I bought this robe either for my husband or older son years ago, but none of the males in my house ever wears a bathrobe. It has gotten use many, many times over they years, though, in Christmas plays. The boys have been shepherds and wise men in it, and here Jesse played Joseph two years ago. He is on his knees for the group photo.
Forgive me for not being wordless this week. 🙂
You can find more Wordless Wednesday pictures at 5 Minutes For Mom.
I know, I know, some people hate the “Christmas newsletters” that some of us put in with our Christmas cards (some people are now sending them instead of Christmas cards). I love them, myself. I enjoy catching up with friends and loved ones. Even if I know most of the events mentioned in the newsletter, I enjoy reviewing them. The whole reason for sending Christmas cards is to keep in touch, and there are so many loved ones from whom I would love to hear more than just a “Merry Christmas!” at the bottoms of their cards (though I realize that, with the busyness of the holidays, some times we’re doing great just to get that much done).
I started sending them when I realized that I was jotting the same news at the bottom of Christmas cards over and over. I figured I could share more in a less rushed way with a newsletter. They don’t have to be “bragimonies” — I try to keep them realistic, sharing bad news as well as good. For many years my husband and I traded off doing them, but over time the task fell to me (I don’t mind; I enjoy it). His tended to be a “year in review;” mine concentrated on each individual in our family. Since we have always lived so far from relatives, I try to give a little picture of the boys’ personalities as well as what they’ve been up to in the previous year. Some years we have scanned in a picture (one year even a page of pictures).
The main “tip” I wanted to share today, though, is this: we have always kept copies of old newsletters in a filing cabinet, but a few years ago it occurred to me that it would be good to keep a copy for each of the boys as well. They are not particularly interested in them now, but some time in the future they might like to have them, to look back through the records of the years, to remember what they were doing and what they were like from year to year.
A really savvy, on-top-of things mom might put these in a scrapbook with accompanying pictures from each year or from each Christmas. That never occurred to me until yesterday. 🙂 I might do that some time, or I might eventually put them into some kind of book and give them to them the first Christmas after they leave home or after they are married. For now they wait in the filing cabinet.
You can find or share more “works for me” tips at Rocks In My Dryer.
Lynn Austin’s A Woman’s Place was not on my fall reading list — I don’t think I have read anything of hers before and was unaware of this book until a few weeks ago when I saw it on the shelf of our local Christian bookstore. It caught my eye, but I bypassed it a couple of times before finally deciding to give it a try. It’s the story of four women who, for various reasons, find themselves working at a shipyard during World War II. I don’t want to give away many of the details and spoil it for those who might want to read it, but it covers a lot of ground for one book: the individual stories of each of the women and how they came together, the negative attitudes toward women in the work place, the fate of the husbands, brothers, family members, and friends fighting overseas, the resistance to African-American workers, and journeys of faith. Overall the story was good and I learned a few things I had not known about that era in time.
There were two elements of the book, though, that disturbed, saddened, and frustrated me — it especially disturbed me to find them in Christian fiction from a Christian author.
The first was the demeaning attitude towards housewives. To be fair, I do understand that in a work of fiction the characters are going to hold to and espouse views that are not the author’s and that that provides some of the conflict and plot development in the book. I’m sure that the issues raised were ones that were discussed many times over by people in those situations at that time (and they still are being discussed today). Yet this attitude was presented over and over by most of the characters in many situations, with the phrase “just a housewife” being used over and over, the attitude that one could not be fulfilled or find herself by being “just a housewife,” the attitude that there were many occupations worthier and more important than being “just a housewife.” There was only one female character who had anything positive to say about being “just a housewife” and who viewed it as a ministry of loving God and others.
In all honesty, I hate the term “housewife,” because I am not married to my house. I prefer the word “homemaker” because that is what I see as my first ministry: making a home for my loved ones, a home not just in the physical sense of cleaning and cooking (though that does make up the bulk of the work), but a home where my loved ones can find respite, where they can be nurtured and can grow. Realistically, no, it’s not always romantically idyllic, and, yes, there are moments of drudgery. I think many homemakers do have times of feeling unnoticed and unappreciated as Ginny did in the book. But I think that occurs in any occupation. I don’t think the only solution to that is to go find something more “important” and “fulfilling.” I think the solution is to do everything, even the most humbling tasks, as unto the Lord, to find ways to incorporate beauty and creativity and mental stimulation into everyday life, to reach out to others and find ways of ministering. I wouldn’t say that no Christian wife and mother should ever work outside the home. But I do find my God-given role as a wife and mother both important and fulfilling.
The second recurring theme that bothered me was the defiant, argumentative “standing up to” people, especially people in authority. Now, again, I want to be balanced: I do believe in standing up for what one believes, standing up against injustice, etc. Near the end of the book one of the characters, the wife of a rather domineering and authoritarian husband, says, “The Bible says I must honor you, and I always have. But that doesn’t mean that I must always agree with you. And it doesn’t mean that I can’t tell you what I think.” I do agree with that. But I don’t agree with the spirit that manifested itself in many characters and situations in the book. I think it was wrong for Ginny to defy her husband’s wishes by continuing to work. It’s not that I objected to the plot line, but it bothered me that everyone, even the professing Christians, encouraged her to do so. I’ve been taught that wifely submission is not just the idea that “If push comes to shove…,” “If he insists…,” “If he makes me…, ” then I have to do what he says, but rather it is a voluntary arranging oneself under the husband’s leadership. The only time I could see Biblical justification for a wife to outright defy a husband’s wishes would be if a Scriptural principle were involved (Acts 4:18-20). Again, if this just came up in this one plot line, it would be one thing, but this “standing up to” people with a defiant attitude came up so often it seemed to me to be a theme rather than just an individual plot line.
Those are my impressions, having just finished the book this morning.
I saw this Holiday Meme over at Barb’s place, A Chelsea Morning. She saw it on someone else’s, who saw it on someone else’s, etc. — I’ll let you trace the history there if you’d like. I thought it looked like fun, so I’m jumping in.
Let me know if you do this meme, too!
On another note, I wanted to mention these darling little fabric trees I saw at a link from The Sparrow’s Nest to Turkey Feathers, whose link for the pattern at Little Bird led me to the cutest button wreath here and here. I’m sad to say I haven’t made any Christmas decorations in many years, but these are inspiring, and I hope to do them! I had never read either of the last two blogs, though I do love The Sparrow’s Nest, but I am going to peruse them some more!
Someone sent this to me a few years ago right when I was in the midst of a pressure-filled week, and I am ashamed to say I did not receive it well. I want to start out this Christmas season with these thoughts at the forefront:
1 CORINTHIANS 13 – – A CHRISTMAS VERSION –
By an unknown author
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love, I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love, I’m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.
See also:
A few weeks ago our church had its missions conference, and I had planned some time since then to post some favorite missions quotes and poems. For various reasons I hadn’t done it yet — and decided to do so today:
Away in foreign lands they wondered how
Their simple words had power.
At home the Christians, two or three,
Had met to pray an hour.
Yes, we are always wondering, wondering how–
Because we do not see
Someone — perhaps unknown and faraway —
On bended knee.
–Author unknown
The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.
—Henry Martyn – Missionary to the Muslims of Persia and India
I have seen, at different times, the smoke of a thousand villages — villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world. — Robert Moffat
I am ready to burn out for God. I am ready to endure any hardship, if by any means I might save some. The longing of my heart is to make known my glorious Redeemer to those who have never heard. — William Burns
Scores of casks! And only one missionary!;
Mary Slessor, (1848-1915)Pioneer Scottish missionary to Calabar, part of what is now Nigeria. She made this observation in August, 1876 while boarding a ship at Liverpool that was busy loading casks of spirits for West Africa.
When you think of the woman’s power, you forget the power of the woman’s God. I shall go on.
Mary Slessor, upon being told by a local African chief that it was foolish and dangerous for her, a woman, to travel inland to intervene between warring tribes.
We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God — John Stott
It is the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.– Charles H. Spurgeon
God’s part is to put forth power; our part is to put forth faith. — Andrew A. Bonar
The church that does not evangelize will fossilize.– Oswald J. Smith
God is not looking for a certain IQ.
He is looking for a certain “I Will”.
– Sid Messer
When I came to see that Jesus Christ had died for me, it didn’t seem hard to give up all for Him. It seemed just common, ordinary honesty.
—C. T. Studd (1860-1931)
Send us people with initiative, who can carry themselves and others too; such as need to be carried hamper the work and weaken those who should be spending their strength on the heathen. Weaklings should be nursed at home! If any have jealousy, prides, or talebearing traits lurking about them, do not send them, nor any who are prone to criticize. Send only Pauls and Timothys; men who are full of zeal, holiness and power. All others are hindrances. If you send us ten such men the work will be done. Quantity is nothing; quality is what matters.
FORWARD EVER; BACKWARD,NEVER!
—C.T. Studd – Missionary to China, India, and Africa
Don’t send a lamp to the mission field that will not burn at home.—Unknown
Not one person in the world needs Jesus Christ less than you do.– Unknown
Sympathy is no substitute for service.—Unknown
If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for. — Charles Spurgeon
Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you are alive, it isn’t.— Richard Bach
How often do we attempt to work for God to the level of our incompetency rather than to the limit of God’s omnipotency.—Hudson Taylor
We have a base man-pleasing disposition, which will make us let men perish lest we lose their love, and let them go quietly to hell, lest we should make them angry with us for seeking their salvation: and we are ready to venture on the displeasure of God, and risk the everlasting misery of our people, rather than draw on ourselves their ill-will.—Richard Baxter
I marvel…how I can let men alone in their sins, and that I do not go to them, and beseech them, for the Lord’s sake, to repent, however they may take it, and whatever pains or trouble it may cost me!— Richard Baxter
A Missionary Appeal
There are times when the enemy seems to prevail
And faintness creeps over the heart,
When courage and confidence quiver and quail
At the glance if his fiery dart.
There are times when, exhausted, we can but stand still,
The sword-arm hangs nerveless and numb;
Oh, then to the soul comes a whisper so chill;
“Are they weary of praying back home?”
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I was in a quandary about this week’s topic. I didn’t think I had any photos of lights. We don’t have our Christmas lights up yet and don’t do much with outside lights anyway. Then I thought of one of my favorite settings of light: I am home most of the time, but when I am out, I love seeing the lights of home through the window when I come home:
I also thought of a lampshade I made once:
It has different places that are pierced or partially cut so that the light showing through enhances the pattern.
Here’s a closer view:
This lamp is on my nightstand by the bed. I enjoyed making it — but I have never made another one. 🙂
(Friday’s Feast post is below.)
Before I change gears completely from Thansgiving to Christmas (I know, I know, most people are in full-fledged Christmas mode already. I like a little lag time inbetween 🙂 ), I wanted to post a few of my Thanksgiving decorations. I didn’t put up many fall decorations at all — it was just too busy to get them up. But I did want to add a few Thanksgiving touches.
These are my little pilgrims and Indians. I got them at a craft show in GA when we lived there. That craft show is one of the things I miss most about that place! There don’t seem to be many here in SC any more.
My husband got this Boyd’s Bear figurine for me on my birthday in August. ♥ I love those leaves — I got them through a home party called Home Interiors several years ago and I haven’t seen anything like them since. I’d love to find more. They have the fall colors only muted and pinkish, which works well in my house with pink in several rooms.
Here is a close-up of the figurine:
Finally, here is the cheery scarecrow I have on my front door:
I have some other scarecrows I usually put out — but they’ll have to wait til next year.
Though I love the Christmas season, I’m a little sad to bid autumn farewell.
Stray Thoughts 