whether some of the sheltering measures are "right" and in the best interest of our country or not, here we are and our acceptance of our situation will determine the attitude of our heart (ultimately) toward God. We can "stay home" in our "pouts," or we can make the best of the situation. It will be a daily and hourly choice for us. 

Our family lives in the rural Midwest and we home school our children and stay home a lot (much of this is due to the fact that my husband and I share a vehicle and he needs it to go to work) but I do get out with our children occasionally--usually once or twice a week to run errands and then during the weekends for church, etc. :-). Our Governor issued a 30 day sheltering order and so we are anchored here at home for now. Oh; how I am missing my occasional Dunkin' Donuts coffee! But don't worry; my husband has kept me well supplied with creamer so that I can make my coffee at home . . . I figure that this 64 fluid ounce bottle should last me at least 3 days in proportion to my coffee consumption . . . ;-). 

During this time, I've been thinking about some creative ideas that might encourage you as a family as you stay home for the next (indefinite) amount of weeks . . . these are ideas and activities that our family has benefited and been blessed from over the years or that we have benefited from individually. Maybe one or several of them will pique your interest and be a blessing to you and to your family during this time  . . . please feel free to share your ideas below in the comments as well! 

• Read good books. If you don't normally read to your children, use this time as a training ground. Set aside a half hour or an hour (or two!) to read to your children from good literature appropriate to their age level. Pick a few chapter books to read together and discuss them together as a family. Set a timer and give each child a pile of books to read (or one really good chapter book for an older child) for times that you're not reading together. My sister has compiled an excellent list of books to choose from for this purpose. Print her recommendations out; this will really bless your family!  And HERE is an adult book list that I've compiled, if you are looking for a good book to read on your own! 

• Memorize Scripture. This is a wonderful time to memorize Scripture together as a family or individually. Plant the Word of God in your child's heart from the time that they are young and it will have a lasting effect upon their lives. Use the extra hours that the Lord has given to your family during this time to place the Word of God in your hearts through Bible memorization. And it doesn't need to be boring! Set a goal of a certain amount of Scripture verses that your family can memorize together and then decide together on a reward for your children or for the entire family when the goal is reached. My children and I have done this together over the past several years and it has been an incredible blessing to them and to me. The Word of God will always bless and will never "return void." 

• Plant a garden. We are "exiled" ;-) at home at the perfect time to pursue this! If you have a small yard, put together a few boxes with scrap wood and fill them with garden soil. If you have a larger yard, plan a bigger garden if you would like to. This is a great project to work on with your kids over the next few weeks, from starting seedlings inside to tilling your soil and readying your garden to plant. Talk together about what seeds to plant and research how to grow the different vegetables and herbs that you choose to grow. Get your hands in the soil and thank the Lord that you and your family can spend some time outside together during the long days at home. It will also give your family a fun summer project to pursue together as you weed and take care of your plants.

• Plan and prepare a puppet show or skit.  This past winter was a long one for me and for my kids who were home a lot. We decided to use the month of February to plan and prepare a puppet show and special celebration of Purim. This lightened up the long winter nights at home as we made puppets, read the Book of Esther together, and wrote the script together for the play. We invited our family over and everyone brought a "Jewish dish" to share for the day of the play. This was such a blessing to us all and helped to get us through those long days of winter in the Midwest. This time at home is the perfect opportunity to do something similar with your kids. Pick a story from the Bible or a favorite book and plan and prepare a puppet show or skit. Use the time at home to develop closeness with your children as you work on a project together.

• Watch a good, edifying film. A verse in the Bible that has always convicted me is "Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things . . . " (Psalm 11:37). There is so much "froth" available to us that we need to sift through it and find the things of substance. It's funny, but some things we know are just "wrong" and we stay away from them. But we also need the Lord to give us the discernment to turn our eyes away from what the Word of God terms "worthless" things--things that won't benefit our soul and will just drag us down with distraction and meaningless nonsense. As humans, we are all prone to this . . . how we need the grace of God! However, in my "travels" I've also come across many films that edify me (and others as well, I'm sure) in my faith and point my gaze toward my Heavenly Father. The following are some films that have really blessed and nourished my heart and that I would heartily recommend to you for watching during this time of social distancing. These are all in the Christian film category--there are many "secular" films or films without an overt Christian theme that I love as well, but I'll only include the "Christian" ones on this list for now--Here a few of my "favorites"--a lot of these would be great to watch for a fun date night in with your spouse--they are not (in my opinion) for young children (except maybe certain parts of the Ten Commandments). But they are wonderful for young adults/adults . . . here you go! :-) 

                 ~Bella: One of my favorite films with a strong pro-life message that is not "forced." A sensitive look at a young woman's life as she considers having an abortion. This artistic film is a beautiful one with careful well-executed humor in light of the overall heavy theme of the film in general. 

                 ~Old Fashioned: Those of you who know me well know that this is one of my absolute favorite films--one that I could watch over and over again. I love the sensitivity of the male character in this film and the way in which he treats women in general with love and old-fashioned respect~~something very rare in today's society, even among believers. You may read my review for that film HERE. 

                 ~Love Comes Softly: Another sensitive, beautiful film based on one of Janette Oke's novels. I love the theme in this film of "beauty from ashes" and again, the way in which the male character treats the female character with sensitive love, compassion, and patience. 

                 ~Chariots of Fire: If you have never seen this film, you are missing out on one of the best films ever made (in my opinion :-)). Chariots of Fire tells the story of Eric Liddell, Olympic athlete (and then later a missionary to China) and his decision not to participate in the Olympics on the Lord's Day in accordance with his personal convictions. 

                 ~Fireproof: This film has more of an overt Christian message which is done in an evangelistic way. This is a great film for couples and reinforces the importance of being faithful to marriage vows. 

                 ~The Ten Commandments: Such a great, classic film! A wonderful film for families with older children. The Ten Commandments tells the story of Moses and of how the Lord used him to deliver the Israelite people from slavery in Egypt. 

I hope and pray that these ideas/suggestions will be a blessing to you! May we each of us continue to keep our eyes fixed upon the One Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life amidst all of the chaos and uncertainty and be on our knees. 

Much love,

Rebekah 

You might find me on these link-ups:

Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Good Morning Mondays,  Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday, Tea and Word

Men At Home

Without the will, marriage is a mockery; without emotion, it is a drudgery. You need both." 

- Ravi Zacharias

In his beautiful, rich book, A Promise Kept, the late Robertson McQuilkin recounts a humorous but poignant story. (You can read more about Robertson McQuilkin here.)

McQuilkin was caring for his wife, Muriel in their home. He had resigned as President of Colombia Bible College in order to be her full-time caregiver, a conviction which he believed the Lord had personally placed upon his heart. 

Muriel had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's at a comparably young age and would often have accidents as her disease progressed and her memory worsened. She came to the point where she could not control her bodily functions and went to the bathroom on the floor. 

McQuilkin recalls cleaning the mess up, while at the same time trying to keep Muriel from "helping" him to clean (he was concerned that she would slip and hurt herself.) As he was cleaning, McQuilkin, who had been listening to a Charles Swindoll broadcast, suddenly heard Swindoll say "Men, are you at home? I mean, really, at home?" And McQuilkin, seeing the humor in the situation, replied, "Yeah, Chuck, really I am; do I ever wish I weren't?"

Men at home. 

And so often we hear of women at home. Women who speak glowingly of their husbands and their children. Women who value the title of wife and mother. Women who build their lives around their spiritual calling to fulfill the feminine roles that the Lord has entrusted them with. 

This is evidenced in the subject matter of many, many Christian women's blogs. Often, the focus is upon marriage, children, and other homemaking interests. Not always, but often.

It is a God-honoring focus. Women seeking to fulfill their God-given roles in the unique and personal ways that the Lord is leading them to fulfill them. 

But men... men at home? 

This is something that has been upon my heart, especially in light of the Josh Duggar scandal, as well as other recent incidences. 

Are our men really at home? 

And some of them are. Definitely are. Their hearts are "at home," serving Jesus in whatever vocation He has called them to, supporting their wives and children, loving the Lord with all their hearts and leading their families in worship and praise of Him. 

But we have to admit, if we really want to be honest before the Lord, some of them are not. 

And we love them, and we pray for them, and we want the best for them through the Lord, but their hearts, as it stands, are not "at home."

We want our men to be at home. With us. With our children. With their God. But they are not. Something else captivates them, whether it be work, a hobby, another "love." 

Something else captivates their hearts. And they are not at home. Not at rest. Not at peace with God and with their family. 

They may give lip service, but don't really care about spiritual matters. Or perhaps they have grown cold towards their First Love.

They are not at home. 

There are other men who give all the appearance of being at home. They attend church regularly. They fulfill their duties. They help around the house. They do what is required of them, and perhaps beyond what is required. 

But their hearts are not at home. Not really. Their heart is bound to their electronic device, or their social media, or their work. They are actors but not real men at home with beating hearts of love and devotion and joy and selfless sacrifice. 

They are lukewarm. 

A part that always makes me chuckle in the Disney movie The Aristocats involves the English geese and the male cat, O'Malley.  The female geese question whether or not the cat is married, and he evades the question. One of the geese looks him squarely in his shifty eyes and states--"You either are or you're not," To which he replies, "Alright, then; I'm not." 

We need men who are at home. Men who love the Lord with all their hearts and souls and minds and strength. Men who lead their families; men who take the hard, costly path of obedience; men who follow in the footsteps of our precious Savior. 

There are men at home.

I have seen them in action. I have read of them, watched them, looked up to them, appreciated their devotion, commitment and love.  

I thank God for the men who are truly at home.

What about those who are not?

The answer is not manipulation. It is not ungodly pleading. The answer is not to ignore the problem, to falsely convince oneself or others that a man is "at home" when he is not. 

The answer is prayer. It is fasting. It is pleading with God. 

The answer is surrender. Entrusting oneself and one's family over to a merciful and loving Heavenly Father. Entrusting the situation over to His love, knowing that He will work good from it. 

We all struggle with this malady. Sometimes we are not "at home." We are not in the center of God's will. We are running, either physically or mentally away from it; we are wasting the life that the Lord has given to us on things that do not matter. We are not "at home." 

May He have mercy upon us. May He work in our minds and our hearts and our homes to be faithful to Him, to love Him with our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

May He encourage men to become true men of God, leading their families in the ways of the Lord. May He strengthen women to be the discerning support of the head, praying, encouraging, strengthening.

May our families be built up in Him. 

Men at home. Women at home. Children at home. In Him. Because of Him. Only by His grace.

At home. 

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

Part 2: A Home of Mercy

A home of mercy . . . Our homes are to be havens of hospitality, sharing the love of our Savior, but also shelters of mercy through prayer and sacrifice.

The merciful home is the prayer-saturated home, where petition and praise are daily offered up to the Creator, the Father of all mercy, the One who has begotten us to “a living hope” (I Peter 1:3), and chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8)-in the great mystery of the ages.

It is prayer-filled, because mercy cannot dwell where prayer doesn’t dwell—the true mercy that points the hurting towards the Healer of souls and Hearer of the downcast—prayer is the fountain and mercy is the glorious refreshment that flows from it.

“We love Him, because He first loved us” (I John 4:19), and therefore we love the brethren and have compassion on those who are “going astray”(Hebrews 5:2) as Jesus did, upon those who have not yet tasted His salvation and mercy. We have mercy because of Him –on our dear brothers and sisters in their need, whatever it may be, and also upon a world that is dying in their sin—“ And then Jesus looked at the multitude and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Mercy does not snub and snobbishly think of its own election; mercy does not parade, but implores the hurting to be healed and the dying to taste and see that the Lord is good. This attitude of mercy must begin in the Church and then flood the homes of believers who are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
The home that is merciful is the home in which the Savior resides, where there is spiritual healing and joy and grace and truth.

The home that is merciful is also the home that is often misunderstood, by both Christians and non-Christians alike. It is misunderstood, because Jesus was, and often the Holy Spirit’s direction, though always consistent with Scripture, does not make “common sense” to those around us. And so they will question the merciful home and possibly balk at its unusual ways. We need to be ready for people not to understand why we open our homes to foster children, and orphans, and to the forgotten-elderly, and yes, to abused and discarded animals, when the Lord places these things particularly upon our hearts, no matter the inconvenience to our comfort.

“His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136) . . . and our mercy is to mirror His, stretching on and on before us, reflecting His love and work in our lives, always pointing to the Great Father of lights (James 1:17) and bringing glory to Him.

And this is mercy that does not come from us, but from Him working in and through us as we submit to Him, in earnest, honest reverence. He is the One who does the work, and we yield to Him—otherwise we would have reason to boast in ourselves, to boast in our benevolent efforts. When we recognize His work in and through us, the realization produces humility. And humility produces action—a response to the One who graciously gives us all things (Romans 8:32). Our desire for our homes will be for them to become havens of mercy, through His work in our lives and hearts.

Jesus calls us to be merciful, and there are specific ways that His mercy may be made manifest through us, and in our homes. What is it that mercy does? Here are some of the actions that the Lord as been opening my own heart to, that reverent, humble, Spirit-filled mercy takes--

Mercy reaches out towards the lowly—Who do we offer our hospitality to, who do we invite to our homes on Sunday afternoons; do we welcome those who cannot repay us with a similar invitation? (Luke 14:14) Do we gravitate towards the most “popular” people in church, or do our hearts have compassion on those who are socially “beneath” us? Do we love the “alien and the stranger,” or do we briskly walk past them to our preferred pew, barely nodding hello? Do we invite them into our homes and our hearts? Do I secretly reach toward those I deem to be the “important” people? What are the motives of my heart? We need to continually pray that the Spirit of truth would cleanse our inner motives with His purity in these areas.

Mercy also protects the weak, and this applies to both people and animals. We are familiar with William Wilberforce’s efforts to end slavery in England, but most people are not aware that he was also instrumental in establishing the SPCA. The cruel practices of the English people in his day towards animals (bull-baiting, cock-fighting, etc.) deeply bothered Wilberforce’s sensitive conscience, and he sought with final success, to outlaw these inhumane practices. There is a sensitivity of the regenerate conscience that should be awoken towards suffering and pain that are a consequence of the fall. If the Lord’s eyes are too pure to look upon evil (Habbakuk 1:13), and if His eye is upon each “worthless” sparrow that falls (Matthew 10:29-31), then we should hate to see any creature suffering, and put a stop to it, if we are able to.

As this principle applies to people, when our fellow bothers and sisters are going through times of suffering, we should be the first to reach out to them in mercy. We should meet their urgent needs, “weeping with those who weep,” praying with and for them, and laying aside our own interests to attend the needs of others. We should be known for our mercy and protection of the weak through the power of Jesus Christ working in and through us—towards the unborn, towards the elderly and infirm, towards the poor, and towards the poor in spirit. “Be merciful, then, as your Father in heaven is merciful . . . (Luke 6:36).” Corrie Ten Boom and the Ten Boom family are an excellent example of this principle, secretly opening their home to hide persecuted Jews during WWII, at a great cost to themselves. Our homes may be used as shelters of mercy towards both human beings, made in the image of God, and toward His creation surrounding us.

Mercy gives a cup of cold water to a little child. Mercy is especially tender towards the little ones around us whose hearts are yet soft and teachable. There are little ones who live in our homes, whom the Lord has given us responsibility for, and little ones who ought to be invited into our homes. There is an open-ness about children, an unassuming-ness that adults have lost. Mercy remembers that Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14).” Mercy reaches out in love towards little children and mercy realizes that we must become as little children to be able to enter the kingdom of heaven and taste the gentle, Fatherly love of the Lord. Mercy is not “wise” to everyone and everything—Mercy is childlike and Father-trusting. Mercy seeks and craves the light through the darkness of this sin-sick world filled with so much pain and agony and wretchedness. This light is the Gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 4:4), and we hold it in our hands and in our hearts. Let the little children learn of Him in our homes through our loving, gentle hospitality and welcoming spirit towards them, whether this means raising our own children in the ways of the Lord, or welcoming other little ones into our homes as the Lord sends them to us.

Mercy is humble, and doesn’t seek to draw attention to itself. The merciful man or woman does not desire to draw attention to the fact that he is being merciful, and thereby embarrass the recipient of his mercy. It is usually obvious to all around us when we are showing mercy in a self-exalting spirit. D. L. Moody says, “A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility.” Furthermore, the “ability” to be humble doesn’t come from our own efforts; this is a lesson that I am continually learning. Lillias Trotter writes, “We have not to produce out of our higher nature a lowliness and a patience and a purity of our own, but simply to let the pure, patient, lowly life of Jesus have its way in us by yieldingness to it and by faith in its indwelling might. All that God wants from man is opportunity. The whole of our relationship to His power, whether for sanctification or for service, is summed up in those words.” Mercy is humble because the one who shows mercy realizes that he has been the recipient of it, though undeserved. The merciful home is also the humble home, filled with a sense of all that He has done for His people.

Mercy is many things, but above all, mercy is grateful—grateful to the One Who gave His mercy first. It may be said, that we are able to be merciful because He was first merciful to us . . . So out of the outpouring of gratitude towards our Savior, may our homes be havens of mercy and our hearts be filled with the merciful, abiding presence of the Savior of our souls—delightful joyful dwelling places of peace and rest.