A Net in Time

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Book Study

Pearl Seeker: I want to be a pearl seeker

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When my friend Lori learned that I was seeking a book to do from my weekly book read, she sent me a book by Becky Blackmon called “A Pearl Seeker”.   I think it’s an interesting book and therefore wanted to share it with you.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

 This book has 11 chapters, so if all goes well it won’t take too long to go through.  🙂  I haven’t delved into it too much, just read snippets here and there, so I’m eager to see what it has to say.

The first few lines of this chapter remind me of the lesson from Romans that’s been sticking in my head.  God.. our ever present protection. NOTHING can threaten us, not one single thing.  For you know who God is?  God is superman!   From Deuteronomy 33 “he rides the heaves to your help, and through the skies in his majesty.”   Neat huh?   Doesn’t that imagery help you to see the grandeur of God?  It just captured my imagination.

Seek the Lord and His Strength.

Seeking..it’s an active thing, it’s asking questions, not being afraid to ask those questions, to look for answers, to wonder why and to discover it.   

The question that faces us is this.  If we have questions about God, where do we go for the answers?   Do we ask anyone we meet or do we go to his word?  Becky helps us see that there is really only one place to go.  God’s word.  It’s his book about himself.

So you can see that God doesn’t hide himself away.  He makes himself ever so clear if all we do is ask questions and look for the answers.  It’s all right there.  Open heart, open mind, seeking after God. 

To that end a question is raised.  Do we treasure what has been given to us?   Are his words ever so important to us?   Do we seek after him daily, looking for that ever present help?

Treasure it, let it become so very very important to you. 

…

I have to admit I struggle with the repeated “it’s up to us to learn, grow and change” message found throughout this chapter.

I agree.. we NEED to seek the Lord.
BUT you know who puts that’s seeking within us?   
The Lord himself!

So yes, we need to seek the Lord, but we also should be acknowledging that he helps us to seek him and that perhaps that should be our prayer as well.  that he helps us to seek him more keenly.

Sometimes we DO have to make a choice.  Watch that TV show or spend time in God’s word.   Go for a walk or dig into scripture.  Care for the critters or take time with God.  It’s hard to make choices sometimes.  But we can determine to make better decisions about our time so those choices come easier…finding the needed time to seek out the Lord in his word.  It’s THAT important.  🙂

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Parenting Series: Process

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I don’t know about you, but ah.. sometimes I just want my child to be different, to change their behaviour right now.  To have the light at the end of the tunnel be right there with me.  

To not have to punish, “have long talks with”,  shake my head in frustration (or bang it against the wall)…. I want that change and I want it now.

But one thing I’ve learned…change isn’t like that.  It’s a whole process.  That is what David Tripp wants to talk to us about in this chapter.  How change is a process not this instantaneous event.

Mr. Tripp reminds us to look to our own life.  Does God make sudden changes in our life for the most part?   Or is the change in our behaviour a more gradual one?  Generally the latter right?  

I know it’s true in my own life.  I don’t suddenly start realizing all the time, the depth of God’s love for me.  I forget and need to be reminded, and at times it hits me hard about how much he cares for me and ergo, how hard should it be for me to change something I do in response to that great love?   How hard is it really to behold his glory and to be changed by it?   

Seeing that level of forgetfulness in myself helps me have compassion for my lad who struggles as well…and doesn’t have the experience under his belt that I do.   It helps me to stop and take a breath and explain to him yet again that I will ALWAYS forgive him if he’s sorry for his actions.  To ask him again, how will he turn from his wrong ways to seek to do what is right?   

Having that in mind, Mr. Tripp reminds us of three tenets of parenting
1. You need to parent with a process mentality.  Don’t look for sudden change but long-term change.  Parenting is a day by day, bit by bit method of caring for those in your care.
2. You need to see parenting as one unending conversation.  God put your child in your family for a reason.  So you don’t have that pressure of wanting instantaneous change.  Therefore you know that every conversation, every disciplinary action, every moment you spend with your children is just another link in the chain of change.
3. You need to parent with a project mentality.  Change is always a process, this gives you a chance to look for points of influence instead of just reacting to what’s in front of you.  Be the point of change. 

I have to admit, it’s SO easy to ignore all that and just react to what’s going on in the family.  It is!   But seriously… is it for the long-term good of those we parent?  We need to exemplify God in our actions… living by the gifts he has given us, showing the fruits of the spirit in our actions and words. 

It’s a process of grace.  God’s grace bestowed upon us his beloved children, let us then show that grace to our young. 

For the rest of the series go here.   

If you want to join in, amazon affiliate links below.

Amazon.ca:  Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

Amazon.com:  Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Excellent Wife Study: A Wife’s Understanding of Marriage

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I’ve been going through The Excellent Wife by Martha Pearce, you can find the rest of the series here.   This week we are on Chapter Five: A Wife’s Understanding of Marriage.

In this chapter we learn how a husband and wife are to minister to each other as they pursue God’s goal for marriage together.

Just what is God’s goal for marriage?
Oneness and Spiritual Growth. 

This is not an instant event, it takes time and commitment to each other.

1. Prayer is key.  Talk with God about your concerns about your marriage.  

2. Make a point of being committed to making it work.  Seriously.. put your mind to it.  

3. If you mess up, fess up.  Repent of it, make a choice to change.

4. Know that you aren’t doing this alone… you are in it with your spouse.  He lets you know when you mess up, you let him know when he messes up, you praise the good and work together on the rest.  

 My thoughts:
It’s so true you know?   You need to be committed to making a marriage work and not just letting it all side into pieces.   It means talking with each other, struggling with each other, holding each other close and making choices to stick by each other.   It’s not always easy.. trust me it ain’t.. but it’s important to do so. 

To let go of the anger and the hurt.  To see the good.  To see how God is changing you through your spouse.  It’s part of his plan to make a couple one.  Just like the church is called to be one body.. a body that works together, struggles through the differences we all have.  Marriage is worth it, even in this day and age when it seems so disposable.  It really is not.  And too many people give up on it way too fast. 

I don’t want to be one of those and REFUSE to be one of those.
I have a man who loves me and half the time I don’t know why.. but he does.  He shows it all the time.  Why would I dis that?   Even if he annoys the heck out of me sometimes, why would I dis that love that he shows me ALL THE TIME?  HUH?  

And you shouldn’t either.  You should see your spouse for who your spouse is and how you influence his behaviour.    It’s what God calls you to do.  To edify and build one another up.  To strengthen and encourage.

DO SO.
Don’t quit.  Make the choice to pray for your spouse, for your marriage, for yourself within that marriage, it’s a good thing to do eh?  🙂

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/